Cheryl Derricotte
The Geography of an Artist, 2023
Glass panels
Cheryl Derricotte’s work uses a variety of glassworking techniques, including both cold glasswork and kiln-formed glass. She often layers images and text into the glass, either by screen-printing with glass enamels or powder printing.
In 2011, Derricotte moved from her home city of Washington, DC to Oakland, CA. Five years later, she found herself priced out of Oakland at the same time as the building which housed her art studio went up for sale. In a seemingly contrary move, the artist uprooted her home and studio to move to San Francisco.
Derricotte has moved her home address four times and her art studio two times since landing in San Francisco. Each of the glass collages of The Geography of an Artist reflect a different address, depicting the floor plans and written musings on each locale. Now, the artist has settled down in a condo she purchased with the help of one of the city’s homeownership programs. She says of the experience:
“…This means that the Bay area is really my home, so now I am squarely on the side of ‘fight’ to craft a life here, not ‘flight.’ Little did I know that 6 months later, a flood at my art studio building would put me to the test again… My work in this show is proof that somehow, I am still standing.”
Photos courtesy of Henrik Kam.
ARTIST BIO
Cheryl Derricotte is a visual artist and her favorite mediums are glass and paper. Originally from Washington, DC, she lives and makes art in San Francisco, CA. Her art has been featured in the New York Times, The Guardian, The San Francisco Chronicle, MerciSF and the San Francisco Business Times. In 2021, She was awarded the commission to develop a monument to Harriet Tubman at the transit-oriented development Gateway at Millbrae Station, the first sculptural tribute to the abolitionist in glass. “Freedom’s Threshold,” a monument to Harriet Tubman, was unveiled on March 16, 2023.
Cheryl currently serves as the 2023/2024 Kala Art Institute, Municipal Artist-in-Residence for the City of Berkeley’s Climate Equity Pilot Program. In 2022, Cheryl was named Inaugural BIPOC Artist-in-Residence at the Corning Museum of Glass: The Studio. Additional honors include the Black(Space) Artist Residency at Minnesota Street Projects; 2020 YBCA100; This Will Take Time – Oakland Residency; Villa San Francisco/French Consulate Micro-Residency; Windgate Craft Fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center; the Antenna/Paper Machine Residency (New Orleans); and the Hemera Foundation Tending Space Fellowship for Artists. Glass awards include the Rick and Val Beck Scholarship for Glass Art and the Alliance for Contemporary Glass’ Visionary Scholarship. Cheryl was an inaugural Emerging Artist at the Museum of the African Diaspora in 2015/2016, on the occasion of the Museum’s 10th Anniversary.
Her work is in the permanent collections of the deYoung Museum, the Historic New Orleans Collection, the Oakland Museum of California and the National Association of Homebuilders. Cheryl holds a B.A. in Urban Affairs (Minor: History), Barnard College, Columbia University; the Master of Regional Planning, Cornell University and the Master of Fine Arts, California Institute of Integral Studies. A licensed city planner and member of the American Institute of Certified Planners since 1995, she serves as the Professional Development Officer of the new Arts & Planning Division of the American Planning Association.
