Bio

Emily Moores is a visual artist living and working in Cincinnati, Ohio. She earned her BFA from The Cleveland Institute of Art in 2008 and her MFA from The University of Cincinnati in 2014. Her work consists of hand-cut and ornately layered materials, which create both wall works and large-scale installations. Emily’s work investigates the playful engagement of the body as essential to understanding and experiencing spaces or objects.

Emily was selected as one of the Women to Watch 2020 by the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery in collaboration with the Ohio Advisory Group of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. She created ‘Let’s Celebrate,’ a large-scale installation consisting of wood, paper and fabric. With a party-like atmosphere, this work immersed the viewer in a celebration.

She has shown her work nationally, including the Akron Art Museum (OH), the Contemporary Arts Center (OH), the Ruffin Gallery (VA), the Loudon House (KY), and the Edward A. Whitney Gallery at Sheridan College (WY). Emily Moores was a recipient of the Ohio Cultural Arts Individual Artist Award, the Summerfair Individual Artist Grant and the ArtPrize Seed Grant.

Statement

My artwork uses playful and joyful colors and textures to create spaces for viewers to get lost in. I use everyday materials (such as paper, fabric, and plastic) because I want viewers to already have a tactile connection to the textures. My work explores tactility and its ability to embody feelings of play or joy immaterially.

I transform a physical space or surface of a paper into a whimsical environment using colorful patterns, textures, and ornamentation. The inspiration for my intricate patterns and design elements derived from everyday objects, like wallpaper, decorative china and playgrounds. With overstimulation from screens and a fast-paced accomplishment culture, the physical nature of textures and patterns can bring viewers into the physical reality.

Viewers can feel connected to the tangible space that surrounds them. My goal is to use the movement of an individual’s body to empower their imagination. I often find that my bright colors and patterns remind individuals of an experience or an object. I want people to be empowered to make their own connections when looking at my artwork. Simply looking at and observing abstract art is play.

Connect: @emilymoores_art