Remembrance No.2 by Michèle Colburn
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 3 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Event URL: https://glenechopark.org/stonetowergallery
The Stone Tower Gallery presents Michèle Colburn: The Contours of Remembrance. In these paintings, the symbolism of flora and color are juxtaposed with the residues of gunpowder, and the process of rendering it inert. Somewhere, in between, lie memories of eras of violence and the work of peace studied or lived through by the artist. From violence there exist periods of calm, renewal, and unexpected transformation. These works are a call to remember and to work towards these positive possibilities.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I focus on themes of domestic and global violence. The alternative media I select and mix with traditional ones are fraught with difficult associations. Manipulating these remnants and rendering them inert are actions that underscore my interest in and life-long support of non-violence movements.
These abstract “landscapes” on archival papers incorporate inert gunpowder residues, watercolors and often acrylics through a two-part pouring and painting process. I choose the gunpowder, which is water-soluble, for its associations, but also for its tonal qualities, including a depth of grey it provides as first discovered by American artist Ed Ruscha.
I view my pouring as echoing the active and poured works on canvas of well-known Washingtonian Color School artist, Morris Louis. The second part of my process is far less physical and involves honing the forms and images on a drafting table using reductive manipulations and defining of forms.
In my most recent works, I insert depictions of flora into the compositions—such as olive branches, poppies, arnica, and cornflowers— as symbolic references and counterpoints. Vibrant greens provide contrast to the pooling and dark textured areas of the charcoal found in gunpowder. Color, textural differences, imagery, and symbolism combine to balance the chaos of the abstracted grounds.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Michèle Colburn (b. Washington, DC, 1953) is a full-time artist living and working in Washington, DC. She has lived in the District for over 35 years and earned a BA in Art History from Franklin and Marshall College and an MFA from American University in 2012. Colburn has received grants from the Puffin Foundation and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Residencies have included a fellowship to the Vermont Studio Center; The School of Visual Arts, in New York; the Mu’ong Artist Residency in Hoa Binh, Vietnam; the ACI Residency in Umbria, Italy; and the Maison de Simon in Normandy, France.
Her first solo exhibitions in the Washington, DC area were with Charles Krause Reporting Fine Art in 2015 and MOCA Arlington in 2016 as well as an international solo online exhibition of twenty works with Rowena Art Projects, Berlin in 2021 during COVID.
Most recent solo shows have been with George Mason University’s Founder’s Gallery in 2025-2026 and The Arts Club of Washington in March 2026. She has participated in juried and invitational group exhibitions throughout the mid-Atlantic and DMV, as well as New York City and in Los Angeles.
Throughout her career, Colburn worked in the art and cultural arenas, first as a graphic artist in New York City and simultaneously as a volunteer docent for the Whitney Museum. After moving back to DC, she was with the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden for 10 years as a Public Affairs Assistant and Specialist. After 9/11, she began teaching art as a certified teacher in public high schools and later served as a Cultural Assistant and Manager at the Embassy of Switzerland . In addition, she has been a teaching artist and adjunct professor.
The artist’s works are included in the following collections: The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank, the International Peace Museum, Dayton, Ohio; La Maison de Simon Foundation, France; The Fl3tch3r Foundation, Johnson City, TN; the Barlow Gilotty Collection, Washington, DC; and in private collections throughout the DMV, Los Angeles, Tucson, Edinburgh, Paris, and Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 3, 2026, 6 pm – 8 pm
Gallery Hours: Saturdays & Sundays, 12 pm – 6 pm, or by appointment
glenechopark.org/exhibitions | glenechopark.org/stonetowergallery
Stone Tower Gallery
Glen Echo Park
7300 MacArthur Blvd
Glen Echo, MD 20812
Kristina King
Exhibitions Manager
gallery@glenechopark.org | 301-634-2235
ABOUT THE GLEN ECHO PARK PARTNERSHIP FOR ARTS AND CULTURE:
The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, a non-profit organization, manages the arts programs and historic buildings of Glen Echo Park, a vibrant arts and cultural center in Montgomery County, MD. The Park offers classes and camps in visual and performing arts, art exhibitions, children’s theater performances, summer concerts, environmental programs, special events and festivals, and a lively social dance program. Glen Echo Park is located at 7300 MacArthur Blvd. in Glen Echo, Maryland, six miles northwest of Georgetown along the scenic Potomac River palisades.
