Artist Bio

Orem based Artist, Grace Emery Fadely (b. 1999) has spent her life exploring how to portray “real life”. Growing up as a dancer, she developed a deep passion for the human body, which inspires her to explore what it means to experience life in a body. Learning techniques in oil painting as well as sculpture, she brings to life her own experiences in a format she can use to connect with others. Inspired by artists such as Jenna Gribbon and Paige Bradely, Fadely uses a painterly style to weave together themes of memory, self-image, mental health, body image, and intimate moments.

Influenced by major events in her own life, ranging from loss of loved ones, discovery of mental illness, to a joyful marriage to her husband, Fadely works to show moments of life from her perspective, both visually and emotionally. Connecting with others by normalizing that a range of emotions happening in a body is a common human experience.

After the Spring of 2024, Fadely plans to connect with young people as a high school art teacher. Helping students be creative and explore the world of art through experimentation and "mess-making", and creating an environment where students feel supported to explore their own realities and ask their own questions through art processes.

Where does "Urban Ballerina" come from?

Urban Ballerina Art is a label created by Grace Emery Fadely. Inspired by her early art, including a concentration under the same title, Fadely has continued her art practice with the basis of duality and juxtaposition that is found in the "Urban Ballerina" concept. The term was originally coined by her father as he tried to describe Fadely's style to Sharon Macdonald, a famous artist known as the official artist for the Beatles. They met at the Urban Arts Festival in Salt Lake City. During the interaction at her booth, Macdonald told him that if his daughter didn't run with that idea, that she would. This inspired Fadely to create her "Urban Ballerina Concentration" and continue to grow her art practice.