Artist & Educator
Brian D. Kirk
Brian Kirk is fascinated by the compelling and delicate balance between human intent to direct desired outcomes versus the inevitable surrender to Nature’s process of erosion and rebirth. For more than three decades he has taught and made art across Northern Virginia, working reclaimed steel and stone at his studio in Purcellville.
Statement
Industrial prowess, natural reaction.
His metal sculpture harnesses reclaimed stone or steel that conveys industrial prowess and raw, bold energy. But as his rust art and prints show, there is also an ever-present acceptance of natural chemical reactions that, with time, enable simple elements of water and oxygen to disable even the strength of steel.
The result is a body of work that moves between the monumental and the intimate: welded outdoor sculpture, hand carved stone, rust paintings on archival paper and linen, and traditional prints of real and imagined creatures.
Curriculum Vitae
Resume - Brian D. Kirk, Artist / Educator
Education
2003
Virginia Commonwealth University, Masters in Interdisciplinary Studies (MIS) in Fine Art; Sculpture, Printmaking, Painting and Ceramics
1976
George Washington University - BA in Fine Art
1974
University of the Americas, Puebla, Mexico. Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Photography
1972-1974
St. Mary’s College, St. Mary’s City, MD. Studied Fine Arts
Teaching Experience
2024-Present
Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WVA - Sculpture, Printmaking 2
2022-Present
Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WVA - Art Education
2022
Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WVA - Drawing, Printmaking 1
1996-2021
Art League School, Alexandria, VA - Metal Sculpture
1997-2019
Art Teacher and Fine Arts Department Chair, Loudoun County Public Schools, Ashburn, VA - Photography, Ceramics, Sculpture, Printmaking, Drawing, Painting, Graphic Design and Advanced Placement (AP) Studio Art. Supervised Art, Music and Drama Departments. Coordinated Fine Arts Night, Community and School Art Exhibitions
2003-2013
Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate Art Program, Ashburn, VA - Sculpture, the Art and Science of Ceramics, Multicultural Approaches to Sculpture
2010-2012
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA - Masters in Art Teaching Program, Multicultural Approaches to Sculpture, 3D Design
2004-2012
EF Tours Educational Tour Coordinator for Stone Bridge High School, Loudoun County Public Schools, Ashburn, VA
2007-2009
Northern Virginia Community College, Sterling, VA - Sculpture and 3D Design
2007-2008
Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WVA - Stone Sculpture
Awards & Fellowships
2024
“Best in Show” - Artists in Middleburg
2017
Distinguished Teacher Recognition (Honors), Rochester Institute of Technology
2004-2005
Virginia Commission for the Arts - Teacher Incentive Award
2002-2003
Teacher Naturalist, Smithsonian Naturalist Center
2000, 2002
Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Nominee, Loudoun County Public Schools
1999
Loudoun Education Foundation - Welded Sculpture Project, Broad Run High School Senior Court
1999
Rust Library Stone Carving Project, Leesburg, VA
1999
Educator’s Workshop, Virginia Museum of Art, Richmond, VA
1998
Loudoun Community Foundation Photography Project, Rust Library, Leesburg, VA
1998
University of Virginia, Asian Studies Fellowship, Beijing, China
1997
Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program, Shizuoka, Japan
1997
University of Virginia, Professional Development Grant, Stone
1996
Virginia Commission for the Arts, Teacher Incentive Grant
1994
Loudoun Education Foundation, Stone Carving, Broad Run High School
Exhibitions
2023
“Opposites Attract,” The Barns at Rose Hill, Berryville, VA
2022
(Duo Show) “Primarily Abstract,” Zenith Gallery, Washington, DC
2021-Present
“Art at the Mill,” Millwood, VA
2021
Artists in Middleburg, Middleburg, VA
2021
Franklin Park Art Center Sculpture Garden, Purcellville, VA
2015-2021
Arts Parks Sculpture Walk, Frank Raflo Park, Leesburg, VA
2020
Purcellville Gallery, Purcellville, VA
2019
Tryst Gallery, Leesburg, VA
2018
(Solo Show) “Natural Reaction,” Art League Gallery, Alexandria, VA
2018
(Solo Show) Howard Hughes Medical Center, Sterling, VA
2018
(Solo Show) Howard Hughes Medical Center, Chevy Chase, MD
2017
(Solo Show) “Water + Metal: Assemblages and Prints,” George Washington University Annex, Ashburn, VA
2016
Group Invitational, Master Artists of Loudoun County, Art Square, Leesburg, VA
2015
(Duo Show) “Ethereal and Natural Reactions,” Art Space, Herndon, VA
2014
(Solo Show) “Iron Age,” Studio Gallery, Washington, DC
2014
Artist Member Exhibit, Greater Reston Arts Center, Reston, VA
2013
(Solo Show) “Natural Reaction,” Studio Gallery, Washington, DC
2012
(Solo Show) Hillyer Gallery, Washington, DC
2011
(Solo Show) “Brian Kirk: A Rustic Life,” Studio Gallery, Washington, DC
2009
(Solo Show) “Rusticity,” Studio Gallery, Washington, DC
2009
222 Gallery, Leesburg, VA
2005
(Solo Show) “Aikuchi: Steel Sculpture,” The Waddell Art Gallery, Northern VA Community College, Sterling, VA
2005
(Solo Show) NVCC New Steel Sculpture, Loudoun Campus Gallery, NVCC Annandale, VA
2003
(Thesis Exhibition) “Sculpture: Methods and Materials,” Northern VA Community College, Verizon Gallery, Annandale, VA
1997
(Solo Show) The Arts Club of Washington, DC, Washington, DC
1996
(Solo Show) Arnold & Porter Law Firm Offices, Washington, DC
Community Service
2014-2021
Friends of Franklin Park Arts Center, Round Hill, VA - Vice President, Board of Directors
2014-Present
Western Loudoun Art & Studio Tour Participant
Brian Kirk Studios
See the work in person
Brian Kirk Studios is open by appointment at 36607 Allder School Road, Purcellville, Virginia.
Plan a Visit →