Open by appointment for one person/household at a time - please email info@rhizomedc.org. In addition, we will host open gallery hours for drop-in visitors on Sunday April 25 from 10am-2pm; Saturday May 1 from noon-4pm; and Saturday May 15 from noon-4pm.
Isabelle A. Roque
Body + Mind Wellness Patchwork, 2021 (Quilts)
Learn Heal Change, 2020 (Zines)
Artist Statement:
For my residency, I created three handmade quilts and sun printed zines. The three quilts provide illustrative imagery that represent the strength and healing of the mind and body. The pocket sized zine is a guide for activists. The zine talks about how to reflect, heal, change and grow as a united community. To make positive change, it’s all about creating connections and cultivating solutions together that accommodates everyone. This zine is inspired by Adrienne M. Brown’s book Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds, 2017. I also drew inspiration from the pandemic and the unveiling of the deep rooted systemic racism.
America places harmful standards on who succeeds and who doesn’t. This society caters to and protects wealthy, white, cis gendered and abled bodies. These standards create an unsafe divide to our communities when we should be coming together, protecting one another.
My quilts will represent the cancellation of “standards'' and will allow warmth and safety to those who have experienced oppression. Quilts are known to document history through symbolic imagery with scraps of fabric. I am using my quilts to do just that; to document the history of oppression that is repeating itself.
The quilts and cyanotype zines join together to provide reassurance to those who are victims of oppression, as well as, education and guidance to those who aren’t aware of the many modes of discrimination.
The first quilt, is a simple figure who internalizes peace by overcoming the surrounding harm and dangers.
The second quilt, is a powerful brain. This portrays how mental wellness is an essential part of physical health.
The last quilt has sewn on pockets that hold my zines Learn, Heal, Change. These take home zines will encourage my audience to engage in my quilts up close and provide accessible notes. Notes of guidance on how to become open to learning, healing mental scars and creating connections to cultivate better solutions for everyone.
My name is Isabelle Roque. I am 22 years old. My pronouns are she/her/hers. I am half Salvadorian and half Filipino. Currently, I am studying Communication Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. I plan to pursue a career in illustrating editorial art and children’s books. I want to further my research on creating accessible art and activism to implement that topic in children's imagery.
Although 2020 (and some of 2021) has been nothing but unpleasant, I have truly come to understand that we need each other. By that I mean, this pandemic and systemic oppression have proven to me that healing, empathizing and understanding one another is vital for the future of our nation. This has inspired the tone of my future creative work by addressing social issues (such as: racism, sexism and ableism and climate crisis.) I hope for my art to be a wholesome experience, I want to encourage my viewers to reflect and learn. I want my art to be accessible to all age groups because we are all still learning and growing.
