Artist Julie "Juicebox" Woodard splits her time between mountain trails and the streets of Philadelphia.
Using salvaged textiles, found objects, pigments and thread, she creates impressionistic landscapes, multimedia installations, functional sculptures, and wearable pieces that convey her passion for nature, memory, and creative reuse. Current incarnations pay tribute to her late mom and repurpose family heirlooms, as well as feature vintage goods, cutting room remnants, broken furniture, and street debris.
Julie’s artistic practice is rooted in the tension between holding on and letting go, of memorialization and detachment. A self-proclaimed 'doula of discarded things,' she transforms both trash and sentimental scraps into kinetic compositions of texture and light. Her practice incorporates elements of collage, applique, embroidery, quilting, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. The "juice" is the joy Julie seeks to create and the "box" is her platform for storytelling and environmental advocacy. Every piece has a story. Every material is repurposed with purpose. Julie is also a songwriter and many of her visual works are translated into song.
Julie has created one-of-a-kind capsule collections for Au Boulot Workwear and her wearable designs have been showcased by Woolrich, Inc. She was the Fall 2022 Featured Artist for FABSCRAP Philadelphia, is an alumna of NextFab's Artisan Accelerator program, and her work has been featured in commercial and gallery spaces in Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, and Denver. Following a strong interest in immersive art, her latest projects include Embodied Sound, a multimedia exhibition featuring visuals and original music in conversation, Pockets of Light, an interactive installation along the Delaware River Waterfront, an experiential oceanic reading "nook" for the 2023 Fringe/Cannonball Festival's presentation of Read Me A World, and Tidal Rock, a functional sea sculpture for the Philadelphia International Airport.
Julie holds a BA in American Studies from Temple University and a MA in Museum Education from the University of the Arts. She has worked in Philadelphia's cultural sector for twenty years, including a 15-year tenure at University of the Arts. She has served on the board of Spiral Q Puppet Theater, was the Curator of Experiential Arts at Broad Street Ministry, and co-led Philly Swap, a local clothing and material exchange initiative. Julie has engaged communities as a teaching artist through Fleisher Art Memorial, Girls Rock Philly, The Pulpery, Cut-n-Sew, and Da Vinci Art Alliance.
Some of Julie's favorite commissions are projects where clients provide personal artifacts to be workshopped into a custom piece of art or a uniquely mended garment. She has worked with everything from vintage wedding dresses, to hole-filled sweaters, and is honored to help others pay tribute to special people, places, and occasions by breathing art into old things.
Collaborations, public projects, requests for workshops, and textile donations are welcome.
Recent Exhibitions & Public Installations
2024 We Are Family, Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Franks, Philadelphia, PA
2024 High In Fiber, Abington Art Center, Abington, PA
2024 Transcending Uncertainty: Art Endures at Home in Philadelphia, City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
2024 Perennial Visions, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
2024 Garbage Patch, Stitch & Destroy, Philadelphia, PA
2024 The Dirt In Our Garden, Information Space, Philadelphia, PA
2024 Paper Trails, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
2024 Now, One With Everyone, Icebox Project Space, Philadelphia, PA
2024 Embodied Sound Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
2024 Tidal Rock, Philadelphia International Airport, Philadelphia, PA
2024 Furnished for Good, Cherry Street Pier, Philadelphia, PA
2024 Flood Zone, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
2024 Over the Mantle, Capricorn Books, Jenkintown, PA
2024 Unfamiliar, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2024 Trail of Love, Street Art Installation, Philadelphia, PA
2023 Perennial Visions, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
2023 Under $100, Under $1000: Works by Philly Artists, Philadelphia Magic Gardens, Phila, PA
2023 Pockets of Light, Delaware River Waterfront, Philadelphia, PA
2023 Read Me A World, Liberty Lands Park, Philadelphia, PA
2023 Collage Philadelphia, The Look Listen, Philadelphia, PA
2023 When the Light Comes In, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
2023 Up to Us, The Look Listen, Philadelphia, PA
2023 Environment, University Museum, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
2023 Walking The Edge, Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Philadelphia, PA
2023 reCreate Gallery Featured Artist, The Resource Exchange, Philadelphia, PA
2022-2023 Featured Artist, FABSCRAP, Philadelphia, PA
2022 Featured Artist, Rays Reusables, Philadelphia, PA
2022 Artisan Accelerator Showcase, Next Fab, Philadelphia, PA
2022 Featured Artist, Cultivaire Plant Store, Philadelphia, PA
2021-2022 Accumulation, Good Buy Supply, Philadelphia, PA
