Jillian Gibson

Jillian Gibson is inspired by the creative expression of a community and how cultures are

defined by the integration of art in peoples daily lives and traditions. She dove into the diverse

creative culture of New Orleans 28 years ago and continues to be immersed in the arts that

define the city today.

Jillian graduated cum laude from Virginia Commonwealth University arts in 1991 with a BFA

from the Craft/Material Studies department, specializing in textiles. She dashed off to

Charlottesville, Virginia living an artist life and co-founded with artist friends the community

based street theater and puppetry troupe called Tiny Town Theater Troupe.

She arrived to New Orleans in the mid ’90’s as an exhibiting paper sculptor and performance

artist whose talents have been cultivated by the creative art industries of the city. Jillian is a

multidisciplinary artist and a versatile painter. She has worked as a sculptor and painter for

Royal Artists (Mardi Gras Float Artists), a scenic artist in the film industry, and studio assisted

numerous highly accomplished artists including James Michalopoulos.

As New Orleans rebuilt itself following hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Jillian established herself

as proficient art preparator working steadily with the Ogden Museum, other local art museums

and galleries, artists, designers, developers, collectors, and events including the Prospect New

Orleans triennial 1-6. From the inception of the Crevasse 22 / River House in 2014 through

2018, Jillian was the Lead Preparator and on site arts manager for the environmentally focused

sculpture garden and fine arts gallery curated by Jeanne Nathan /CANO , on the property of

it’s patron, Sidney Torres III, in Poydras, LA. She co-curates art spaces for exhibition, designs

art focused environments for private clients and has curated original shows such as FEAST at

the Barrister’s Gallery.

For more than 20 years Jillian has been designing custom painted artistic finishes for homes,

businesses and events. The Covid era ignited projects for her including extensive renovations

for the Grand Opening of Madame Vic’s and the Blue Nile Music Club which also entailed the

preservation of 4 iconic murals.

Jillian’s art for exhibition is primarily mix media paintings on panel. She often layers glazes of

color over metallic foils creating lustrous fantastical landscapes. A prominent theme of her

work comments on Louisiana’s wetland and land loss issues. There are series of works

collaged with her printed photographs narrating the environmental concerns for the bountiful,

bucolic landscapes of Louisiana. Progressively her work became more conceptual incorporating

relative small objects and/or sewing onto the panels to make her statements. All the while her

work is peaceful and engaging despite the magnitude of the complex subject .

Jillian’s degree in textiles and love of paper has re-emerged from her tool kit in the past few

years. The evolution of her work now involves components of every era of her life. Her

whimsical images are layered paper maché , hand dyed fabrics and thread lines that are

technically rich but minimal art pieces portraying storybook like pictures enticing the viewer to

conjure their own tale.

Out of nothing one can create, inspire, educate, and relate as humans. I use paper, paint, foil,

and stitch.