Valerie Dial is a young transgender multimedia artist raised in Montclair, New Jersey. Having graduated from Montclair High School in 2023, she is now attending her first year at Savannah College of Art and Design, working toward a BFA in graphic design. A subject of transphobia during her turbulent youth, Dial found her way to art as a form of self-expression in an unaccepting environment. Her pieces explore elements of color, form, and space while employing  themes of escapism and optimism. The series is a love letter to Savannah, Georgia, and the new freedom she has gained from her change in environment. 

Little Savannah was created during Dial’s first semester of college. Moving to Savannah, a more than 15-hour drive from where she was raised, Dial was confronted with a newfound sense of freedom that she had been longing for. It’s only fitting that this series would inherit the name of the place where this change occurred. The first piece in Little Savannah, “I Prayed for New Horizons,” references this fact. Starry skies, idealism, a new beginning, fear, and potential are all themes Dial explores at the start of Little Savannah. In the rest of the show, we see how Dial’s relationships with herself and the world around her change. 

In the early half of 2023, Dial created her first series of landscapes, Val’s World, which in many ways serves as a counterpart to Little Savannah. The difference between these two shows is that Val’s World is about escapism and wanting to leave, while Little Savannah is about self-discovery and finding where you belong. Val’s World is about depicting everywhere besides home, while Little Savannah is about identifying and forming a relationship with one. As Little Savannah evolves, we see Dial’s relationship with home evolve. In her third piece, “Whats Kraken Savannah,” Dial uses a silly kaiju-sized octopus to express a fear of suddenly losing her freedom and relationship to Savannah. 

Yet, Dial is only a college student, and thus her life is still intertwined with the world she was raised in, and the relationship she has built with Savannah is temporary by nature. Through a long period of self-reflection during the middle of the series, emotions boil over. During “The End of the World,”a ball of fire glides toward Little Savannah and threatens to destroy everything within Dial’s world, leaving nothing. The following piece is “I feel it now, Thank you,”and the piece soon after, “Church Bells Call Me Home,”is about Dial making peace with the world she finds herself in and the one she left behind. Dial leaves us with a piece titled “A New Wind/Brianna Greer-Guillauma,”named after one of her dear friends; the drawing symbolizes the feelings Dial has been seeking all along: stability, peace, and hope.

Tiny Gallery Q&A

Just for fun, Tiny Gallery asked Valerie to answer a few questions from Vogue’s 73 Questions, a favorite Q&A that always entertains. Her responses are below:

Where is your favorite place to be? Forsyth Park, Savannah Georgia

What is something that you can’t live without? My sketchbook

What is a secret talent of yours? Before I went to art college it was that I could draw. Now I have none. 

What are 3 words to describe yourself?Compassionate, outgoing, tired

Where do you get inspiration from? I pull inspiration from the urban environment I’m surrounded by. As of right now that is Savannah, Georgia.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? “If they ain’t paying your bills, pay them bitches no mind.”- Ru Paul 

What is the last book that you read? The Great Good Place by Ray Oldenburg and Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher

What is your favorite genre of music? Alternative pop and hyperpop

What celebrity do you want to be BFF’s with?  Taylor Swift, I want access to her private jet 

 What is your biggest achievement? Probably making an art portfolio and being able to apply to art schools

What is your favorite non-alcoholic beverage? Shirley Temples every time

What is your favorite alcoholic beverage? No comment

What is your favorite movie? Everything Everywhere All At Once

What is something that you can’t do but wish you could? Sell my paintings for millions of dollars 

What is a bad habit of yours? I bite the hell out of my nails. 

If you could have someone else’s closet, whose would it be? Violet Chachki’s hands down

Favorite way to spend a rainy day? Drawing!

What is an ideal date? We walk around parks and talk about its urban design choices.

Who is your celeb crush (boy and girl)? Beabadoobee

What is your favorite day of the week? Whichever day is my least busy, so usually monday 

What is your favorite type of breakfast food? Waffles!!!!!!!!

What is your favorite meal to have for dinner? Spaghetti and meatballs 

What is the first thing you do when you wake up? Meditate.

What is your favorite season? Definitely spring

What are your three favorite holidays? Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Fourth of July. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because my family is always able to spend Thanksgiving with each other.

What is your favorite color? Right now it’s yellow-orange but its usually chartreuse because it's the perfect amount of ugly.