Heather Moore is one of nine winners of the 2024 Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities. This award is designed to support accessibility in the arts and celebrate the exceptional work of disabled Midwestern visual artists.
“I am a Columbus, Ohio based artist with a passion for living history and public art, working in a variety of mediums with a focus on Slavic folk arts such as pysanky, embroidery, and the khokhloma painting technique. My mission is to document and preserve the lore, practice, and craft of my ancestors in art, writing, and education that incorporates the evolution of these practices within the diaspora of the Carpatho-Rusyn people who live in Ohio and the Midwest region today.
My art is focused on using ancient tools and techniques to create work inspired by a modern urban life. Pysanky are made not by painting but with melted wax applied with a tool called a kistka and a resist dye technique that has remained virtually unchanged since pagan times. This deep respect for the past has led me to the exploration of intergenerational trauma, oral family histories, and bringing a brighter, more compassionate light to family and community history.“
