Anatomy of imagination
artist bio
Heather McNabb was raised in Nome, Alaska. After moving to and living in Fairbanks for a few years, she decided she had enough of -45 degree winters and angry moose, so down south she went. She’s currently living in Grand Junction, Colorado and is working toward her B.F.A in Studio Arts with her emphasis in sculpture at Colorado Mesa University. While attending the university, she also ventures into the Rocky Mountains to cosplay as Michelangelo while studying at the Marble, Colorado, marble symposium. She has exhibited her work in student art shows, had artwork grace the cover of a literary review magazine, and earned a spot in Grand Junction's annual Art on the Corner program. Her sculpture “Tearing Our Foundations” will be on public display for a year (2025-26), so you’ll be able to view this piece while walking off the meal you enjoyed at one of the Main Street restaurants.
artist statement
My work explores the human form as a landscape of both the familiar and the abstract. I am captivated by the curves and lines of the body, utilizing them to navigate the tension between the anatomical precision of realism and the gestural freedom of expressionism. By translating these figures into metal and stone, I engage with the unique demands of each medium: the deliberate, reductive discipline of stone and the additive, fluid versatility of metal. My practice is fundamentally experimental, seeking to transform the recognizable into the unfamiliar. While my sculptures often address complex themes, such as identity, image, and social roles, they remain rooted in a sense of play and imagination, inviting the viewer to find beauty in our ever-changing state of being
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I’m eager to hear from you! Feel free to contact me if you’re interested in a commission piece or if you have any comments or questions.
C.V.
EDUCATION
2026
· B.F.A., Studio Sculpture Concentration, Candidate, May 2026
Art & Design Department Honors, Minor in Art History, Colorado Mesa University
ARTIST AWARDS AND ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS
2025
· Team award – Student Cupola Contest, Fluidity Test and Production Test
National Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art and Practices, SLOSS Furnaces
Birmingham, AL
· Colorado Mesa University Literary Review, Spring 2025 edition, 1st place
Grand Junction, CO
· Gean F Lipson Trust – Art, CMU Foundation Scholarship
EXHIBITIONS
2026
· “Humanity Creating Reality” BFA exhibition (Scheduled)
The CMU 437CO Art Gallery, Grand Junction, CO
· Student Showcase, Group Iron Pour exhibition (Scheduled)
Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO
2025
· “Art on the Corner” Juried Exhibition (2025-2026), Juror: Reven Marie Swanson
GJ Creates, Grand Junction, CO
· Student Cupola Contest
National Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art and Practices, SLOSS Furnaces, Birmingham, AL
2024
· Jac Kephart CMU Student Juried Exhibition, Juror: Kieth Buswell
The Art Center of Western Colorado, Grand Junction, CO
2023
· Jac Kephart CMU Student Juried Exhibition, Juror: Terry Shepherd
The Art Center of Western Colorado, Grand Junction, CO
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AND SERVICE
2026
· “Humanity Creating Reality” Senior Show exhibition install
The CMU 437CO Art Gallery, Grand Junction, CO
· Teaching Assistant for Professor Araan Schmidt, Sculpture, ARTT 270
Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO
2025
· Teaching Assistant for Professor Araan Schmidt, Sculpture, ARTT 270
Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO
· Artoberfest Campus-wide art event, Iron Pour – Cupola Crew
Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO
· Spring Iron Pour - Cupola Crew
Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO
· Tobias Flores, Large Mold Workshop assistant
National Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art and Practices, SLOSS Furnaces, Birmingham, AL
· “Cracked Earth” sculpture transportation and install crew
Austin Peay University, Clarksville, TN
2024
· “Aesthetic Mutations”, Visiting Artist Joshua Almond assistant for exhibition install
The CMU 437CO Art Gallery, Grand Junction, CO
· Artoberfest Campus-wide art event, Iron Pour – Cupola Crew
Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO
· Spring Iron Pour – Cupola Crew
Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO
2023
· Artoberfest Campus-wide art event, Iron Pour
Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO
WORKSHOPS/RESIDENCIES/DEMOS ATTENDED
2026
· MARBLE/marble, stone carving symposium (scheduled)
Marble Institute of Colorado, Inc., Marble, CO
2025
· MARBLE/marble, stone carving symposium
Marble Institute of Colorado, Inc., Marble, CO
· Rebecca Hollett (Canadian Contemporary Society of Iron Arts) Workshop
“The Surface of Metals, Patinas You Can Create in Your Friend’s Backyard”
NCCCIAP, SLOSS Furnaces, Birmingham, AL
2024
· Mike Allen, Forging with Trip Hammer demonstration
Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO
· Jim Miller, Glass Blowing demonstration, Grand Junction, CO
· MARBLE/marble, stone carving symposium
Marble Institute of Colorado, Inc., Marble, CO
2023
· MARBLE/marble, stone carving symposium
Marble Institute of Colorado, Inc., Marble, CO
INTERVIEWS/FEATURES
2026
· Marin Anderson. “Art on the Corner: ‘Tearing Our Foundation’”, The Daily Sentinel,
February 16, 2026.
2025
· Colorado Mesa University Literary Review, Spring 2025 edition, Cover
Grand Junction, CO
SKILLS
· MIG/TIG welding
· Plasma cutting
· Acetylene torch
EMPLOYMENT
2001-2024
· Safeway, Pricing Department Manager, Grand Junction, CO