Abigail DeVille


Abigail DeVille is an artist who creates large sculptures and installations, often incorporating found materials from the neighborhoods around the exhibition venues. DeVille's sculptures and installations often focus around themes of the history of racist violence, gentrification, and lost regional history. Her work often involves a performance element that brings the artwork out of its exhibition space and into the streets; DeVille has organized these public events, which she calls "processionals", in several US cities, including Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and New York City.

Early life and education

DeVille was born in New York and lives and works in the Bronx, New York. She attended Pratt Institute and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. DeVille earned a B.F.A. from the Fashion Institute of Technology and an M.F.A. from Yale University. She has attended residencies at the Studio Museum in Harlem and the International Studio and Curatorial Program, Brooklyn.
DeVille was in the reality television series, Artstar, the first art-based reality show.

Select exhibitions

DeVille's work has been featured in the following group exhibitions:
She has designed sets for theatrical productions—directed by Peter Sellers and Charlotte Brathwaite—at venues such as the Stratford Festival, JACK, Joe's Pub, La Mama, and Harlem Stage.

Awards

DeVille has received awards from the Joan Mitchell Foundation, the Edward and Sally Van Lier Fund of the New York Community Trust, and Creative Capital. In 2015, she also received the Obie Award for design for her work as a scenic and costume designer on Prophetika: An Oratorio, a production at La Mama Experimental Theatre Club.