ARTIST STATEMENT
RECIPE FOR MY CREATIVE PROCESS
1 pound of flesh and bone
1 pound of spirit
1 pound of psychic energy
1 pound of respect and appreciation for my ancestors 1/2 cup of unearthing the hidden stories behind what we have been told is true
1/2 cup longing for Home
1/2 cup of archival material, foraging, and provenance are strategically crucial to the creative process. An aged blend of seven girl ancestral voices that have time-traveler wisdom but stumble through this plane as child-like spirits
A pinch of ideologies of traditional history, culture, and science
A balance of Catholicism and Afro-Indigenous religions
Seasoned with Robert Farris Thompson’s work and the writings of bell hooks
In this exhibit, I present digital collages that transform 16th, 17th, and 18th-century painted portraits of Black women, interweaving my portrait to explore themes of decolonization, feminism, spirituality, and womanism. Through surreal compositions and time-traveling aliens, these works depict a journey toward self-agency and liberation. By blending historical imagery with futuristic elements, I aim to challenge and reimagine the narratives surrounding Black women’s histories and identities. This transformation reclaims historical space and seeks to free myself and the community from inherited genetic memories, envisioning a future where agency and empowerment prevail.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Colleen Coleman is a Brooklyn-based artist, activist, and educator known for her multifaceted approach to art, which spans drawing, collage, animation, installation, and performance. With an MFA in Sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Coleman’s work interrogates and disrupts class and race structures while engaging deeply with art history. Her rich personal background shapes Coleman’s artistic vision. As the granddaughter of a Cape Verdean immigrant, a North Carolinian, and the daughter of a civil rights-era community activist, her work reflects a complex interplay of cultural influences and social commentary. Her education, primarily self-directed, includes studies in Art History that explored surrealism’s psychological dimensions and was inspired by the works of Alice Neel, Howardina Pindell, Adrian Piper, Fred Wilson, and Sol LeWitt. Coleman has shared her artistic process in diverse settings, including schools, community organizations, and jails, with notable residencies at Yale Art Gallery, the New Haven Police Academy, and Weeksville Heritage Center. She has taught art at a Title 1 elementary school in Harlem and participated in residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Oxbow, Chautauqua Visual Arts, and Kolaj Institute. Her contributions to the arts have been recognized with awards such as the Greater New Haven Arts Council Award, the Connecticut Commission on the Arts Distinguished Advocate for the Arts Award, and two Connecticut Commission Fellowship awards for Sculpture and Painting. Coleman also represented New Haven as a Sister City delegate in Sierra Leone, Africa, further underscoring her global engagement and commitment to cultural exchange.
© Colleen L Coleman