Dorothy O'Connor graduated with degrees in Literature and Studio Arts. Her photographs and installations feature thoughtfully composed and hand-crafted scenes which combine elements of still-life, portraiture, landscape and performance to produce unique and evocative works of art. She has received grants from Possible Futures, FLUX and the Forward Arts Foundation to present her installations as public art. Dorothy’s photographs, the lasting element of her installations, have been exhibited in galleries throughout the U.S. She began 2013 with an artist residency at Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art in Nashville where she built and presented her latest installation, "Shelter." Her work is in the permanent collections of MOCA GA, Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, the Center for Fine Art Photography and is included in many private collections.
Swarm of Butterflies
Dorothy O'Connor | 2015
A small, simple house (5.5ʼx5.5ʼx7ʼ) made from pallet wood. The house will feature on open doorway, a small open window, skylights, and a small bench. A swarm of handmade, metal butterflies, starting six feet from the house, will fly into, through, and around the house. The inside upper walls and ceiling will also be covered with handmade butterflies. From the bench, visitors can turn a metal wheel which causes the butterflies above them to move; reflecting light,creating sound and suggesting calm.