About the artist

              



Valerie Carpenter

Valerie has worked within the Arts since 1984. As head Costumier of the Ringley Bros, Barnum & Bailey Circus for many years, she expressed her design and creative vision within the arena of the Big Top.
 Later her love of textiles and theater brought her into the broader Fashion sphere where she created avant garde streetwear for Hollywood's talented. Spending 24 years with her beloved husband, the legendary jazz bassist Dave Carpenter, Valerie also assisted with tour and stage gear.
Valerie over the years has also sculpted and painted, however it is the influence of working within a theatrical setting and a love of clothing that has led her to her most recent work of performance art.
Having experienced the untimely passing of her husband in 2008, Valerie found it extremely important in her own spiritual healing to express this event artistically and also the subsequent coming to terms with continuing life on her own and what questions this brought up about her identity.

This body of work expresses my creative viewpoints as  a practicing artist who happens to be a woman. 
Even today there is an imbalance in the representation of women in all respected arenas. But I remain optimistic that things are changing...as each woman who strives in a role frowned upon by her peers knows only too well. It will be generations to come that will herald those brave steps forward - pushing social mores on-wards and out.
 Our evolutionary path as a species has always had ever-expanding boundaries , as anthropological studies clearly illuminate. Just remember that - the future is untold - we all have a voice that matters:
'Who is Valerie Carpenter?' "