Bio and Statement

GINGER HENRY GEYER

Austin artist Ginger Henry Geyer is known for her quixotic porcelains, detailed hand built sculptures that explore art history, vintage culture and theology. These are often accompanied by poignant and humorous stories on her website. Recently she has developed a related body of work in collage murals made from children’s books and wallpaper, exploring a lifelong interest in words connected to imagery. Ginger grew up in Arkansas and has been an Austin resident since 1988. She earned BFA and MFA degrees from SMU and a Masters in Pastoral Ministry at the Seminary of the Southwest. She has taught there and was Artist-in-Residence in 2022-2023. Her previous careers have been in art museum planning and collections management, and in art programming for a retreat center. She has an extensive record of exhibitions, publications, and speaking engagements. Valley House Gallery of Dallas represents her work.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

My work in sculpture, collage and story asks the viewer to slow down and enter a playful entanglement that prompts new thinking about social issues, religion, history, and art. Meaning and words interest me as much as aesthetics and technical virtuosity– these pieces are  loaded with all of it. Humor, in the midst of serious topics, often exudes from intersections of these signifiers. Themes of brokenness and transformation are probed, as are questions about American nostalgia and amnesia. Antiracism and Black theology in an age of White supremacy is a fervent concern. I explore the metaphorical side of porcelain and the childhood influences of storybooks and textbooks. The collages, on vintage wallpaper, are made solely from quips from children’s books taken from my erratic filing system. It is all glued together by my “alter ego” Chlora, a young WASP storyteller who blurts out the obvious and questions the status quo.