Ashley V. Blalock   Biographical Information

Ms. Blalock's recent artworks are a conscious effort to combine both 'fine art' and 'craft'
in order to examine the lower status relegated to craft, especially crochet, which is
traditionally a female practice. Some of her figurative pieces consist of crocheted wall
hangings positioned to cast a shadow which is as much a part of the work as the hanging
panel. Other works incorporate lines of crocheted text meant to combine art and
literature. Her works are explorations of self-identity, tradition, and mortality that clothe
non- 'fine art' materials, such as plastic canvas and yarn, in the guise of 'high art'. Ms.
Blalock's works reflect the diversity of training she has in art including painting, jewelry,
woodworking, textiles (especially crochet), glass, and digital media.

In 2000, Ms. Blalock graduated from San Diego State University with a BA in painting
and printmaking. In January 2005, she completed her MA in Art History at the
University of California, Riverside. Her thesis was an examination of the founding years
of Black Mountain College in North Carolina with an analysis of the teaching methods of
John Andrew Rice and Josef Albers. She has variously worked with the Museum of
Contemporary Art San Diego, the Balboa Art Conservation Center, and the Sweeny Art
Gallery. Her work has been shown in exhibitions in Southern California, Oregon,
Virginia, and Texas and featured in print in journals such as Mosaic Literary Journal.
Ms. Blalock's work was recently reviewed in the San Diego Union-Tribune and featured
in Interweave Crochet Magazine. As an art historian, Ms. Blalock has participated in
conferences such as (dis)junctions: morphing the written word and her research focuses
on art museums, art history texts, and art education.

Ms. Blalock is a lecturer in Art at California State University San Bernardino and an
Adjunct Instructor of Art History at Crafton Hills College.

EDUCATION

2005        MA, Art History       University of California, Riverside, CA
2000        BA, Painting             San Diego State University, San Diego, CA


ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

2008        Intermediate Weaving with Christie Dunning, UC San Diego Crafts Center, La Jolla, CA
2007        Tapestry Weaving with Rebecca Smith, Needlework Cottage, San Diego, CA
               Beginning Weaving with Christie Dunning, UC San Diego Crafts Center, La Jolla, CA
2006        Lampwork Workshop with Heather Trimlett, Blue Dolphin, San Diego, CA
1998        Images Without Darkrooms with David B. Moore, UCLA Extension, Los Angeles, CA


SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2005        ASHLEY BLALOCK- New Works, Crestline, CA


GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2008        
Faculty Exhibition, Crafton Hills College, Yucaipa, CA

2007
College Invitational, San Bernardino Valley College, San Bernardino, CA
5x7: Art Splurge and Exhibition, Arthouse at the Jones Center, Austin, TX
Walk the Line, California Baptist University, Riverside, CA
Faculty Exhibition, California Baptist University, Riverside, CA

2006        
New American Talent: The Twenty-First Exhibition, Arthouse at the Jones Center, Austin, TX
  -Juried by Aimee Change, traveling from 2006 to 2008
New American Talent: The Twenty-First Exhibition, Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi, TX
Masks, Visages, and Veils, Artisans Center of Virginia, Waynesboro, VA               
Destinations, RogerLewisKing Gallery, Hillcrest, CA                
New Beginnings, RogerLewisKing Gallery, Hillcrest, CA               
Faculty Exhibition, Crafton Hills College, Yucaipa, CA

2005       
Le Petite XIII, Alder Art Gallery, Coburg, Oregon                
Spring Art Show, Crestline, CA

2004       
Winter Art Show, Crestline, CA

2003         
Mosaic Art and Literary Journal Art Exhibition, University of California, Riverside

2002       
Sweet Relish- Commemorating 9-11, Brick by Brick, San Diego, CA
Sweet Relish, Brick by Brick, San Diego, CA

2001        
Superstitious, Cabrillo Theater, San Diego, CA
Urban Art Soiree, 4716 34th Street, San Diego, CA
Tastefully Done: Erotic Art and Performance, Barnett Avenue, San Diego, CA
2001 Fundraiser, San Diego Childrens’ Museum, San Diego, CA
Urban Elements, Hey Saylor, San Diego, CA
Earthspun, San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, CA
Wicked Garden, Hey Saylor, San Diego, CA

2000        
Guns and Ammo, Hey Saylor, San Diego, CA
CuBop Connection, No 3, Brick by Brick, San Diego, CA


BIBLIOGRAPHY

2008        
- Artwork featured in the Sand Canyon Review

2007
- O'Neill Houck, Amy, "Ashley Blalock in Crochet," Interweave Crochet Magazine, Spring 2007

2006
- Bae, James, "New American Talent: A Review of Arthouse's New American Talent 21,"  
Fluent~Collaborative, issue #72, June 30, www.fluentcollab.org
- Chang, Aimee, New American Talent: The Twenty-First Exhibition, Catalog, Arthouse at the
Jones Center
- Pincus, Robert L., “All Hands on Deck,” San Diego Union-Tribune, March 2
- Lake, Savannah, “Grrrrrl Power Gives Voice to Local Female Artists,” The Falconer, March 16

2003
- Paintings and drawings featured in Mosaic Art and Literary Journal


PUBLICATIONS and CONFERENCE PAPERS

2008       Studies in Art: Institutions, Form, Materials, and Meaning. Kendall-Hunt Publishing
               Text written and illustrated by Ashley Blalock, 300pgs.

2003       Gardner versus Gardner: A Comparison of Art History Survey Texts, (dis)junctions Conference,
               University of California Riverside



COLLECTIVES, GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS

2005- Pres.       -GrrrrrlPower.com (San Diego Internet Art Collective)
2003- Pres.       -Mountain Arts Network, Crestline, CA
2000- 2002        -911art.com -regional internet art collective (now disbanded)