Grace and Gravity | maiapalmer

Grace & Gravity presents a series of collaborative portraits of the strong, empowered women I have met through the world of aerial arts. Climbing, tumbling, twisting, splitting, flipping, spinning, and above all flying is NOT for the faint of heart.

Aerial arts, however, is so much more than performing amazing feats of strength. I aim to capture the spirit of adventure, the sense of community, and the ability to trust in one’s own power.

Through years of taking classes, teaching, and performing, I have learned to push my own limits and boundaries. For the first time in my life, I feel strong and confident in my own skin, which is no small feat. Without exaggeration, aerial arts has changed my life and empowered me to become a version of myself I am proud of.

Even more important than my personal growth, however, is the urgency of sharing stories of independent women in an era when women’s rights are being stripped away and public discourse too often diminishes women’s voices. Now more than ever, we need to celebrate and tell stories of women who revel in their strength.

The women in this series are self-actualizing outside the context of home and family and refuse to be defined by traditional norms that cast women as submissive, lesser, or weak. Each of us may have our own fears to face, but we also possess the strength to confront them and to create beauty in the process.

In short, this body of work is a love letter to a community of strong women who hold each other up when we struggle, support one another when we fall, and lift each other higher when we succeed. Thank you to every woman who has participated in this project and helped me become a stronger, more powerful, and confident version of myself.

Shannon, Dare to Fly

Neocolor, 38" x 50" I have spent nearly a decade in the air, letting silks pull me into a world where movement feels like home. I never liked traditional workouts, but silks gave me purpose—keeping my body strong and pushing me to be healthier. It gives me a place to breathe, life’s stressors fall away when I’m in the air. I love the sensation of flight, the creative freedom, & the quiet joy of creating something beautiful. Performances have become moments where I share that joy with others.

Alejandra, Educator Aerialist

Neocolor, 36" x 50" I was losing myself in middle school until I met my fabulous gymnastics coach, Drea. And it was in this unlikely place that I found a haven of understanding and connection. This relationship with gymnastics, and now aerials, allows me to connect with different parts of myself, my emotions, my physical abilities. Risking and failing, growing in trust and in the belief that I could achieve anything through practice, through persistence, gradual successes, and above all, joy.

Jackie, All Tied Up in Knots

Neocolor, 38" x 50" Forever on a mission to figure out how to fit play in & be an effective adult, aerials became the answer. My needs consist of movement, community, a place to be my silly self. Circus has provided that 10 fold. Folks who train aerial arts, recreationally or professionally, have a kind of tenacity and positivity I don't see everywhere. It is not an instant gratification sport, not by a long shot. To be able to come back and "fail" for months, years at a time, is a challenge.

Brynn, Phoenix Rising

Pastels, 36" x 50" The 2023 showcase theme of “revival” was significant to me on a very personal level. I had fought my way out of the fire to become who I am today. My act represented the Phoenix bird, who is inspirational to me because it has given me a renewed confidence to overcome my fears and be revived from the ashes. “And just as the Phoenix rose from the ashes, she too will rise. Returning from the flames, clothed in nothing but her strength, more beautiful than ever before.”

Meg, The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Neocolor, 38" x 50" Like a lion climbing a tree, I didn't think I was built for aerial arts. However, all the things that made me "last picked in gym class" didn't feel as limiting in the sky. I never considered myself graceful or athletic. I never thought that I'd be able to do so many daring and strength dependent things, especially considering my chronic illness, but every week I have either found myself in the air or longing to be there.

Lyz

Prismacolor, 11" x 14"

Celina

Chalk pastel on pastel board, 16" x 20"

Brooke, The Amazing Acrobat

Neocolor, 38" x 50" I am a Delaware-based aerialist and circus instructor who specializes in aerial lyra. In my nearly 9 years of training I have developed a love of aerial theory, and for the last 2.5 years has been sharing my expertise through teaching, making aerial accessible and empowering for my students.

Rachel, 10 Days in the Madhouse

Mixed media, 38" x 50" In 1887, Nellie Bly, one of our first female journalists, heard stories of terrible abuse and neglect of the female patients in NY. She began acting strangely until the women in her boarding-house called an asylum to have her committed. Inside, she witnessed horrors even beyond the rumors. She went back to being herself, expecting to be released and tell the world her story. Except the more she acted healthy, the less anyone believed her. Would she ever escape?

Nicole

Prismacolor on paper, 11" x 14"

Lindsey

Prismacolor on paper, 16" x 20"

Amber & Maia - Mrs. Claus & Her Helper

Neocolor, 48" x 48" Amber & I met many years ago through aerial classes, and what began as simple pet sitting help, turned into wine drinking, Buffy watching, secret sharing, friendship-turned-family! Amber couldn’t get rid of me now if she tried. She always makes fun of me when I get overly sappy and emotional, and will surely make fun of me when she reads this, but I’m gonna say it anyway - I don’t know what I would do without her! I am so thankful to her and the aerial community as a whole.