The Gibbes Museum of Art will soon present "Praying With Two Dirty Hands," a solo exhibition by South Carolina artist Katelyn Chapman. The selection of oil paintings and silverpoint drawings will be on view August 13 to September 24, 2025. This is Chapman’s first museum solo exhibition, which debuts a shift in the artist’s work towards metaphors on life from the garden.
Relying on rich history, storytelling, and the ephemeral quality of change that span past, present, and future tenses; Chapman primarily focuses on the function of the still life in rural spaces—both wild and domestic—as practical makeshifts and collections. The work often toys with paradox and humor to buttress these themes through depictions of off-the-grid habits as they relate solely to living off the land. These ideas are crucial to building messages that point dually towards the literal and figurative challenges and undertakings in the Bible Belt region. In the American South, this notion provides perspective on larger societal issues that point to a past that can’t be thrown away, but instead lingers on into the present.
An opening reception will be held on Wednesday evening, August 13 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Chapman will be teaching a silverpoint drawing workshop on Saturday, September 20 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. An artist talk will be held the following day on Sunday, September 21 at 2 p.m.
The exhibition and artist talk are free and open to the public. The Silverpoint Workshop is $125 for Gibbes Museum members and $135 for non-members. Registration for the workshop will be held through the Gibbes Museum’s website.