This is America is a four-part artist talk series curated by Jaime Ransome and presented by the Woodstock School of Art (WSA). The series invites artists to reflect on how cultural, ethnic, and ancestral histories shape their practices—whether through technique, materials, themes, or artistic lineage. Informed by Ransome’s curatorial philosophy—community-driven, historically grounded, and centered on BIPOC, feminist, and queer perspectives—This is America transforms WSA’s gallery into a space of storytelling, resistance, and connection.

Carl Grauer transforms personal history into figurative paintings that turn abstract symbols into icons of queer identity and remembrance, drawing on his own journey toward self-acceptance.