Name: First Friday – Nothing Alive Asks to Stay Small by Angela M. Carter
Start: 2026-05-01T17:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-05-01T19:00:00-04:00
Location: 150 E Wolfe St, Harrisonburg, VA, United States, Virginia 22802

$First Friday \u2013 Nothing Alive Asks to Stay Small by Angela M. Carter$

Come Out for First Friday!
Join us on Friday, May 1st, from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM for the opening of Nothing Alive Asks to Stay Small, a mixed-media exhibition centered on collage by Angela M. Carter.
Nothing Alive Asks to Stay Small is a mixed-media exhibition centered on collage, alongside fluid abstract acrylic paintings created through hand marbling and layered paint. The work explores movement, transformation, and the quiet but persistent force of growth.
Nearly all of the materials used in the work are reused, repurposed, or secondhand. Papers, textures, fragments, and surfaces are gathered and reassembled through collage, often layered with fluid acrylic techniques and marbling. Each piece is built from what already exists, allowing discarded or overlooked materials to take on new form and meaning.
This approach reflects the spirit of the exhibition itself. Rather than starting from something pristine or untouched, the work embraces what has already lived, already been used, and already carries history.
For artist Angela M. Carter, this body of work mirrors a deeply personal moment in life. It represents making the most of everything one has, reclaiming space, and refusing to stay small. The materials themselves become part of the story, reminding us that beauty and growth often emerge from what we choose to gather, repair, and transform.
Through collage, fluid abstraction, and layered textures, Nothing Alive Asks to Stay Small invites viewers to consider how resilience, creativity, and renewal are often built from the fragments we carry forward.
Artist Statement
Angela M. Carter is a Harrisonburg-based visual artist, poet, and community advocate whose work explores transformation, resilience, and the creative potential of unexpected materials. Her visual art combines collage, fluid acrylic techniques, and hand marbling to create layered compositions that evoke movement, organic systems, and evolving landscapes.
A longtime creative voice in the Shenandoah Valley, Carter is also a published poet and spoken word performer who has given hundreds of readings across the East Coast. Her work blends personal narrative with social commentary and is known for its emotional honesty and exploration of survival, identity, and renewal.
She is the author of Memory Chose a Woman’s Body (unbound CONTENT) and the forthcoming poetry memoir Love Is the Dying Dog (2nd Avenue Press, 2026). She has received Pushcart Prize nominations and Virginia Literary Award nominations for poetry, and currently serves as a judge for the Poetry Society of Virginia annual poetry contests (2024–2026).
In addition to her artistic and literary work, Carter serves as Executive Director of The Arc of Harrisonburg and Rockingham, where she leads initiatives that support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and promote inclusive community engagement.
Nothing Alive Asks to Stay Small represents a new chapter in Carter’s visual art practice, embracing collage and reclaimed materials as both an artistic process and a metaphor for resilience, expansion, and creative transformation.
Stop by the café on Friday evening to meet the artist, view the artwork, and enjoy light refreshments from the store!