Black Gesso and Raw Graphite Resin Sculpture of a Pygmy Rabbit by Darla Jackson

Darla Jackson was born in Pennsylvania in 1981. She received a BFA in Sculpture from Moore College of Art in 2003 and after receiving a Knight Arts Challenge Grant in 2011, founded the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym. She currently lives and works in Philadelphia. Jackson has had multiple solo exhibitions at venues, which include the Philadelphia Art Alliance, the University of the Arts and a Wind Challenge exhibition at the Fleisher Art Memorial. Her sculpture has been shown in a long list of exhibitions both nationally and internationally. Her work is held both in private collections and institutionally. Jackson was awarded two grants from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which she used to start the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym, a membership-based community sculpture studio. Jackson has also received multiple fellowships and awards, including a CFEVA fellowship and the Ellen Lee Walker Amelia Prize from the Woodmere Art Museum. She has lectured about her work at venues including The Barnes Foundation and various colleges throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Artist statement: My sculpture is an exploration of the human psyche, in which I strive to show the duality of emotions. In order to express these ideas, I use feelings that have been turned into recognizable visual objects, or symbols and juxtapose them with other elements to create this duality. Through the anthropomorphism of animals, the use of strong body language of figures and the use of symbolism, I can convey my emotions and ideas in a way that is more approachable for viewers. The end result is familiarity with an oddness that makes it compelling.