Rate My Professor April Flanders

April Flanders is a Professor of Studio Art and Assistant Department Chair in the Department of Art at Appalachian State University. She earned a Master of Fine Arts from Arizona State University and has taught printmaking for fourteen years at various universities nationally and internationally. A studio artist living and working in the mountains of Western North Carolina, Flanders is a keen naturalist whose practice addresses the global problem of invasive plants and animals. Her multifaceted approach employs printmaking, painting, drawing, and installation to highlight ecological disruptions, including trophic cascades in aquatic ecosystems caused by human-mediated transfers and globalization. Classically trained as a printmaker, she masterfully uses ink on paper to generate compelling rhythms through color, texture, repetition, and diverse techniques. Her innovative installations challenge traditional printmaking boundaries by cutting, folding, and sculpting prints to extend beyond the frame, fostering conversations between art and science to raise awareness of these complex environmental issues.

Flanders' artwork has been prominently featured in solo and group exhibitions at museums and galleries across the United States and internationally, including the Center for the Book Arts in New York, Global Print International in Douro, Portugal, Anna Leonowens Gallery in Nova Scotia, Canada, and the Katzen Museum in Washington, D.C. Notable solo exhibitions include Unchecked at Artspace in Richmond, Virginia; Advance at Pioneer Bluffs Gallery in Matfield Green, Kansas; and Lost Blooms at Donald H. Lindgren Gallery in Newberg, Oregon. Recent projects encompass Trophic Cascade at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts in 2024, exploring marine bio-invaders, and serving as guest curator for Altered Environments / Tidalectics. Her works reside in esteemed public collections such as the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Tucson Museum of Art, Asheville Museum of Science, and the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. Honors include residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and selections as a finalist in the 87th Annual Competition and semi-finalist in the 92nd Annual Competition at the Print Center in Philadelphia.