Olivia Tripp Morrow
  • Work
    • 2D Works >
      • Drawing & Painting
      • Embroidery
      • Monotypes
      • Nine Patch Series
    • Sculpture & Installation >
      • Recent 2023 - 2025
      • Ceramic Sculpture + Installation 2021
      • Altered Blanket Series, 2018-19
      • Pedestals 2018 - 2019
      • Ribbon House, 2018
      • ROYGBIV, 2017
      • Gradient Series, 2017
      • Stretch, 2015 - 2018
    • Video & Performance >
      • Porcelain Towers, 2021
      • Body Like A Cage, 2021
      • Crochet II, 2017
  • Exhibitions
    • (Un)tethered, 2025
    • Ordinary Sanctuary, 2023
    • Body Joy Cage Scar
    • Within/Between, 2018
    • Nine Patch, 2018
    • Gradient, 2017
    • Feminicity, 2017
    • Skin Contention, 2013
  • Press
  • About
  • Contact

Picture
Photo by Alex Wenchel

Bio

Olivia Tripp Morrow (b.1990, Washington, DC) is a multidisciplinary artist and educator based in the DC-Metro area. Her artistic practice is experimental and process-driven, often incorporating found or donated objects with intrinsic personal or cultural significance as materials. Morrow’s work broadly addressing themes of the body, memory, vulnerability, healing, caregiving, and grief through drawing and painting, sculpture, embroidery, and fiber-based installations. 

Morrow has exhibited her work in group exhibitions nationally and internationally. She has had solo exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington (VA), VisArts (MD), IA&A Hillyer (DC), Anacostia Arts Center (DC), and Point of Contact Gallery (NY). Her work has been reviewed in The Washington Post, Bmore Art, East City Art, Washington City Paper, Washingtonian, MSNBC, and others. She has participated in Artist Residency programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington (2017-2025), VisArts (2020), and Anacostia Arts Center (2016). Morrow received a BFA in Sculpture from Syracuse University in 2012. She currently lives and works in northern Virginia.

About my recent work

My work has always been about the body. I’ve lived with chronic pain related to severe scoliosis for most of my life. Updated X-rays in 2019 revealed that my spine's curvature had nearly doubled, my ribs were sinking into my hips, and the protruding ‘hump’ on my upper back could be explained by the twisting rotation of my vertebra and rib cage. Surgery was the only way to halt the progression of my condition, which would otherwise eventually impair my heart and lung function.
​
Recovering from the 13-level spinal fusion surgery brought the focus of my practice from the outer body (cultural norms and expectations of beauty, gender, sexuality) to the inner body (anatomy, pain, proprioception, vulnerability, and healing). This investigation of the body as both a physical structure and emotional archive was the focus of my solo exhibition Body, Joy, Cage, Scar (2021) at MoCA Arlington. While creating work for this show, I was interested in connecting with viewers through my own vulnerability and in exploring the ways my materials’ physical properties mirrored my own physical and emotional states. The exhibition spanned multiple mediums, including drawing, painting, ceramic sculpture, video/performance, and embroidery—a new skill my mother taught me during my recovery.

My mother, an accomplished art therapist, was my primary caretaker through the early months after surgery. The pain was baffling, and I quickly learned to be vulnerable in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. Witnessing and experiencing my mother’s tenderness and her own vulnerability while caring for me was profound. I learned so much from her, including how to embroider, with this new medium functioning as both material and metaphor for care, mending, and connection. I had no way of knowing that only three years later our roles would be reversed as I cared for her. Her Stage IV lung cancer was diagnosed in 2023, and she died unexpectedly just before Christmas, only six months later. 

My mother’s death marked another turning point in my work. My solo exhibition at MoCA Arlington in 2025, titled (Un)Tethered, incorporated textiles, painting, drawing, sculpture, and installations that evoked the vulnerability and care that my mother and I exchanged through those challenging years of my recovery from surgery and her devastating illness and death. Embroidery remained a crucial throughline: like the thread itself, embroidery felt like a way of slowly mending the incredible loss I felt, and it connected me to her. The works were brightly colored, with a soft, airy quality that conjured a quiet peacefulness. These formal decisions intentionally contrasted the weight and darkness normally associated with grief and mourning. 

The highly personal and narrative qualities of my recent works offer multiple points of entry for viewers to connect via their own experiences. By foregrounding vulnerability and caregiving, my work subverts dominant cultural narratives that marginalize disabled bodies and caregivers.

CV

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Education
2012               BFA cum laude with Sculpture, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
2011               Pont-Aven School for Contemporary Art, Pont-Aven, France 
2009               George Washington University, Washington, DC

Solo & Two Person Exhibitions
2025                 Solo Exhibition, (Un)tethered, Wyatt Gallery, MoCA Arlington, Arlington, VA
2023                 Solo Exhibition, Ordinary Sanctuary, Common Ground Gallery, VisArts, Rockville, MD
2021                 Solo Exhibition, Body, Joy, Cage, Scar, Wyatt Gallery, MoCA Arlington, Arlington, VA
2018                 Two Person Exhibition, Within / Between, Wyatt Gallery, MoCA Arlington, Arlington, VA
2018                 Solo Exhibition, Nine Patch, IA&A at Hillyer, Washington, DC
2017                 Solo Exhibition, Gradient, Blank Space Gallery, Anacostia Arts Center, Washington, DC
2016                 Solo Exhibition, Feminicity, Vivid Solutions Gallery, Anacostia Arts Center, Washington, DC
2013                 Solo Exhibition, Skin Contention, Point of Contact Gallery, Syracuse, NY

Installations
2021-                   Clouds, Shop Made in DC (Georgetown), Washington, DC
2019 -                  Nook, Shop Made in DC (The Wharf), Washington, DC
2018                    Stretch, Atrium Gallery at Takoma Park Community Center, Takoma Park, MD
2018-19               Feminicity, Shop Made In DC (Dupont Circle), Washington, DC
2018                    Stretch, NoMA Business Improvement District HQ, Washington, DC
2017                    ROYGBIV, VisionDC: Arts and Urban Innovation Summit, Arena Stage, Washington, DC
2017 -                  ROYGBIV, Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, Arlington, VA
2017                    Panty Quilt, LATELA Gallery, Washington, DC
2016-17               Stretch, World of Threads Contemporary Fibre Arts Festival, QEPCCC, Oakville, ON, Canada
2016-18              Feminicity, Anacostia Arts Center, Washington, DC
2016-19              Untitled, The Clinical Center, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD
2015                   Stretch, Jackson Art Center, Washington, DC
2015                   Nuit Blanche: Art All Night DC, Carnegie Library, Washington, DC
2015-17              Nook, TechShop, Arlington, VA

Group Exhibitions
2024                 Wish You Were Here, Museum of Contemporary Art, Arlington, VA
2024                 Fun, Otis Street Art Projects, Mt Rainier, MD
2023                 Hot Goss, Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, Arlington, VA
2023                 Soft Tissues, Brentwood Arts Exchange at Gateway Arts Center, Brentood, MD
2020                 Uncommon Goods, Willow Street Gallery, Washington, DC
2019                 Character Abstraction, Brentwood Arts Exchange at Gateway Arts Center, Brentwood, MD
2019                 Convergence, Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, Arlington, VA
2019                 Over, Under, Back, Forward, Arlington Art Center, Arlington, VA
2018                 Transformer 15th Annual Silent Auction, Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, Washington, DC
2018                 RAW 2018: 5th Annual Juried Photo Competition, The Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University, Atlantic City, NJ
2018                 Northern Virginia Community College Manassas Campus Library, Manassas, VA
2017                 Experiment #4: Venus is Venus is Venus, DuPont Underground, Washington, DC
2017                 Alchemical Vessels V: The Night Journey, Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, Washington, DC
2016                 Figuratively Speaking, Gallery Underground, Arlington, VA
2016                 Threads: A Sampling of Fiber Art, Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, Dowell, MD
2016                 Art in Motion: 25th Annual Juried Member Show, The Strathmore Mansion, North Bethesda, MD
2015                 All-Media Art Show, Art Works, Richmond, VA
2012                 Advanced Painting, Shaffer Art Building, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
2011                 Cut-Up, Pont-Aven Gallerie D’Art Contemporain, Pont-Aven, France

Grants/Honors/Residencies
2018-2025        Residency, MoCA Arlington, Arlington, VA (July 2018 - September 2025)
2020                 Residency, Solo Lab 5, VisArts, Rockville MD (Experimental performance art residency)
2017-2018        Residency, MoCA Arlington, VA (September 2017 - June 2018)
2016-2017        Residency, MoCA Arlington, Arlington, VA (September 2016 - February 2017)
2016                 Residency, IMMERSION, Anacostia Arts Center, Washington, DC (July - September)
                                    (Honorarium funded in part by National Endowment for the Arts)
2016                 Selected for SmART Space Program, Alexandria Office of the Arts, Alexandria, VA
2015                 Featured Artist, Nuit Blanche: Art All Night DC, Carnegie Library, Washington, DC
                                    (Grant awarded by DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities)
2015                 Notable Alumni in Sculpture, Class of 2012, School of Visual and Performing Arts, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

Presentations, Panels
2025                 Artist Talk, (Un)tethered, MoCA Arlington, Arlington, VA, July 23.
2023                 Artist Talk, Soft Tissues, Brentwood Arts Exchange, Brentwood, MD, March 25.
2021                 Artist Talk, Body, Joy, Cage, Scar, MoCA Arlington, Arlington VA, Oct 16 & Nov 6
2019                 Artist Talk, Character Abstraction, Brentwood Arts Exchange, Brentwood, MD, July 20.
2019                 Artist Talk, Over, Under, Forward, Back, MoCA Arlington, Arlington, VA, March 30.
2018                 Artist Talk, Within/Between, MoCA Arlington, Arlington, VA, September 29.
2018                 Artist Talk, Nine Patch, IA&A at Hillyer, Washington, DC, June 23.
2018                 Collective Quilting (Project by Julia Kwon), IA&A at Hillyer, Washington, DC, May 17.
2017                 Portfolio Presentation, The Strathmore Mansion, North Bethesda, MD, September 15.
2017                 Artist Talk, Crochet II, Dupont Underground, Washington, DC, September 16.
2016                 Artist Talk, Feminicity, Vivid Solutions Gallery, Washington, DC, August 30.
2016                 Artist Talk, Feminicity, Vivid Solutions Gallery, Washington, DC, September 24.
2016                 Panelist, From Making to Made It, Gallery Underground, Arlington, VA, May 12.
2016                 Artist Talk, Stretch, The Strathmore Mansion, North Bethesda, MD, February 20.

Professional Experience
2022 -2023      Library Associate at The Shop, Central Library, Arlington, VA
2019 -              Artist Representative on Board of Directors, MoCA Arlington, Arlington, VA 
2018 - 2022     Art Teacher + Makerspace & Video Production Manager, The Sycamore School, Arlington, VA
2018 -              Instructor, MoCA Arlington, Arlington, VA 
2018 - 2019     Instructor, VisArts, Rockville, MD 
2015 - 2017     Instructor, TechShop, Arlington, VA 
2014 - 2017     Front Desk/Facilities/Special Projects, TechShop, Arlington, VA
2011                 Intern, Art Enables, Washington, DC
2010 - 2011      Youth Enrichment Specialist, Say Yes to Education, Belleview Elementary School, Syracuse, NY
2010                 Volunteer Studio Assistant, Mass MoCA, North Reading, MA

Selected Press
2023                 The Washington Post: Mark Jenkins, “In The Galleries: An Artist Explores Themes of Rest, Recovery, and The Body”
2023                 Bmore Art: Somogyi, Fanni, “Moments of Intimacy: ‘DISordered Systems’ at TU & ‘Soft Tissues’ at Brentwood Arts”
2021                 East City Art: Sarah McGavran, PhD., "East City Art Reviews: Olivia Tripp Morrow"
2021                 The Washington Post: Mark Jenkins, “In The Galleries: Artist’s Work Criss-cross the paths of U.S. Colonialism”
2020                 The Washington Post: Mark Jenkins, "In The Galleries: Uncommon Goods"
2019                 East City Art: Sarah McGavran, PhD., "Character Abstraction at Brentwood Arts Exchange"
2019                 Washington City Paper: John Anderson, "At the Arlington Arts Center, A Strong Showing of Fiber"
2018                 IA&A Hillyer Blog: IA&A at Hillyer, "Nine Patch: Olivia Tripp Morrow"
2018                 Mid City DC Blog: Taylor Golden Barden, "East Side News March 2018: The Artful Lobby" 
2017                 On Tap Magazine: Michael Loria, "Venus is Venus is Venus at Dupont Underground"
2017                 The Washington Post: Mark Jenkins, "In The Galleries: At annual benefit show, the world goes 'round"
2016                 The Washington Post:Terence McArdle, "Going Out Guide for the District of Columbia, Aug. 25-31, 2016"
2016                 Washington City Paper Blog: Beth Shook, "At the Vivid Solutions Gallery, an Exploration of 'Feminicity'"
2016                 East City Art: Editorial, "ARCH Development Corporation Presents IMMERSION’s First Installment: Feminicity"
2015                 MSNBC: JJ Ramberg, "Celebrating Small Biz: Art All Night by OPEN Forum"
2015                 DC Cable News: Cecily Fernandez, “DCN Presents: Art All Night: Nuit Blanche DC, 9/26/15”, Entertain DC (YouTube)
2015                 Washingtonian After Hours Blog: Brendan L. Smith, “Art All Night 2015 Will Have Visual Concerts, a Silent Disco, and Sculptures Made of Fire”        
2015                Mid-City DC News: Philip Hutinet, “September Mid-City Gallery Exhibitions and News”
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  • Work
    • 2D Works >
      • Drawing & Painting
      • Embroidery
      • Monotypes
      • Nine Patch Series
    • Sculpture & Installation >
      • Recent 2023 - 2025
      • Ceramic Sculpture + Installation 2021
      • Altered Blanket Series, 2018-19
      • Pedestals 2018 - 2019
      • Ribbon House, 2018
      • ROYGBIV, 2017
      • Gradient Series, 2017
      • Stretch, 2015 - 2018
    • Video & Performance >
      • Porcelain Towers, 2021
      • Body Like A Cage, 2021
      • Crochet II, 2017
  • Exhibitions
    • (Un)tethered, 2025
    • Ordinary Sanctuary, 2023
    • Body Joy Cage Scar
    • Within/Between, 2018
    • Nine Patch, 2018
    • Gradient, 2017
    • Feminicity, 2017
    • Skin Contention, 2013
  • Press
  • About
  • Contact