Fish Out of Water Sculpture

Rocca studied Design, Foil Printmaking, and Fiber Art at The University of Iowa before completing her BFA in Metal Smithing in 1991. Alongside her artistic practice, Rocca is the founder and lead project manager of Rocca Custom Homes, where she designs and builds custom residences throughout Iowa. Her parallel careers in both construction and art have given her a unique perspective on materials, sustainability, and transformation. Drawing on her professional experience as a home builder, Rocca began incorporating salvaged construction materials into her artwork, merging them with foils, paints, and pastels. Over the past three plus decades, her practice has developed into a distinctive exploration of collage and assemblage, informed by her early fascination with puzzles, mosaics, and patterns. Rocca has exhibited widely in the Midwest, nationally and internationally. In 2025, she presented Shaping Perspectives, a solo exhibition at Gilded Pear Gallery in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her work was also awarded in ACA 2024 & 2025 at ADC Fine Art in Cincinnati, Ohio, and in the Octagon Center for the Arts Member Show in Ames, Iowa. Previous highlights include group and juried exhibitions at the Figge Art Museum, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, and venues across Iowa, Illinois, Arizona, and Ohio. Her work is included in private and corporate collections and is recognized for its adaptability: many of her series allow for elements to be reconfigured and reinstalled in multiple ways, offering collectors and curators opportunities for diverse presentations. Rocca continues to live and work in Iowa, balancing her dual practices in construction and fine art. Her career reflects a sustained commitment to craftsmanship, material innovation, and the transformation of overlooked resources into vibrant works of contemporary art. "My abstract work draws from radiant sunsets, panoramic skies, vast fields, deep waters, winding trails, and geology of every kind. I can’t help but pause in the rhythm of daily life to get lost in wonder at the natural world. Everywhere I look, I find myself reimagining terrain—curating forms, mapping connections, and collaborating with nature in my mind. Rooted in spiritual exploration and personal narrative, my art reflects the intertwined relationships between nature, architecture, and human connection. Negative space holds as much meaning as the constructed forms—like breaths between thoughts, or pauses between moments of work and play.