“If I didn’t make it or show it, that would be choosing fear and despair.”
– Julie Peppito
Julie Peppito. " Antidote," 2025. Reclaimed fiber and objects, thumbtacks, thread, acrylic paint. 84 × 108 × 4 inches.
The CAMP Gallery is pleased to share a special Q&A with rostered artist Julie Peppito, in conjunction with her solo exhibition Julie Peppito Chooses Hope, on view at our North Miami gallery from April 11-May 17.
The solo exhibition, Julie Peppito Chooses Hope, suggests a guide on how to navigate life through mixed mediums of fiber, paint, found objects and her own innate belief in preserving the positive. Peppito tackles the daily distractions of life by creating multi layered works exploring where she is in the present as a means of establishing order in a life that is chaotic. Chaos can be found in any segment of life where reality clashes with self imposed expectations, where time flies uncontrollably out of ones’s grasp, and much more. Peeling back life as we cross the social landscape, Peppito responds to the world she inhabits by offering hope. Coming into her own in an ever changing art world and practice, Peppito spends a great deal of time with not only the work that evolves, often from one object, but also with her thoughts on the piece. Her thoughts can travel through the everyday and mundane, through her own life, and through the climate she encounters. This multifaceted looking around her is clearly seen in works such as; Growth 1 & 2 (2025). The works offer the concept of growth in many ways. For example, it can be seen as two unequal stages of growth, two direction for growth—or a limit to growth because of the different sizes. But in both there lies hope, simply because the works are bordered by a literal blank canvas, thereby giving one the freedom to move out of the work and into a new stage.
Peppito often creates a tableaux both overflowing with action and thought, but also one open and dependent on interpretation. Dividing for example, Holding Pattern (2025) into two sections, one is able to skip through the left portion only to attentively explore the right side. The piece is divided by color, historical references, the artist, and elements of culture. Once you travel through the labyrinths Peppito creates, you may enter into the unformed, the unknown. The work holds an intentionally ambiguous landscape, one with a shadowy figure lurking in the window, an empty chair, and less—but even through this almost ‘void,’ Peppito places her bird, a muse, a symbol of the imagination—fully formed, fully identifiable—showing that come what may, there is always hope and somethings can never be erased. This is the key in Peppito’s philosophy—there is always hope, and we can all work towards the beautiful tomorrow of our imagination.
In all of Peppito’s work one can witness her artistic practice as her search for materials rises from both conscious choices to something that catches her eye. This ‘eye-catching’ object is usually the idea of a work in its moment of becoming, akin to an unconscious stage, but as more than one idea holds space in anyone’s mind— new ideas often come hurdling towards her, calling her to listen to the ideas, and thus one idea evolves into many. These ‘many’ are then masterfully composed by Peppito to tell the story that she wishes to tell, as well as to listen to the stories that come from her works when viewed. Her work stands on the precipice of optimism forever leaning towards hope. The hope lies in the future, what she likes to envision for a ‘beautiful tomorrow,’ and the hope that her work stimulates, awakens and leads into conversations and connections bound in the hope for caring connections amongst all.
Statement and curation by Melanie Prapopoulos
Join us in this Q&A with the artist as she reflects on the materials, metaphors, and motivations behind Julie Peppito Chooses Hope. We invite you to explore this dialogue as an extension of the exhibition and a deeper look into Peppito’s evolving vision.
Julie Peppito. "Liberty Landscape" 2023.Reclaimed fiber & objects, canvas, acrylic paint, thread, beads, thumbtacks. 105 × 83 × 2 inches.
Your exhibition is titled Julie Peppito Chooses Hope, what does "hope" mean to you in the context of this body of work, and how did it shape the pieces you created? We can make our own hope. And I know I do, because I have.
Julie Peppito: The act of making art is an act of hope. The act of making anything is an act of hope. This show was created with these things in mind. In some of the pieces, like Choosing Hope I was consciously thinking about imagery like a sparkling and soaring eagle that symbolize hope to me. In other pieces, like It’s in the Water I show the despair that is present, the despair that I’ve decided not to give into.
I have been making political and activist art since the US occupied Iraq in 2003. I have made political art for the streets and for galleries since then. My approach to both kinds of art is different but there is overlap. They both achieve the same result, they generate hope in me. They move me forward. The art I make for the street is much more direct because I am also wielding a bull horn and it is a multimedia extravaganza. It is a moving, live, performative piece of art with multiple participants. It is exhausting and invigorating. It is a hope generating machine. I highly recommend being in the streets if you need a quick fix shot in the arm of hope therapy.
And these actions in the street absolutely feed into the word in this show. They feed off of each other. Also, when I am brave, when I do something that feels a bit uncomfortable, or scary— something that makes me vulnerable —it is a hopeful act. When I made this art, I didn’t know how it would turn out or how it would be received. There is no known outcome. All of it was an experiment. I did not know what the end result of each piece would be and I am sharing the finished art with the world regardless of how it will be received. That is hope. If I didn’t make it, or show it, that would be choosing fear and despair.
Julie Peppito. "Path to Freedom," 2025. Reclaimed fiber and objects, thread, thumbtacks, nails, acrylic paint. 60 × 48 × 2 inches.
You often describe your works as “roadmaps.” Are these roadmaps more personal navigations for yourself, or do you see them as suggestions for viewers to follow as well?
JP: The story for me is that the path is never straight and often it is a cycle that loops back on itself. It is up to us to realize that the paths we take, both personal and political, are not straight. That we are doomed to repeat history if we don't learn from it, that it is never a straight line to justice, and that we must consciously break out of the loop if we are to make it to the other side. I love to think about the metaphorical language that every stitch, line, and object embody and how they all work together to tell a story. These "paths" also connect things. In all of my art, the overarching them is that we are connected to everyone and everything.
When you begin a new piece, does the theme or idea typically come first, or do you let the materials guide the narrative that emerges?
JP: I start with materials and an idea, then I think about the world and the news and let them work together through my hands and mind and see what comes out. I listen to Heather Cox Richardson, Democracy Now!, NPR, and other news when I work. I synthesize my feelings about the news with the objects I am picking up and let them work together. It is more a process of allowing than premeditation. Ideas evolve from that process.
Julie Peppito. "Holding Pattern," 2025. Reclaimed textiles, beads, thread, gouache, acrylic, fabric paint, canvas. 36 × 48 × 4 inches. "Pussy Power," 2025. Reclaimed fiber and objects,thread,acrylic paint,thumbtacks,hook. 44 1/2 × 29 1/4 × 7 1/2 inches.
Shoes are a recurring motif in your work, tied to your childhood experiences. Are there other repeating objects or symbols that carry a similarly deep personal story?
JP: Because I often use toys in my work, the reference to childhood is inescapable. In my personal narrative, they represent the loss of innocence I experienced when I moved from Tulsa, OK at age 18 to New York City. I grew up in a pretty enlightened household, or so I thought. I learned so much more about the world when I came to New York. I also went from being a golden child to being ridiculed and mocked. It had a huge effect on me and added to my loss of innocence.
Your choice of materials, including recycled and found objects, feels intentional. What role does sustainability play in your creative process?
JP: I believe in doing the least amount of harm. When I was in grad school, I had a crisis because I realized that I couldn’t make anything without damaging the environment. That is when I realized that I couldn’t be a purist about anything; at this point in my life, 90% of my work is recycled, broken, found objects and used fabric. I began using found objects because in high school, I shopped at thrift stores for clothes and other things. I wondered why all of the things in the thrift stores had lost their value to people and at what point something loses it’s value. That’s when I started using them in my art to bring new life to them and to show that discarded objects do have value. I want to rescue them from the landfill and honor the resources used to make them. I want to eclipse the damage they would do to the land and make them valuable again.
Julie Peppito. " The Evidence," 2025. Reclaimed fiber and objects, thread. 37 1/4 × 31 1/4 inches. "Growth 1," 2024. Reclaimed objects and fiber, embroidery floss, string, canvas, acrylic paint. 12 1/2 × 10 × 2 inches. "Growth 2," 2024. Reclaimed ocjects and fiber, embroidery floss, string, canvas, acrylic paint. 34 × 24 1/2 × 3 1/2.
We have been asked about how durable your work is, because of the materials you use. Is it strange to you that we worry about the strength of things like plastics that we know actually last forever in the environment? And do you think that says something about how disconnected we are from the impact these materials have on the world?
JP: Yes! There used to be that commercial with the tag line: “Diamonds are forever”. I always thought, “…and so is plastic. Why do we throw it away?” I use a lot of reclaimed plastic and fiber precisely because it is often hard to recycle because it is so plentiful and permanent. If shown indoors, most found objects in my work show little wear and tear over time. I also always think it’s ironic because canvas, the material most paintings are made on, is fabric. But, people don’t ask about the durability and longevity of stretched paintings.
Activism plays a strong role in your practice. How do you see the relationship between activism and art evolving today, and where do you hope your work fits into that dialogue?
JP: All of my art is political just as all people are political whether they want to be or not. I make very clear symbolic work for the street, I design a concept and execute it. I work with other activists to get feedback on it and help creating and carrying it. Whereas I let the process dictate the final pieces for most of my gallery art. But, I think that my process art communicates in ways that work underneath the conscious level. They can communicate with people in ways that are impossible to assume.
Julie Peppito. "Saturated," 2025. Reclaimed objects, embroidery floss, nails, gouache, acrylic on canvas. 16 × 16 × 2 inches.
In the layered, intricate surfaces of your works, there's a strong sense of memory and lived experience. How do you balance the deeply personal with the broader social or political commentary that also runs through your art?
JP: I don’t. They are the same. The personal is political.
You blend techniques like embroidery, drawing, and sculpture in ways that feel both delicate and strong. How did your style evolve to incorporate so many different mediums and textures?
JP: The main theme of all of my work no matter what it is, and even the theme of my life is: everything is connected. I strive to make work that is a physical manifestation of this concept to show the connections that exist between everyone and everything. I sew things together, paint things together, sculpt things together to show that we are all together with each other and the Earth. We are all one.
Julie Peppito. "Choosing Hope," 2025. Reclaimed fiber and objects, thread. 92 × 36 × 1 inches. Header
When people walk through Julie Peppito Chooses Hope, what is the feeling or realization you most hope they leave with?
JP: I’d like people to feel hopeful, of course, and to realize that each one of us is here to connect and by words and actions, and with hope, he or she can reach out to others in love and a sense that we’re all in this together; so let’s get together and support, work and play with one another
Looking forward, what conversations — personal, societal, environmental — do you hope your work will spark in the years to come?
JP: I hope that on every level — personal, societal, environmental — my work will help people realize that we are all one, we are all connected and that what unites us is so much greater than what divides us. I hope that people will realize that evolution means working together.