“How often in the American education system do young Black and Brown Americans actually see themselves in ‘fine art’?”
Tell us about your upbringing in Chicago and how your experiences living there have shaped your work.
I am actually from North Georgia. I was born in Orlando, but moved to Georgia at the end of elementary school where I spent most of my adolescence. I moved to Chicago in 2016 to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Chicago definitely feels like home these days; I have found such a welcoming community within the arts and with the super genuine people who live here. It’s nice that Chicago is broken up into neighborhoods to where if you’d like you can have a chill, homey vibe, or there is always something going on if you want to get into something artsy or fun. And the food here is amazing.
Your sculptures predominantly feature Black and Brown individuals, oftentimes, in raw and nude portrayals. How important is it for you to champion marginalized voices through sculpture and why?
Yes, I mostly depict Black and Brown people because I am trying to pull from my own experiences as a Black Latina. I think it’s so important especially for kids learning about art because how often in the American education system do young Black and Brown Americans actually see themselves in ‘fine art’? It was definitely hard for me to relate to art history, particularly with sculpture, since I mostly learned about Greek and Roman figures. It wasn’t until I started attending SAIC that I was exposed to works that inspire and influence me to this day including Mesoamerican ceramics, as well as the works of artists like Simone Leigh, Hebru Brantley, Rose B. Simpson, and En Iwamura. All strong contemporary artists working in the realm of figurative sculpture.
Describe your earliest works and how your subject matter has evolved over time. Also, when and how did you create the signature look of your pieces?
I started making art at a young age as many children do, drawing and doodling. I loved cartoons and comics, so that really has influenced the cartoony, non-realistic look of my ceramic figures to this day. I really liked shows like Batman Beyond, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Naruto. I started doing ceramic work during college at the suggestion of some of my professors. I applied to SAIC with a figurative painting portfolio, but luckily the school pushes for artists to work in a more interdisciplinary manner. My freshman year I got into sculpture and ceramics classes and really haven’t looked back since. I think the world of clay is so easy to get lost in, it’s a very enchanting material. When I started getting into clay I was mainly making busts and naked semi-realistic figures. Some of my professors pushed me to make works based off of my cartoony drawings, so basically my signature look comes from translating my drawings to ceramic figures.
