I began my research into three dimensions by cutting shapes from large paper sheets and hanging them from monofilament from the ceiling of my studio. Gravity plays a role in how the pieces swoop and turn in space. I soon moved on to lightweight polystyrene, a material more resistant to humidity. The plastic is easy to cut, transport and reconfigure. I paint bold, flat colors and patterns on the convoluted shapes that are suspended from the ceiling and hover at eye level. I often use small motors attached to the ceiling that slowly spin the sculptures in order to provide animation to the forms.
Arch has been awarded residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Sanskriti Foundation in Delhi, and in Auvillar, France. Her work is included in many private and public collections including the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Fidelity Corporation, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. In 2019 her work was featured at the Fitchburg Art Museum, and in 2020 at the Cahoon Museum of American Art. Most recently, Adria was commissioned by Google to do a room-sized installation. Arch has exhibited at the Boston Sculptors Gallery, Brattleboro Art Museum in VT and the Danforth Museum in Framingham, MA. Her work will be on view at the Lake George Arts Project in, NY this summer and at the San Luis Obispo Art Museum, CA in December of 2025.
Adria Arch worked closely with the Town of Arlington Planning Department to create Arlington Public Art, a committee that eventually became the current Arlington Commission for Arts and Culture. Beginning in 2010, Adria was behind the initiative to make Arlington a vibrant public art destination, first by helping to change the Town’s bylaws that forbid the placement of murals on sides of buildings, and then by inventing what would become a beloved town celebration and fundraiser from 2011 – 2021,
Chairful Where You Sit.
