Vanessa Compton was born in 1981 and raised in the hills of Vermont where her father, a professional singersongwriter, and her artist mother inspired her to start creating at an early age. She devoted her childhood to making art and studying cello and piano. In her teens she performed throughout America and Europe performing in a choir specializing in Serbo-Croatian, shape-note, gospel, and Georgian music. Vanessa has lived in Dakar, Senegal studying the kora and its influence on contemporary hip hop music, and Kumasi, Ghana studying Highlife and palm wine guitar. In 2005 she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from CU Boulder with an emphasis in ceramic sculpture.

For many years Vanessa maintained a life of migration working as a seasonal rock climbing guide in the American Southwest and transitioned to working in collage 15 years ago. Her Grandmother was also a professional collagist. Vanessa’s collages and sculptures have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the US and appear in private collections around the world.

She has been awarded fellowships from The Brinton Museum, The Wallace Stegner House, Vermont Studio Center, Hubbell Trading Post & National Historic Site, The Brush Creek Foundation, Tongue River Artist Residency and Jentel Arts. She lives and works in Burlington, VT.

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Press: Western Art & Architecture
Interlopers: An artistic collaboration between Vanessa Compton and Duncan Birmingham for 7x7la, 2018
Home, Life, & Style: A conversation with Vanessa Compton, Summer 2020
Virtual Reception at The Brinton Museum, Summer 2020

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