Join us for a virtual Alumni Artist Talk featuring Laura Petrovich-Cheney '11 in conversation with Program Head and Assistant Professor of Interior Design Sheri Watson. Together, they’ll explore Petrovich-Cheney's artistic evolution, the role Moore played in shaping her intuitive approach to making and the ideas driving her exhibition, Homecoming, on view in the Alumni Gallery May 16–July 18, 2026.
Working with salvaged architectural wood—siding, cabinet doors and floorboards—Petrovich-Cheney cuts and reassembles these materials into compositions that draw from the logic of quilt-making, translating pattern, repetition and structure through woodworking. In addition to tracing the trajectory of Petrovich-Cheney's artistic development, the conversation will consider how women artists and designers shape cultural and civic life, reflecting Philadelphia’s rich craft traditions and long history of supporting women’s participation in creative and public spheres as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary.
After the program, pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea and stay awhile for an informal alumni gathering. We’ll keep the Zoom room open for an additional 30 minutes to give alumni a chance to catch up and continue the conversation together.
About the Speakers
Laura Petrovich-Cheney '11 is a visual artist whose sculptural work combines woodworking and textiles to explore themes of climate change, resilience and renewal. Drawing on traditions such as quilting and weaving, she transforms salvaged wood and discarded materials into intricate works that challenge boundaries between craft and fine art while examining memory, identity and recovery.
Her work has been exhibited nationally in solo and group exhibitions at institutions including the International Quilt Museum, Fuller Craft Museum, Toledo Museum of Art and James A. Michener Art Museum. Petrovich-Cheney has received grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Park Service and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. She holds holds a BA in Fine Arts and English Literature from Dickinson College, an MS in Fashion Design from Drexel University and an MFA in Studio Art from Moore College of Art & Design. She lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts, with her husband, a cat and a dog.
Sheri Watson is an interior designer with more than 30 years of experience specializing in lighting design. She earned her MS in Interior Design and Architecture from Drexel University and has dedicated more than two decades to design education at colleges and universities throughout the Philadelphia area.
At Moore College of Art & Design, Watson taught lighting design and interior design courses for 10 years as both an adjunct and assistant professor before stepping into her current role as Program Head of Interior Design. In addition to her work in education, she is also a ceramic artist who exhibits her pitchers and village vessels at local markets and exhibitions.
Image courtesy of the artist.
