Visual artist, furniture designer and art advisor Cheryl R. Riley’s practice has a focus on artists of the Black African Diaspora. “My art explores similarities between seemingly disparate cultures viewed through the lens of gender, history, rituals, implements and symbols. Two sculpture projects have occupied me for the last three years that address societal structures, nourishment, representation, aspiration and transcendence,” she shared. Over the past 30 years, Cheryl has been creating wall art, installations, site-specific public artworks, custom and licensed lighting and furniture designs. She’s exhibited in over 60 group and solo shows throughout the U.S., and her works are in the collections of two Smithsonian museums, SFMoMA, the Oakland Museum and the Mint Museum of Craft & Design. She’s a member of BADG (The Black Artists and Designers Guild) and served on the boards of museums and non-profits to contribute to their programming and her list of artist residencies is a long one. There’s no doubt that Cheryl’s accolades and accomplishments are many, and the fact that she earns them in the name of knowledge makes her even more inspirational.
KALEIDOSCOPE created from GLYPHS
KALEIDOSCOPE created from GLYPHS
KALEIDOSCOPE created from GLYPHS
KALEIDOSCOPE created from GLYPHS
KALEIDOSCOPE created from GLYPHS
KALEIDOSCOPE created from GLYPHS
KALEIDOSCOPE created from GLYPHS
KALEIDOSCOPE created from GLYPHS
Series of GLYPHS BY COLLECTORS SERIES
TUDOR TABLES, Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York, NY
ZULU RENAISSANCE WRITING TABLE FOR A LADY, Collection of SFMoMA \\\ Photo: David Livingston
NEFERTITI GLASS CHAIR I, 1998 \\\ Photo: David Livingston
Cheryl R. Riley
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Kelly Beall is senior editor at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based graphic designer and writer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, and enjoys sharing her finds with others. When undistracted by great art and design, she can be found making a mess in the kitchen, consuming as much information as possible, or on the couch with her three pets. Find her @designcrush on social.
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