ABOUT THE ARTIST

Claire Barber is a 27-year-old Chicago based operatic Mezzo and mixed medium artist.  After graduating from Chicago College of Performing Arts with a degree in classical voice in the tumultuous spring of 2020, both the pandemic and her struggles with disability changed the trajectory of her life.  While managing POTS and Ehlers-Danlos, Claire spent most days at home working on building a dollhouse from scratch.  This project became a favorite among friends on social media and even connected her to Lauren Dodge of SouthernGothicDollhouse, with whom she would later collaborate.  Other projects involved learning to sew clothing, including reconstructing a clone of an Edwardian lingerie dress from her personal collection.  Claire utilizes recycled, reclaimed, and otherwise macgyvered materials for her projects whenever possible.  She takes inspiration from her lifelong love of Victorian and Edwardian aesthetics, exploring history through home design, beauty, fashion, and other stereotypically feminine disciplines often neglected in academia.  Her love of writing and storytelling serve as major components when constructing a project.  Current projects include replicating her own home in 1:12 scale, and most recently, creating miniature room for the WasteShed’s Teeny Erie Art exhibit (October 2023).
As a member of both the classical music world and the deconstruction/exvangelical community, Claire spends substantial time writing to eventually raise awareness of and support for survivors of high control environments, abusive power dynamics, survivors of sexual abuse, and purity culture.
Claire resides in a haunted building along with her husband, Joe Bierzynski, an operatic baritone, voice actor, and newly certified dog trainer, as well as the spirit of their beloved cat, Mable (2006-2022), and their sassy stuffed-otter son, Pebble.