The 2026 LVA Honors is on March 20th, and two of the honorees, Robyn Gibson & Tom Pfannerstill, join us in the studio. Tune into Artists Talk with LVA on WXOX 97.1 FM at 10 AM every Thursday.
Robyn Gibson is an emerging artist, curator, and podcaster living and working in Louisville, KY. After she started boxing in 2016, Gibson began incorporating it into her art practice. Larger-than-life-sized bold, gestural charcoal figures on canvas, a lyrical writing style meant to pack a punch, and voluptuous ceramic vessels inspired by her own curves all convey the movement and force important to her work and inspired by her boxing practice. The act of taking up space and claiming ownership of it is important to her work. As a Black artist focused on self-portraiture and the exploration of her trauma, Gibson grapples with Black identity, the depiction, perception, and value of Black bodies, and what it means to be authentic. She is also the host of the podcast, WheelHouse Art’s Art by Volume, presented by the Wine Room.
For nearly four decades as a full-time studio artist, Tom Pfannerstill has transformed overlooked everyday objects—trash, food, clothing, paintbrushes, and waste—into astonishing hyper-realistic sculptures. His work challenges viewers to reconsider consumerism and the byproducts of human consumption, often requiring a second glance to distinguish art from reality. Tom has exhibited nationally since 1990 and is the recipient of a prestigious Kentucky Arts Council fellowship. His work is held in major collections including the Flint Institute of Arts, Bellarmine University, and the Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences. Based in Louisville, his enduring practice continues to influence generations of artists.
