Erin Riley – Public/Private Moments

Erin Riley can be described as a visual reporter for her generation.  She observes her world and contemporary culture through social media, gathers images from the internet, and translates them into tapestries that are often tragic, provocative, and certainly disturbing.  Much of her subject matter has to do with young women involved with drugs, drunkenness, and sexual encounters.  She is interested in the reasons behind the behavior as much as in the actions themselves.  The ideas of need, love, longing, and despair are all visible in this work. Read the accompanying essay Erin Riley-Public-Private Moments to learn more about the work included in the exhibition.

Curator’s Biography

Susan Iverson lives in rural Virginia near the small town of Montpelier and is a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.  She earned a MFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, and a BFA from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO.  Her work has been exhibited widely throughout the United States and is included in many collections including The Art in Embassies Program and the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC.