Meet the student artist who the Augusta County School Board tried to ban
FORT DEFIANCE — When Abby Driscoll began putting together her art projects for Fort Defiance High School's spring show, she asked a few friends if they thought anyone would find it offensive. It was one particular piece that included Bible pages, part of a series of paintings about trauma, that she was thinking about.
The series, which included seven pieces that were hung together in the lobby of Fort Defiance High School Sunday afternoon, describes trauma that people experience in their lives.
The particular piece, titled "But Not Enough to Save You," shows praying hands holding a rosary over layered Bible pages. Over the image are the words "God Loves You, But Not Enough To Save You." It represents the idea that some people who are Christian don't believe those who are LGBTQ can be saved. "Devotion vs. identity" Driscoll wrote in the description of the piece.
"The whole thing is about showing light through the darkness of trauma," Driscoll told The News Leader Sunday. "That piece in particular was about religious trauma and trauma faced from not being accepted in a quote-unquote loving community. I wanted to really portray that. I know the message is a little strong and in your face, but the kind of shock factor is what I wanted to get out of it."
Friends told her it might offend some, but her message was strong enough that she shouldn't worry about any backlash. That was enough for Driscoll to push ahead with the project.
There was backlash.
Growing up queer
Augusta County is a conservative county. Politically, 77.93% of Augusta County voters chose Republican Glenn Youngkin in the most recent governor's race and 72.65% chose Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
And, according to at least one source, BestPlaces.net, more than 38% of people in Augusta County identify as Christian.
Driscoll, 17, has lived here her entire life. She is a lesbian and living her entire life in Augusta County hasn't been easy.
"In this county, it's very hard," Driscoll said. "There's a lot of discrimination and backlash. A lot of non-accepting people. But within the LGBTQ community itself, the people I have found have been very strong and very good for me. The community I have found has been really supportive and trusting."
Driscoll first took art seriously as an eighth-grader. She had always enjoyed doodling, but it was a middle-school art class that really took her from a casual to a serious artist. By high school, she said the teachers really pushed her and that just increased her love. She enjoys working with acrylic paint and pen the most, saying those are her strongest mediums.
She will continue to pursue art after high school, but in a different medium — photography. Driscoll is headed to James Madison University to study business, but that's so she can learn the ins and outs of owning a photography business.
She views photography and painting as similar in some ways. Both can be pleasing to the eye. Both can also tell a story.
At Sunday's art show, Driscoll was telling a story about trauma.
One of her pieces, "Outlaw," is about masculinity and conforming in a society that doesn’t accept you. Another, "Lost Innocence," is representative of substance abuse due to trauma and trauma due to substance abuse. It’s the constant cycle of never getting better because you are too focused on what happened in the past. "Torn in Half," was inspired by the idea that trauma can strip away a person and their personality.
The school board didn't threaten to remove her right to display any of those works. Those pieces of art didn't cause the board any concerns. "But Not Enough to Save You" did.
The backlash
It all began Friday, shortly after Driscoll finished putting up the work for display, she started getting texts that her work was being posted on social media in part of Augusta County, and not in a favorable away. Someone had seen it in the lobby, was offended and started spreading the work on social media. More people were then critical of the work, including at least two school board members.
A day later, on a Saturday night, the Augusta County School Board was meeting to talk about Driscoll's work and whether or not it should be allowed to remain in the show. The News Leader first found out about the issue when Tim Simmons, who represents the Pastures District, posted on his Facebook page that people had reached out to him about the art and the school board was going into a closed meeting Saturday night to discuss.
In a text response to The News Leader Saturday, Simmons said he would happily send a link to the art but he hadn't included details on his page because, "I personally find it offensive."
All throughout this, until Sunday morning, Driscoll's parents were unaware any of this was taking place. While the Augusta County School Board was meeting about their daughter's work, the board hadn't bothered to tell the family they were meeting.
Dawn and Jeff Driscoll, Abby's parents, didn't hear about what was happening until Sunday morning. Abby was reluctant to drag her parents into the middle of an issue that she really didn't think would be that big of a deal. By Sunday morning, the teenager realized it was a pretty big deal, that the topic had blow up on social media and had been covered by the traditional media, so she told her parents.
"She's always been fairly independent," Dawn Driscoll said. "She can stand up for herself and speak for herself. She mentioned it this morning that there was the art show today. Then she told me what was going on."
Dawn was surprised that no one from the school board ever reached out to the family or, specifically, to Abby, to let her speak to the piece before going into a meeting to discuss it.
"I guess a lot of blowback or backlash against the piece kind of proves the (art's) message," Dawn Driscoll said.
Abby Driscoll said the only people in the school division she heard from was her art teacher, Jess Herr, and the school principal, Alan Shull. Both, she said, had been very supportive of her and her art, something she appreciated.
When Abby began hearing about the criticism, it wasn't herself that she was worried about. It was her art teacher. Driscoll said it was her own decision to make the piece and she didn't want Herr to face any consequences for the art.
"Ms. Herr has been really the reason I have stayed with art," Abby said. "She has pushed me to be my best and even when I'm struggling she has helped me and pulled me out of some deep, dark pits. She's really given me a place to express myself freely."
Abby was following along with others in the county through the media as the school board discussed their decision Saturday. When she heard that they would let her art remain, she was happy.
"I was relieved that they thought I should keep it up," she said. "That there were at least some people who thought that I should have the right to keep it up."
Driscoll said she has heard from a lot of people supporting her. A lot of them were at the art show Sunday. Even Angus Carter, the executive director of the Staunton Augusta Art Center, stopped by just to offer his support of Driscoll.
"My principal, he's been behind my back and he's been supporting me," Driscoll said. "It means a lot. My friends and family are the building blocks. They've really helped me and put me where I am. My teachers, my friends, I really appreciate them being here for me."
Now the question is, will future students have that same right to display their art? After Saturday's meeting, Augusta County School Board chair David Shiflett told The News Leader that the policy about art work "needs some tweaking." He did admit that the board really hasn't studied the policy closely because the meeting was called on such short notice.
Dawn Driscoll said if the school board begins changing the policy about displaying art work, it will cause problems.
"It opens a big can of worms," she said. "When you start tweaking freedom of expression, then you call into question whose viewpoint are you allowed to express then."
Abby agrees.
"I think everyone has the right to display what they want as long as its not inciting violence or promoting drug use, because I know that's an issue in schools, as long as it's not doing anything like that I think that it should be allowed to be up," Abby Driscoll said. "We have a freedom and we have a right to do that."
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— Patrick Hite is The News Leader's education reporter. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: The Fort Defiance High School artist who the school board tried to ban
