Shop for Change Partner of the Month: Julie Elkins

This holiday season, USRowing is supporting minority and women-owned businesses that align with our desire to open boathouse doors. Whether exploring life's most fascinating phenomena through art or fostering a community for those historically underrepresented in rowing, we admire their drive and ambition. These businesses are run by rowers and athletes who have turned a dream into reality. Their work ethic reflects the shared values of our rowing community: determination, grit, and teamwork. Ten percent (10%) of proceeds from select items will go directly towards supporting USRowing initiatives to make rowing more diverse and inclusive. Meet Julie Elkins, Owner of Gaptooth Studios Julie Elkins is a multi-disciplined artist who seamlessly blends her passions for ceramics, puppetry, filmmaking, and teaching. As an educator, Elkins finds immense joy in sharing her craft with others. Her ceramic sculptures are a testament to her deep exploration of themes such as grief, human connection, and environmental stewardship. Elkins' work is inspired by the haunting beauty and intangible mystery of her surroundings, and she delves into the intricate entanglements of history and the physical residue of time's passing. Through her art, Elkins invites us to contemplate the complexities of the world around us and to find beauty in the most unexpected places. Elkins received a BFA in craft and material studies from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2002. She first gained recognition for her porcelain sculptures exhibited at SOFA Chicago in 2003. From there, her work made its way into permanent collections of The Mint Museum of Craft and Design, The Fuller Craft Museum, and the Kamn Teapot Foundation. She was a professor of ceramics and sculpture at Virginia State University and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Studio School. She leads many creative workshops in the community, and was the sculptor in residence at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in collaboration with the Rodin exhibition in 2016. In 2020, Elkins was recognized for her film making and received the honor of a commission through Heather Henson's Handmade Puppets Dreams Quarantine Film Commissions to produce her first short film, "Playing Opossum." The film premiered at Bonnarroo in 2022 at the House of Yes's Night Owl Cinema. Elkins is represented by the Eric Schindler Gallery in Richmond, Va. She continues to create sculpture, music videos, and film, and engage with her community through art. Elkins currently rows out of Virginia Boat Club in Richmond, Va. SHOP