Susan Tuberville

I come from many quilters, who gifted an abundance of functional artwork for my family to enjoy for years to come. In the fibers of these pieces, I see the gentle wear of regular use and the painstaking effort put into each ornamental detail. I imagine the quilting circles and the collaboration required to produce each piece. The quilts are a representation of comfort, care, hope, and tradition- lovingly passed down. They signify a desire to protect and to cherish, to hearten and to soothe each person who seeks shelter beneath their weight. They are rich with messages for those who will come after us. 

My family quilts have become, to me, a metaphor for Welcome.

 You are welcome to pursue comfort. 

You are welcome to seek shelter. 

You are welcome to be cared for. 

You are welcome to find belonging.

You are welcome to build that which lasts. 

I believe the phrase “You are Welcome” in today’s political and social climate requires expansion. What do we mean when we offer this phrase, and how can we make it a reality for ourselves and others in neighborhoods, communities, and new spaces? 

This work is an ongoing and inquisitive piece that visualizes the mapping of new terrain. I invite viewers to enter the installation and contribute to a collective definition of Extravagant Welcome. 

ICA Baltimore, April - May 2019

This initiative intends to further beautify the “community space” within the Goodnow Community Garden in northeast Baltimore. For several years, the garden has provided refugee families living in the Goodnow area with garden plots for growing produce.

Together with neighborhood residents, we are creating a mosaic table and benches for the garden. This initiative started with a community engagement grant from Maryland Institute College of Art, which I used to provide the table and benches and provide ceramics and mosaic materials for a series of community artmaking workshops.

After creating handmade plaster molds in the shape of flowers and vegetables grown in and around the garden, I molded many ceramic tiles and garden community members painted their own tiles during tile painting workshops. With ample tiles painted, I have created and installed the tabletop design.

With the addition of a community space to relax, talk, and perhaps share a meal, the garden will continue to grow into a place for community engagement as well as production.

Recent work in fibers.

Recent work in video.

This compilation of short films is the result of a collaboration between BCCC Refugee Youth Project and The Youth Dreamers, Inc. Over three months of workshops led by multiple teaching artists, participants from both organizations joined together to learn about different storytelling methods, from poetry to dialogue and public speaking to filmmaking. This film compilation represents a sampling of the stories that were concepted, practiced, shared, and some recorded during the workshop series. This project was coordinated by Susan Tuberville, with collaborating teaching artists Gerad Forte, Jennifer Zunikoff, and Muluberhan Bahre. Project made possible through the Y. L. Hoi Memorial Award from Maryland Institute College of Art.

Footage by participant artists from Patterson High School. Trailer edited by Susan Tuberville.

BCCC Refugee Youth Project artists combined reading and artmaking during RYP's 2018 International Summer Academy. Inspired by themes in some of our favorite literature, participants practiced new techniques in drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, and more. At the end of our six-week session, participant artists created their own rendition of a favorite book, Faith Ringgold's We Came to America, using their own illustrations. The artwork describes their cultural and family backgrounds, experiences, and journeys. Our video was first screened at our August 2018 Summer Art Celebration, an expansive art exhibition showcasing the work of RYP artists from 2nd- 12th grade organized by Susan Tuberville, graciously hosted by Baltimore Center Stage and Cara Hinh.

Through an extended exploration of visual symbolism, BCCC Refugee Youth Project artists at Moravia Park Elementary School identified the values that are most important to them. These values are maintained despite the artists’ geographical location, and they often reflect the importance of family and cultural background. First, we used a batik method (and practiced our sewing skills!) to create individual flags as well as the community quilt. Next, the artists learned how to create ceramic vessels and decorated them with symbols they created. Can you guess, based on their symbols, what the artists care most about? Among the values they symbolized were love, home, peace, happiness, and royalty.

These works were exhibited at the Community Art Collaborative’s May 2018 show, “Artistic Minds at Work.”

BCCC Refugee Youth Project (RYP) artists at Moravia Park Elementary explored the meaning of bravery: what is bravery, and when have we been brave in the past? When might we need to be brave in the future? The sculptural masks, which are uniquely formed to each artist’s face, creatively represent the internal strength that allows us to be outwardly brave. Juxtaposed next to these masks are RYP artists’ Power Portraits. Through portraiture, RYP artists explored how different postures help us look- and feel- powerful, strong, and brave!

After creating their masks, some artists’ statements about bravery include:

“I was brave when I started the first day of school.”

“My mask is red. It means that I am strong.”

“I was brave when I was at the mall.”

“My mask is purple. It means that I am powerful and magical.”

“My mask is gold. It makes me feel like a superstar!”

These works were exhibited at the Community Art Collaborative’s May 2018 show, “Artistic Minds at Work.”

This collaborative mural was created by guests at a Thanksgiving Dinner hosted by BCCC Refugee Youth Project, International Rescue Committee, and Soccer Without Borders. Each guest was invited to answer the question, “What helps your community thrive?” by writing or drawing on a ceramic tile.

Guests placed their tiles into the collaborative mosaic to create this image. I finalized the image using found objects.

MaP Community Artists was founded by myself and thirty inspiring secondary students at Maru-a-Pula School in 2015. During an afterschool enrichment program, participating artists researched public art around the world, designed murals, and worked collaboratively to bring their designs to life on their campus.

These two murals were the first works created by MaP Community Artists in 2015 and 2016. Since then, group members have continued on to create more campus murals and facilitate art outreach programs at a local youth center in Gaborone, Botswana.

Selected early works in painting and sculpture.