Take the Mantel is an intimate curatorial project and online platform for art and ideas founded by married artists Brian Barr and Lauren Rice from their home in suburban Richmond, Virginia. Artists are invited to activate our mantel, fireplace hearth and adjoining wall; transforming a domestic space into a site for creative exchange. At its core Take the Mantel is dedicated to celebrating great art and the wonderful people who make it!
Sharon Servilio
We are excited to introduce the very first artist to “Take the Mantel”, Sharon Servilio. Sharon is an old and dear friend. She is truely one of our favorite artists and humans. We are thrilled to share a glimpse into her practice and interests.
Along with her recent ceramic works, and an incredible sculptural painting that also includes ceramic elements, Sharon recommended a selection of her favorite books and artists that inspire her.
For more information on individual works see our online store.
Sharon Servilio (she/her, b. 1983, New Jersey) received her BA from Brandeis University and her MFA from American University, with a focus on painting throughout her education. She then spent a formative decade in Queens, NY, where her work evolved into the third dimension as painted paper wall sculpture. She has lived and worked in Portland, OR since 2020, and has recently expanded her practice to include ceramics and curation.
Servilio’s work has been shown in solo exhibitions at Unit B in Baltimore and Long Island University in Brooklyn, and in two-person exhibitions at Gallery 114 in Portland and Loyola University in Baltimore. Her work has been included in numerous group exhibitions nationally, including at ChaShaMa, Field Projects, Ortega y Gasset, Printed Matter, Paradice Palase, Trestle, LABspace, and Eastern Michigan University.
Servilio has lectured as a visiting artist at the University of Texas, Montgomery College, Washington Studio School, the College of Creative Studies, the 92nd Street Y, and Towson University. She was awarded the RACC Make|Learn|Build and ArtsC3 grant, the RACC Public Purchase Award, and the Oregon Arts Commission Career Opportunity Grant. Her work is included in the collection of the American University Museum in Washington, DC and the Public Portable Works Collection in Portland.
Website: sharonservilio.com
Instagram: @sharonservilio