Kansas City Art Institute Graduate and Artist: Jada Patterson
Jada Patterson recently received her Bachelors of Fine Arts and Art History at the Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri where she worked primarily in ceramic arts. She creates her works using different mediums to represent African tradition and her own cultural identity. “Working primarily in clay, beeswax and assemblage Jada explores beauty, adornment, girlhood and material culture as it relates to the human condition”
Statement and Material
“The intersections of race, gender, history, and the environment are the basis of my work. I am deeply interested in traditions surrounding African rituals, especially those related to hair and body adornment, which survived slavery and still exist today.” - Jada Patterson
Using primarily natural, inherited, and household items, Her pieces are representational of adornment of the hair and body in African culture and tradition, specifically with an insight into girl and womanhood. Her work also gives insight into the uses of everyday items such as brooms and household materials to advocate for the power in the everyday
Visit the Artist’ Website!
Influential Artist: Mickalene Thomas
Mickalene Thomas is a contemporary African-American artist most known for her work in collage. Thomas attended and received her Bachelors in Fine Arts from Pratt University in 2000, as well as her Masters in Fine Arts from Yale University in 2002. She studied as an Artist in Residence for multiple universities and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
Body of Work
Her collages primarily comprise acrylic and enamel, rhinestones, and paint. Her work focuses on depicting other black women in positions of mentorship and heroic nature. Some of her most well-known works are believed to be the Mickalene Thomas: Femmes Noires installation and gallery. Like her other work, these collages focus on the African-American woman in pop culture through imitation of previous famous works.
“I am proud to be able to exhibit my work and inspire young people. Especially young black women so they know that they are beautiful, that they don't have to hold onto any negative stereotypes.” -Mickalene Thomas
See more of Mickalene Thomas’s work on her website! Mickalene Thomas
American Artist: Kehinde Wiley
Kehinde Wiley is a contemporary artist currently working out of New York City. Wiley uses multiple mediums such as painting, sculpture, and video but is most widely known for his painted depictions of African Americans in the traditional setting of old master paintings.
About
Wiley received his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from the San Fransico Art Institute as well as his Masters of Fine Arts from Yale University. His work is featured in exhibitions around the globe as well as a part of over 50 displays at public institutions. Wiley was the first African American Artist to be selected to paint an official Presidential portrait selected by Barack Obama.
Artwork
Wiley’s work aims to combine Art History with contemporary culture through the representation of race in traditional master paintings. All the models in his work are people the artist has physically it and looks up to as a role model in a position of power. These individuals are then depicted in large traditional old master painting backgrounds.
“Art is about changing what we see in our everyday lives and representing it in such a way that it gives us hope.” -Kehinde Wiley
View more of this artist at Kehinde Wiley Studio | Brooklyn, NY
