Emily Bixler currently lives and works in Portland, OR, where she graduated from Pacific Northwest College of Art in 2004 with a BFA in Sculpture. Her practice includes sculpture and large scale installation as well as her accessory line BOET, a working investigation of fiber and metal, in operation since 2010 and sold internationally. Particularly interested in the conversation that is made when soft forms are limited/enhanced by rigid structures, Bixler’s work investigates relationships and relational aesthetics. Her sculptural work is not about exerting power over the materials but rather seeks to understand their nature and personality, trusting the creative process to unfold and later see what unconscious truths have been revealed; this process, Bixler finds, leads to a way of understanding self, and our layered interdependence with the natural world around us. Exhibiting predominantly along the west coast, Bixler was an artist in residence at Wildlands in Healdsburg, CA and has a permanent installation at the W Hotel in San Francisco. Bixler has been awarded grants from the Regional Arts & Culture Council and Stumptown Artist Fellowship.