Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Graham.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Growing up I wasn’t that great at art. I couldn’t draw and much of my assignments in grade school I was never that happy about, and I struggled.
Fast forward to one chilly evening, in Schaumburg Illinois at the church basement for Catholic bible class that honestly felt more like a teen social club, the teen youth leader Bridgette had people around her as she shared her photos. I went to take a look myself, and the images were just landscapes and then just pics of her friends, but I got excited that she printed them herself. I was like oooh photography, that’s cool, who taught you how to make your own photo prints? I had just never seen anyone make and print their own photographs before. Bridgette told me she was learning at school, THE SAME SCHOOL I WENT TO!
My eyes got so big because I not only was interested in learning how I too could make my own photographs but it filled the art elective requirement I needed to graduate. That was wholly God, right? I mean right there in the church basement I learned that I too could make my own photographs, next semester started, I’m in the photo 101 class and just like that my art career began!!!
Please tell us about your art.
My work is generally about other people, or what it’s like to be someone else. I love thinking about subcultures, gender, social and economic class and of course being black. Majority of my work is photography and film, but I’ve ventured into doing site-specific installations and enamel pins and performance. Whatever I think will be best to get the message I want out to my viewer, that’s what I want to do.
The end goal with all I make is for the viewer to be able to relate to the work, because here’s the thing even though we are different we still can all relate to each other, and besides its good to think about others. I recently started a podcast called noseyAF to extend these conversations of speaking to others that simply just aren’t like me.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
Time to make stuff. I hear it all the time and struggle with it myself. How do you manage a consistent schedule of making, sharing, selling in between other important things like visiting family, taking care of your kids and partner, going to the gym, doing healthcare stuff, and just hanging out and enjoying life? It all has to get done. Even if you’re crazy organized you can still say, damn I wish I had more time.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Okay, so you know what super cool is that I have two solo exhibitions coming up and I’m scared and excited at the same time. I’ve never had solo exhibitions before, and now there are two back to back.
The first exhibition will be the end of September at a space called “boundary” which is a converted garage in the Morgan Park neighborhood. Susannah Pappish curates this space with gallery partner Larry Lee. I created a rap persona because I’ve been thinking about rap music, social media, and fame so that exhibition will be around that, I’m experimenting more with performance art, so I’m looking forward to seeing how this turns out myself.
The other show will be at the University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery in Springfield. Allison Lacher and Jeff Robinson curate that space, this exhibition will be about black men and their friendships.
If anyone is interested in more about these exhibitions, they can sign up for my studio newsletter at www.missgraham.com/signup.
All my projects are at www.missgraham.com, and I have pins and prints for sale there as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.missgraham.com
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