fortune-teller, looks to these cultural traditions as a jumping-off point for developing her own distinct visual language, resulting in a complex body of work that is meticulously constructed and laden with symbolism. Stout's sculptural installations often include materials used in the practice of voodoo. Handmade potions, roots and herbs, found objects, bones, and feathers are combined with painted and sculptural elements. Other aspects her work include examinations of positive and negative interpretations of blood, fire, and guns. Examples of this can be seen in Bellona (Roman Goddess of War), Baby’s First Gun, and Arsenal for The Fire Next Time. Stout's work also suggests a diverse group of American artists as influences– the photorealist painter Richard Estes, sculptor Joseph Cornell, installation artist Edward Kienholz, and assemblage artist Betye Saar. Their impact is apparent in Stout's use of trompe l'oeil painting, found-object tableaus, and handmade mechanical and totemic forms. Stout's early experience as a professional sign painter and ongoing interest in handmade commercial signage comes through in various pieces as well. Exhibitions Stout has participated in a large number of solo shows in the United States and internationally. Her notable solo shows include Astonishment and Power: Kongo Minkisi and the Art of Renée Stout (1993), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; Ranting in the Night Studio (2003), The Morgan Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri; Readers, Advisors, and Storefront Churches (2005), Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans; Renée Stout: Tales of the Conjure Woman (2013-2016), originating at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, Charleston, South Carolina; and Renée Stout: Between Two Worlds (2017), Sean Scully Studio, New York. Andrea Barnwell Brownlee was involved with one of Renee Stout's larger installation exhibitions, The Thinking Room (2005), and a book, Renee Stout: Tales of the Conjure Woman, which "brings together more than sixty recent works and draws viewers into a dynamic, complex, and richly textured web. This exhibition of fictitious tales and courageous ingenuity offers a rare and special opportunity for viewers to explore the mythic, folk, and spiritual traditions that inform and shape Stout's complex world view and temporarily suspend disbelief" Subsequently, these works became the subject of the traveling exhibition Tales of the Conjure Woman (2013-2016), originating at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art. She has also participated in numerous group shows and exhibitions, including Afro-Atlantic Histories. Notable works in public collections The Grandfather (1983), National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC