ARTIST STATEMENT:
Alexandra Rose is a material artist whose creative process functions as a therapeutic ritual exploring the perpetual evolution of the self. While Rose’s work spans multiple disciplines, they are drawn to metal in sculpture and photography, captivated by the transformative qualities inherent in these processes. The interplay of positive and negative within mold-making and photographic development holds particular fascination, embodying a balance of control and surrender that resonates deeply with the artist. Rose is interested in metal’s capacity for metamorphosis and relates to this material duality as a gender-fluid maker. Utilizing labor-intensive processes and reflective storytelling, their work often centers the body as a vessel for understanding lived experience, demonstrating the power of self-expression in shaping narratives of identity and belonging.
BIO:
As of 2026, Alexandra Rose is a Public Art Fellow with the UrbanArt Commission and serves as the Foundry Apprentice (2025–27) at The Metal Museum in Memphis, TN. In March, they were a visiting artist at Troy University in Alabama, where they gave demonstrations and presentations on metalworking while beginning a new body of work. They are a recipient of a scholarship from Arrowmont and have been actively teaching, learning, and expanding their practice through classes in a range of metalworking disciplines, with a particular focus on blacksmithing and enameling.
In 2025, Rose exhibited their second solo show, Did You Eat, at The Bells Gallery (Dothan, AL) and began a two-year foundry apprenticeship at the Metal Museum (Memphis, TN). From 2022-25 they were an Artist-in-Residence at Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, AL, where they taught four seasons of the summer youth apprenticeship program, participated in almost weekly iron pouring demonstrations, led cyanotype workshops, and assisted in blacksmithing, welding, and casting workshops. During their time with Sloss Metal Arts, they presented their first solo exhibition, I Was Here: A Personal Archive in Iron and participated in multiple group shows, such as Scale, which they helped curate, and Confluence at Lowe Mill (Huntsville, AL). In 2023, they were the recipient of an education grant from the Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths and the F.I.R.E. scholarship at the Metal Museum.
From 2019 to 2021, they worked for Artworks Foundry as a Production Assistant, which included being the mold librarian, a wax chaser/pourer, a member of the bronze pouring team, a ceramic shell technician, a mold maker, and a general laborer on other special projects. In 2021, they also worked at The Crucible in Oakland, CA, as the mold-making and foundry TA. During the summer of 2021, they completed a month-long internship at Sculpture Trails, where they installed in the Outdoor Museum’s collection. Rose served on the 2021 Steering Committee for the National Conference for Cast Iron Art and Practices, co-organizing panels and presentations. In 2019, they received their Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Institute of American Indian Arts, where they majored in studio arts with an emphasis on bronze casting and historical chemical darkroom photography.