CHARLOTTE RODENBERG
AMERICAN ORIGINS: THREADS OF FICTION
CHARLOTTE RODENBERG
AMERICAN ORIGINS: THREADS OF FICTION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHARLOTTE RODENBERG
Charlotte Rodenberg holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University. Her concept-driven, multidisciplinary practice spans drawing, painting, printmaking, & textiles.
Rodenberg’s recent achievements include second place at the International Open Exhibition at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, fellowships and residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Jentel Foundation, Liwan Design Labs and Studios, and the Doha Fire Station, as well as competitive research and travel grants from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her communityengaged practice includes public lectures, workshops, and panel discussions supported by institutional partnerships.
Rodenberg’s project “Dunes and Dugongs” collaborative multimedia installation is currently on display in the 2025 London Design Biennial. This project addresses both regional and global climate issues through an immersive installation that merges poetry, video, sound, and textiles. This project was supported with generous research grants from VCUart Qatar and an artist residency at Liwan Design Labs and Studios.
AMERICAN ORIGINS: THREADS OF FICTION
Rodenberg’s solo exhibition American Origins: Threads of Fiction interrogates American origin stories and the pervasive role of misinformation in shaping collective memory. The 2025 solo exhibition at Bond Millen Gallery in Richmond, VA is a culmination of two consistent years of research and artmaking across four artist’s residencies including the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in Virginia, the Jentel Foundation in Wyoming, and two artist’s residencies in Doha, Qatar with Liwan Design Labs and Studios and the Doha Fire Station.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
Through layered compositions of tufted textiles, archival imagery, and visual glitches, I examine how myths of national identity are constructed, distorted, and upheld. These works explore the tension between history and narrative, exposing the colonial underpinnings and omissions embedded in dominant cultural storytelling.
Intertwining the intricate histories and cultural identities of the American West, the tapestries delve into themes of land, displacement, and resilience. They draw compelling parallels between global struggles for homeland and the experiences of Native American communities, shaped by enduring colonization, forced displacement, and the relentless fight for cultural survival and sovereignty. Through symbolic color, contemporary weaving techniques, and cultural research, I highlight shared narratives of injustice and resistance.
By incorporating imagery from archival sources and popular culture—such as Western films and iconic figures—I critique the role of media in perpetuating sanitized or misleading versions of history. The glitch aesthetic disrupts these familiar narratives, suggesting the instability and subjectivity of historical memory.
This series tells a story of pain, hope, and enduring spirit. It fosters a dialogue that bridges cultural divides and emphasizes our shared humanity. Through this artistic exploration, I aim to honor the past, acknowledge present struggles, and envision a future rooted in understanding, accountability, and solidarity.
Reflection Trick, 2024
Tufted Tapestry
70 x 49 inches
$ 7,140
Annie’s Gun, 2025
Tufted Tapestry
45.5 x 39 inches
$4,200
$ 450 each
Wild West Iconography Series, 2023
Gouache on paper
4 x 5 inches each
Tools of Pop Culture, 2025
Tufted Tapestry
36 x 56 inches
$ 4,350
Warning Under Foot, 2023
Tufted Tapestry
51 x 29 inches
$ 4,800
Fort Apache: Boom, 2023 Tufted Tapestry
29 x 51 inches
$ 4,800
Forced Appropriation, 2024
Tufted Tapestry
48 x 31 inches
$ 4,740
Connecting..., 2024
Tufted Tapestry
48 x 31 inches
$ 4,740
Leaving Marks, 2025
Tufted Tapestry
46 x 56 inches
$ 5,100
Stolen Land: Plaza of the Mother, 2025
Tufted Tapestry
48 x 28 inches
$ 3,800
History Erased, 2025
Tufted Tapestry
60 x 45 inches
$ 5,250
Appropriated Land: Homestead, 2025
28 x 37 inches
$ 3,250
Tufted Tapestry
Blue Jeanne, 2025
Tufted Tapestry
60 x 50 inches
$ 5,500
JENTEL RESIDENCYWYOMING, USA
While in residence at Jentel, I developed a body of research focused on American origin stories and media-driven misinformation. Drawing from regional archives and historical ephemera, I created a series of miniature paintings that reinterpret archival images through a contemporary lens. These intimate works served as visual studies for larger tufted tapestry compositions, exploring the manipulation of cultural memory, the mythologizing of the American West, and the visual language of power embedded in historical documentation. MAY 2023
EARLY MIXED MEDIA EXPLORATIONS
TUFTING “REFLECTION TRICK”
DOHA FIRE STATIONDOHA, QATAR
FALL 2023 - FALL 2024
At the Fire Station Residency, I expanded my research into the mythology of the Wild West, translating earlier miniature studies into large-scale tufted tapestries. Drawing on the rich storytelling traditions of textile art, these works use the tactile language of fiber to challenge romanticized narratives of frontier history. The tapestries serve as cultural symbols, unraveling colonial mythmaking while honoring overlooked stories and ancestral forms of resistance embedded in fabric-based storytelling.
“THIS LAND” ACQUIRED BY THE QATAR MUSEUM IN JANUARY OF 2025
ARTIST’S STUDIO
VIRGINIA CENTER FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS -
VIRGINIA, USA
SPRING 2025
During my residency at VCCA, I continued to investigate the impact of historical misinformation and the forced appropriation of Indigenous peoples. Through the use of vibrant color and a glitch aesthetic, my work highlights the distortions embedded in dominant historical narratives. By digitally disrupting archival imagery and translating it into textile-based forms, I explore how cultural identity has been systematically erased, drawing attention to the generational consequences of colonial erasure and the enduring resilience of Native communities.
LIWAN DESIGN STUDIOS & LABSDOHA, QATAR
WINTER 2024 & SUMMER 2025
As a Designer-in-Residence at Liwan Design Labs and Studios, I finalized my tapestry series while actively engaging with the local creative community through workshops and dialogue. During this residency, I completed the final stages of my tapestry series. This closing phase allowed me to fully synthesize research, visual language, and material process. Rooted in a critique of fictionalized and romanticized histories of colonialism, the work aims to spark meaningful dialogue about whose stories are told, how they are constructed, and the power of reclaiming visual space through fiber-based storytelling.
“THIS LAND” ACQUIRED BY THE QATAR MUSEUM IN JANUARY OF 2025
CHARLOTTE RODENBERG
ABBREVIATED CV
EDUCATION
2009 MFA- Department of Painting & Sculpture, Tyler School of Art /Temple University, Philadelphia PA
2005 BA-Magna Cum Laude, Department of Art, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville IN
2004 Study Abroad- Department of Art, Justus Liebig University, Gießen Germany
SELECT EXHIBITIONS
2022 Relocation: the Deconstruction and Reconstruction of Home, Solo exhibition
VCUQ Project Space, Doha Qatar
2019 Glitch History and the American Icon, Solo Exhibition, Page Bond Gallery, Richmond VA
2019 Your Plus One, Group Exhibition, Mac Gallery, Philadelphia PA
2018 Hot Hot Hot, Group Exhibition, Page Bond Gallery, Richmond VA
2018 Gather, Group Exhibition, Page Bond Gallery, Richmond VA
2018 More Fun, Curated Group Exhibition, Ruffin Gallery, Charlottesville VA
RESIDENCIES
2024-2025 Artist in Residence, LIWAN Design Labs and Studios/Qatar Museums, Doha Qatar
2023-2024 Artist in Residence, Fire Station/ Qatar Museums, Doha Qatar
2023 Artist Residency Fellowship, The Jentel Program, Banner WY
2018 Space Grant Studio Residency, The Anderson VCUarts, Richmond VA
2013 Artist Residency, Fremont Abbey Space Grant, Seattle WA
2011 Artist Residency Fellowship, The Jentel Program, Banner WY
AWARDS
2023 Professional Development/Research Dean’s Grant, VCUQatar, Richmond VA
2019 Professional Development/Research Dean’s Grant, VCUarts, Fall Term, Richmond VA
2019 Professional Development/Research Dean’s Grant, VCUarts, Spring Term, Richmond VA
2018 Professional Development/Research Dean’s Grant, VCUarts, Spring Term, Richmond VA
2016 Professional Development/Research Dean’s Grant, VCUarts, Fall Term, Richmond VA
2016 Professional Development/Research Dean’s Grant, VCUarts, Spring Term, Richmond VA
2015 Professional Development/Research Dean’s Grant, VCUarts, Fall Term, Richmond VA
2014 Artist Studio Residency, Fremont Abbey Art Center, Seattle WA
2009 Graduate Teaching Fellowship, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia PA
TEACHING APPOINTMENTS
2021- 2023 Adjunct Faculty, Painting and Printmaking, Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar, Doha Qatar
2017- 2020 Adjunct Faculty, Communications Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University
2014- 2017 Adjunct Faculty, Art Foundations, Virginia Commonwealth University
2009- 2010 Adjunct Faculty Virginia Commonwealth University, Adjunct Faculty
PERMANENT PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
2025 Qatar Museums, Doha Qatar
2017 Pam and Bill Royall Collection, Try Me Gallery, Richmond VA
2005 University of Southern Indiana Rice Library, Evansville IN
CHARLOTTE RODENBERG
