About the Owners {Emmanuel Gillespie}

Emmanuel Gillespie   

Emmanuel Gillespie was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He  received his BFA from the University of North Texas and later earned a  Masters of Art from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Gillespie works  with mixed media in both 2D and 3D form. He has worked on several Public Art projects in Dallas, Texas including specific work for the Bexar Street Corridor project and the DART Green Line project. Gillespie designed the Dallas Area Rapid Transit center for the Green Line and Bus Station, and constructed artwork that was displayed within the Dart train station. Most recently, Emmanuel Gillespie was commissioned to create the Ernie Banks Statue in Dallas for the Booker T. Washington School of the Performing and Visual Arts. Currently, Emmanuel is the 3D Art instructor at the Winston School in Dallas. 

 Dr. Valerie Bennett Gillespie

Dr. Valerie Bennett Gillespie was born in Austin, Texas and grew up in Dallas. She completed her undergraduate degree at Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia where she majored in Studio Art with a concentration in Spanish. She attended the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela during her year abroad  and completed her Master's degree in Studio Art at New York University. Valerie is currently the Director of Visual & Performing Arts at the Winston School in Dallas and recently received her doctorate in Educational Leadership. She was a finalist for the Hunting Art Prize in 2011 and exhibited her series, "Motherhood" at the African American Museum in 2013. Her first solo show of her “Colorism” series was exhibited at the Arthello Beck Gallery in Dallas. This past year, Valerie’s series, “Rise and Fall” was featured in New York at Kimmel Galleries in Greenwich Village. Valerie works with collage and mixed mediums along with text in order to create views of social and cultural phenomena. Through her work, Valerie deconstructs the ideas surrounding identity and most recently in one of her current series, "Rise and Fall," a glimpse into the realities of the human condition. Recently, Valerie exhibited her 2020 "Becoming" series at College Town Renaissance Center in Arlington, The George W. Bush Presidential Center and currently at Msanii HOUS Fine Art in Carrollton. Valerie's newest work in "Becoming" is now on view at the African American Museum of Dallas through October 2021.