Grace
Rosy Petri
Mixed media illustration (digital illustration, India ink, cotton, alcohol ink, polyester thread)
$200
Artist Statement
This mixed media illustration of Grace Coolidge represents her work with the disability community, specifically folks with vision and hearing impairment. She knitted and sewed most of her life, and lived a relatively private life. She also had a lifelong commitment to educating deaf children as a former teacher and advocate of the Clarke School for the Deaf. I admire her commitment to making space for people of all abilities, and hope we continue creating an accessible world.
About the Artist
Rosy Petri is a mother, self-taught artist, and storyteller from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In 2020, Petri was a recipient of the Mildred Harpole Artist of the Year award by the Milwaukee County Arts Board and a Mary L. Nohl Emerging Artist Fellow. As the 11th Pfister Artist in Residence in 2019, she created a space to showcase her fabric portraits, record podcast interviews and celebrate traditions of the African diaspora. Petri was also a Milwaukee Artist Resource Network mentee under Della Wells in 2018.
Petri’s work can be viewed in several prominent Milwaukee locations, including “Shavonda’s Bridal High Tea,” a legacy piece commemorating her residency at the Pfister Hotel. Her gestural portrait series “Together” is featured in Northwestern Mutual’s Giving Gallery, and the “MKE WI” series is installed in the Milwaukee County Courthouse outside of the County Executive’s office. Her art and fine craft can be found at www.thisisparadisehome.com.