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Vanessa Compton

Vanessa Compton

Burlington, VT

Vanessa Compton is a dynamic collagist whose work explores social criticism through the lens of privilege, identity, and the complexities of history. Often engaging with the nouveau Western genre, she challenges dominant narratives of violence and freedom, weaving her personal and ancestral experiences into poignant reflections on division, unity, and motherhood across borders.

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Vanessa Compton - Biography

Vanessa Compton is a thought-provoking western-focused collage artist known for her dynamic approach to social issues and layered narratives. Raised in the hills of Vermont by a singer-songwriter father and artist mother, she began creating art early, while also studying cello and piano. As a teen, she performed in choirs across America and Europe, exploring diverse musical traditions. Vanessa’s passion for world music led her to Dakar, Senegal, to study the kora’s influence on hip hop, and Kumasi, Ghana, where she explored Highlife and palm wine guitar.

In 2005, Vanessa earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from CU Boulder, focusing on ceramic sculpture. These diverse artistic experiences, combined with her hands-on exploration of sculpture, naturally led her to collage—an art form practiced by her grandmother. Over the past 15 years, Vanessa has fully embraced collage as her medium, using it to craft intricate and socially charged narratives. Her collages and sculptures have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the US and collected internationally. She has received numerous fellowships, including from The Brinton Museum, Vermont Studio Center, and Jentel Arts. Vanessa currently lives and works in Burlington, VT.

Vanessa Compton - Artist Statement

“As a collagist, I see art as a vehicle for social criticism and focusing on issues of our time. How do we talk about the history that divides and binds us together? I am a white woman and a descendant of settlers and my history of privilege is consciously and subconsciously woven into how I exist in the world and as an artist. My ancestors were touched by war, and the ensuing grief had a tremendous impact on my family. As a new mother, I am consumed with what it means to love and protect children, both within the confines of home and on a national and global scale. As a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, I often work within the nouveau Western genre to attempt to reflect on what is happening here on Turtle Island. It feels like the same story over and over—one that perpetuates the ideas of regeneration through violence and masculinity reinforced by violence. Heavy-handed notions of freedom, unfreedom, and liberal individualism assume that the Western frontier makes everyone equal. While I have been seduced by these narratives, my work is an attempt to radically counter them.” – Vanessa Compton

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