Conceptual Materials Social Practice Artist
Fishing nets.
I buy retired authentic nylon commercial fishing nets for my work. Most nets get approximately 2 years of use before they lose integrity from being torn and repaired too many times.
I find the flexibility of the grid, fascinating. Everytime I look, i see something different in the lines.
My emotional baggage cart in progress on Governors Island asked me to make a Teddy Bear for it so naturally, I complied.
Come see the completed cart at the end of the month and save the date for my Artist Talk on Saturday October 15th at 1:00pm.
Location: Art Crawl Harlem House 406B Colonels Row on Governors Island, NYC
I am almost ready for my solo show at Ivy Brown Gallery, in the Meatpacking District, opening September 8th and running through October 7th.
Save these dates… 9/16 Beer Tasting, 9/23 Artist Talk, 10/7 Closing Party.
Ivy Brown Gallery; 675 Hudson St, New York, NY
I just need to finish 40 mini shopping carts for the show. No pressure or anything… lol
Back by popular demand, BUTTER seeks to push boundaries by elevating Black artists in the national conversation, promoting equity in the arts and fueling the creative economy. The multi-day fine art fair in Indianapolis will showcase the works of more than 50 Black visual artists from across the country. I’ll be representing New Jersey with my installation “Free Your Mind” and my Emotional Baggage Cart series.
General admission tickets are available for purchase at www.butterartfair.com for $35 (guests 18 and under are free). Preview Night tickets (includes Thursday night access) will be available for purchase for $175.
Thursday, September 1: VIP Preview Night, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday, September 2: Opening Day and Night, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday, September 3: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., plus MELT 9 p.m. to midnight
“Free Your Mind” is a cascade of story ribbons tied to fishing nets draped upon the wall like a blanket. Visitors are invited to share written statements about experienced microaggression on a “story” ribbon which I will weave into the “Free Your Mind” blanket. Infusing the essence and yarn of each participant into the social fabric of a protective blanket.
Exhibition Dates: May 7, – August 27, 2022. On view for the public Thursday through Sunday from 12:00 to 5:00PM.
Location: ArtCrawl Harlem @ Governors Island, 406b Colonels Row
Theda In Residence: June 11, June 25, July 16, July 23, July 30, August 6, August 20 from 11a – 2pm.
I am honored and humbled to be included in Jersey City’s first round of Arts and Culture Trust Fund grants.
and congratulations to all the awardees; Alon Nechushtan, Bryant Small, Cheryl Gross, David Kikoski, David Solan, Deborah Jack, Douglas Beavers, Eileen Ferara, Gianluca Bianchino, Jin Jung, Katarzyna Skorynkiewicz, Kishawn Jack, Lorenzo Pickett, Michele Byrd-McPhee, Natalia Basava, Richard la Rovere, Roosevelt China, Shamona Stokes, and Zachary Davis.
My “Emotional Baggage Carts” serve as vessels to dispose of racial trauma. – to separate myself from these experiences – to grant access to grace. – to create new possibilities, free from the constraints of the past.
The installation also provides an opportunity for anyone to let go of these experiences from their own personal narrative.
I guess this work can be triggering too.
Someone, trashed my installation of “Dorchester Road Rage: Baggage Cart” in Springfield Mo. Triggering for me, once again, an old college memory and the adrenalin rush I felt, being chased by a mob of white teens while riding my bike.
Thankfully Sculpture Walk Springfield fixed the cart.
People suck sometimes. Maybe, I shouldn’t let people touch my sculptures.
To say I’ve been grinding since the beginning of the new year is an understatement. Hustle harder vibes have me I’m feeling extra spicy and on edge.
Leaving the Calm app behind for beach breezes, the sound of the waves and the chirping birds as my morning wake up call in St. Croix is the restorative respite I need.
Those familiar with my work, see the clear inspiration from Nick Cave. YES, I am all about reimagining found materials to create a post racial future. AND it goes deeper than that. I too share the belief that “beauty is optimism.”
From a recent interview with This Is Colossal…
This Is Colossal : How do the materials that you use—relate to the more conceptual aspects of your practice? I know sometimes they help draw people in because they’re so visually striking, but how are you thinking about that as you’re working?
Nick: I have to think about the journey and how I get your willingness to explore and go with me. I’m always thinking about ways into the work. Once you’re in, then I tell you what is the root of the work, where is it grounded. At that moment, you have to make that decision. Do I shy away from that and consume myself with the beauty? Beauty for me is optimism. It is the future. It’s me colliding these two forces together and challenging myself, as well as the viewer, to start to dissect, to start to expand on the narrative, to talk about what they’re emotionally feeling and connecting with. At the end of the day, it’s compassion. We need more compassion in the world.
I need to make my way back to Chicago to see Cave’s career retrospective Forothermore at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Even the show statement speaks directly to my core.
Nick Cave: Forothermore is an ode to those who, whether due to racism, homophobia, or other forms of bigotry, live their lives as the “other”—and a celebration of the way art, music, fashion, and performance can help us envision a more just future.
