MVT Celebrates Women’s History Month with Spotlight on Artist Magnolia Laurie
Friday March 27, 2026
In our final week of exploring impactful stories of women shaping Mount Vernon Triangle’s past, present, and future, we’re proud to conclude our Women’s History Month celebrations this week by turning the spotlight on Baltimore-based artist Magnolia Laurie whose “Spring Fever” collection is currently on display at De Novo Gallery’s Window Project located at 465 K Street NW.
Born in Hyannis, MA and raised in Puerto Rico, Magnolia’s work has been exhibited at institutions including the Phillips Museum of Art (PA), the Hamiltonian Gallery (DC), the Kemper Art Museum (MO), MONO Practice (MD), and the Baltimore Museum of Art (MD). She currently serves as an associate professor and Chair of the Visual Arts Department at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA and her practice has been supported with grants from the Creative Baltimore Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council Grants, the Belle Foundation, and the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. She has also been awarded residencies across the United States including at Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Vermont Studio Center, and the Jentel Foundation.
De Novo Gallery has partnered with 450K Apartments to host an artist talk with Magnolia on Saturday, April 11 from 2-4pm. In anticipation for the talk, we sat down with Magnolia to learn a little more about her journey as an artist and get inspired for further discussion on April 11. Check out our interview below and be sure to register for the artist talk on Eventbrite!
MVT CID: How did you get involved in your industry?
Magnolia: I have been making art since I was a child. However, I also pursued the opportunity to study art and broaden my skills and understanding of the field. I studied Studio Art and Critical Social Thought at Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA, spent a year at the San Francisco Art Institute studying painting, printmaking, and photography, and earned my M.F.A. from Mount Royal School of Art within Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.
MVT CID: As a woman working in the arts, who has inspired or shaped your path and what do you wish you’d known earlier?
Magnolia: There is a lot I wish I’d known earlier, including how to ask for advice and seek out more mentorship. My path has been very indirect, and I wince a lot when I look back at all I didn’t know or could have done better. But you live the life you live, and you can only move forward.
There are many, many artists I admire and look to learn from: Mamma Andersson, Uta Barth, Vija Celmins, Frances Barth, Kathy Butterly, Jo Smail, Carolyn Case, Lisa Iglesias, Nora Sturges, Celeste Rapone, the list can go on and on.
MVT CID: What advice can you offer to women looking to become artists?
Magnolia: Build a community and connect with other artists you admire; there is a lot to be gained from surrounding yourself with work and people who inspire and motivate you to make your work.
MVT CID: What can people expect from your artist talk on April 11, and what are you hoping the conversation unlocks?
Magnolia: I’ll be talking about some of my recent work and themes that cross over from older works. I will also be talking about where those works are installed and why I chose those pieces for the location. It will be a Q&A, so who knows what else might come up.
