Dorothy Gillespie Photo Courtesy of The Dorothy M. Gillespie Foundation

In collaboration with The Dorothy M. Gillespie Foundation, Art in Bloom Gallery is pleased to present the work of, painter, sculptor and installation artist, Dorothy M. Gillespie (1920-2012), in a special exhibit of her work.

Wilmington celebrates the legacy of artist & activist, Dorothy Gillespie, in collaboration with The Dorothy M. Gillespie Foundation. Gillespie had close ties in Wilmington through a long-time friendship with Thalian Hall’s, Tony Rivenbark, who worked as her studio assistant in the 1970s. Rivenbark brought Gillespie and her art to the Cape Fear Region. Gillespie’s legacy lives on in Wilmington and the additional public venues showcasing Gillespie’s art, including the Cameron Art Museum, the New Hanover County Arboretum, Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Cape Fear Community College’s Wilma W. Daniels Gallery and the Wilson Center, and UNCW’s CAB Gallery.

The Foundation proudly presents the works and history of the 20th century American Artist, Dorothy Gillespie, which included abstract expressionism, decorative abstraction, site-specific installations, the women’s movement and art in public spaces. She was a pioneer in the new directions of metal sculpture and best known for large-scale, highly colorful painted arrangements of cut aluminum with enamel strips radiating, undulating, or curling in giant arrangements of ribbon, enchanted towers, and even the burst of fireworks piece. Dorothy Gillespie is well known as a painter, sculptor and installation artist whose work incorporated many significant 20th-century trends in art.

Click here to preview the work on view at Art in Bloom Gallery from July 6 – August 13.

Click here to view our DG Interactive Brochure featuring Dorothy Gillespie’s permanent art in public places around Wilmington!

Click here to download our List of Current, Temporary Exhibits featuring Dorothy Gillespie’s art in public places around Wilmington!

About the Artist

Dorothy Gillespie (1920-2012, American) was a painter and sculptor born in Roanoke, VA. She enjoyed an artistic career that spanned over 70 years before her death at 92. She studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art, MD then moved to New York City in 1943 where she studied at the Art Students League of New York and Stanley William Hayter’s Atelier 17.

Gillespie was also an important player in the women’s art movement. Known for her tremendous output of colorful, joyful sculptural art, she was among those who helped blaze a path for women artists during the feminist art movement in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Always experimenting and trying new materials and techniques, Gillespie mastered many mediums, including painting, paper, sculpture, printmaking, environment and happenings, ceramics, jewelry and set designs.

As a painter, sculptor and installation artist, Gillespie’s art encompasses many significant 20th Century trends in art, including abstract expressionism, decorative abstraction, site-specific installation, the women’s movement, and art in public spaces.

Education was always very important to Dorothy Gillespie, and during her life she visited over 50 colleges and universities where she gave public lectures, coached and taught young artists. She was a Distinguished Professor of Art, Radford University, and a Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellow for many years. In 1990 she was recognized for her commitment to education when she received a Doctor of Pedagogy, Niagara University.

Dorothy Gillespie is the subject of numerous reviews, scholarly articles, television and radio interviews and the book Dorothy Gillespie.

This selection on view, and for sale, is organized and sponsored by The Dorothy M. Gillespie Foundation. The work is directly from the late artist’s studio located in Narrowsburg, NY.  The Dorothy M. Gillespie Foundation fosters the legacy of Dorothy Gillespie’s life and work. The Foundation supports artists, initiatives, and institutions that embody the same innovative, inclusive multidisciplinary approach that Dorothy Gillespie exemplified in both her art and philanthropic endeavors.

Visit The Foundation’s website for more in depth information on the artist and her larger than life works of art.