The Birds of Prey Dress, now back from the American Visionary Art Museum, will now be featured at the Royal St. Antieau Gallery.

“I have always been fascinated by the extremes that exist in nature, and by the beautiful symmetry it creates,” says designer Chris Roberts-Antieau. “I’m enthralled by the eternal conflict and beauty, and space where that conflict resides in our minds.”

For art and oddities, local artist Chris Roberts-Antieau offers up her whimsical and bizarre world of fabric appliqué at her galleries. From taxidermy to tragic snow globes, Antieau’s work tells stories of nature, perception, and above all, the human experience.

“I chose the dress for its symbolism of the mysterious, gentle, ad beautiful qualities. I chose the violence of the birds to illustrate nature’s savagery. Embroidering them on the dress enabled me to actually permeate the fabric structure with needle and thread, which, as a result, integrates the two concepts perfectly.”

Roberts-Antieau opened her first gallery in 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. After participating in the New Orleans Jazz Fest, Roberts-Antieau and her assistant found a space for rent in the French Quarter, where they opened a month-long pop-up gallery. “My work is about joy,” says Roberts-Antieau. “It’s about the mysterious origin of joy, and the wonder of childhood. My art is really a by-product of my life and what I believe about being alive.” Following a successful month, space was made permanent. She has since opened a second gallery in New Orleans and a third in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

“It is the joy (and the curse) of the artist to be in constant pursuit of their vision. The dress is one of those joyful times when I feel I’ve connected my intention with execution.”

The public can see the Birds of Prey Dress, as well as Chris Roberts-Antieau’s other works at her gallery on Royal St.