Primarily a photographer, de Vries’s latest work is a multi-media installation. The theme for “Your Mother Is In The Basement” was inspired by the artist’s recent conversion of her basement into a workspace and the answer to her children’s question “where is mommy?” She further thought about all of the work that mothers traditionally have done in the basement, like canning and dyeing fabric, and about the La Salle University Art Museum as a venue that is located on the lower level, or basement, of Olney Hall. The installation will include lenticular images, canning jars filled with natural plant dyes and fabrics, a web based search engine, and a slide projection.

According to de Vries:

"Your Mother Is In The Basement, is a body of work that uses the basement as a site for metaphor in relation to the body, also bringing up gender in relation to space and memory. As I age my art work reflects the new places I inhabit, beginning with girlhood, womanhood, and now motherhood. As I age I also become increasingly aware of presence and absence and my eye and heart are acutely attuned to these phenomena. The magic in the mundane. The beauty in the repugnant. Absence and presence. These are the themes that I continue to wrestle with and explore in my work."

De Vries earned a BFA from San Jose State University and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is on the faculty of the Department of Photography & Imaging at New York University. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally. The programming to complement her exhibition will include an artist’s talk, an informal Explorer Café, and a hands-on dyeing workshop using natural plant colorants. Please see our website for dates and times for this programming.

The La Salle University Art Museum is located on the lower level of Olney Hall on the campus of La Salle University at 19th St. and Olney Ave. Hours are 10 AM to 4 PM, Monday through Friday and 2 to 4 PM on most Sundays during the University’s Fall and Spring semesters. Admission is free, though donations are accepted. Classes and group visits by appointment. Special tours can be arranged. For further information call 215-951-1221 or visit our website at http://www.lasalle.edu/museum.