The Washington Glass School

Cheryl Patrice Derricotte is a native of Washington, DC who currently lives and makes art in Oakland, CA. One of the Washington Glass School’s inaugural Artist-In-Resident program, she has gone on to big things – she just completed a Master of Fine Arts at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS)! Cheryl s a sculptor and her primary medium is glass. Her sculptural work has been exhibited widely; her shows include  “HOME,” a joint exhibition of the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (OCCCA) and the Vietnamese Arts and Letters Association (VAALA).  Derricotte received an Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass Scholarship (2015), a Creative Capacity Fund grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation (2014) and she was the recipient of a D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities/National Endowment for the Arts Artist Fellowship grant (2005).

About Cheryl Derricotte’s “Modern Homes”:

Modern Homes is a visual commentary on escalating housing costs and the changing concept of home, using the Sears, Roebuck & Company as a lens.

Said Cheryl of her project: ” I live in an apartment in a converted Sears department store.  The entryway includes a photo of a well-dressed woman looking into the store window in 1929. In Modern Homes, I am looking at what Sears a century ago can tell us about the concept of home today.” Cheryl’s MFA exhibit was on display at the CIIS from April 25-May 10.

Throughout its history, Sears has had a complex relationship to the American Dream.  Beginning in the 19th century, it was the trusted to source to buy products for the home. Yet, the building materials division was not profitable. To remedy this situation, Sears created and ran the Modern Homes program, a mail-order service for houses. Sears also offered easy financing for homes. Mortgages typically were 5-15 years at 6%. Modern Homes, depicts a forgotten slice of Americana. This work reflects the fleeting nature of value in a US economy prone to bubbles and bursts.

The American relationship to the concept of home in the 21st century is a recurring theme in her art.

Congratulations Cheryl!

Learn more about this talented artist that keeps moving onward and upward – Visit Cheryl’s website – click HERE.