Image courtesy of the artist
From March 6-April 15, 2026 New City Arts presents holding ground, a solo exhibition by Stephanie Germosen Salazar.
Exhibition Statement (courtesy of the artist)
This installation presents recent work that examines the material capability of preserving time in a state of flux. Cast in clay and fired into ceramic, these objects are reconfigured and supported alongside welded metal and found object armatures, evoking architectural components such as supports and frameworks drawn from lived spaces. Everyday remnants are translated into a language that references the built environment—walls, thresholds, and fixtures—where memory is accumulated through repeated use. The works occupy a space between recognition and estrangement, suspending familiar forms in states of partial legibility.
Through processes of welding, casting, preservation, and reassembly, the installation explores the tensions inherent to diasporic identity—between permanence and impermanence, belonging and displacement. Inspired by discarded objects and architectural fragments collected from domestic and transitional spaces, the work situates memory within current socio-political contexts, treating material transformation as a strategy of survival, resistance, and continuity rooted in Caribbean and Latin American diasporic experience. Together, the forms construct an environment that mirrors the instability of the present day, giving presence to histories that remain fragmented, mobile, and unfinished.
About the Artist
Stephanie Germosen Salazar (b. New York, NY) received a MFA in Sculpture + Extended Media at Virginia Commonwealth University and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has exhibited at Governors Island and Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, NY; Zakaib and Sullivan Galleries, Chicago, IL; Bass & Reiner in San Francisco, CA; and Visual Arts Center in Richmond, VA. She has been an artist-in-residence at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, High Desert Test Sites and Smack Mellon Studio Program. Germosen - Salazar was named a 2023-24 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellow and a 2019-20 New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellow.
New City Arts' Welcome Gallery
114 3rd St. NE, Charlottesville, VA 22902
First Friday Opening Reception
March 6 from 5-7:30PM; Artist talk at 6PM. Free and open to the public. All ages welcome. Exhibition opening sponsored by William Taylor and the Taylor Group of Truist Investment Services.
Gallery Hours
Wednesday-Saturday from 10AM-5PM
Exhibition Events
Analog Hour Fridays | Weekly from 3/13-4/10| 12-1PM | Bring your lunch, stash your phone, and join us for a screen-free hour.
Sensory-Friendly Second Saturdays | 3/14 & 4/11 | 10AM-5PM | Explore the exhibition with modifications made to ensure the space is accessible and inclusive for visitors with sensory sensitivities.
Co-Working at Welcome Gallery | 3/25| 10AM-5PM | Free, public co-working day with coffee & pastries
New City Reads | 3/25 from 6-7:30PM | Join us for a discussion of this month’s book selection. Learn more & RSVP here.
Chess & Tea with Stephanie Germosen Salazar | 4/4 from 3-5PM | More info to come
Located at 114 3rd St. NE on Charlottesville’s downtown pedestrian mall, New City Arts’ Welcome Gallery supports artists who live in the Charlottesville area. Welcome Gallery exhibitions and programs are made possible by generous sponsors, donors, and grants. Interested in sponsoring an exhibition? Connect with us!