Candace Hunter : Visual Artist, Culture Writer, Curator & Water Rights Activist
My next interview is with Candace Hunter, a visual artist living and working in Chicago. Candace explores pivotal moments in history, often investigating racial and social injustices that are still present in society today. Her mixed media collages, delicate cameos, and art installations invite the viewer to examine these truths. In addition to creating art in a wide range of media, Candace is a curator, culture writer, and water rights activist. In this interview, Candace discusses the power of art as a vehicle for social change.
Hi Candace! Tell me about your background and where your creative journey began.
Born with a great imagination and privy to the tall tales told by my grandfather and his brothers, I created my own stories early and wanted to share them to whoever might listen or watch. My mother was a teacher and my father a math mind. My only known grandparent was my grandfather who was a politician/baker/cartoonist!
How did your experiences traveling as a child influence the art you create today?
Because my mother was a school teacher, her four children were always on her vacation schedule. We traveled as a family a week after school let out until nearly the time to return to school. All of the other smaller holiday breaks were spent in museums throughout Chicago. I had special corners at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum of Natural History that I thought were solely mine.
At eight, I traveled with my siblings and my mother to Europe. It was a grand excursion of several months that took us all over the capitals, from England to Spain to the Pope’s Summer residence, Castle Gandolfo. It was at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam where I saw Rembrandt’s, “Night Watch”. I was intrigued by the little girl amongst all of those men! I wanted to know her story and stood there gazing at her until the family had to move to the next gallery. I knew then that a painting could move you.
Your mixed media work reflects pivotal moments in history; often highlighting racial injustices that are still present in society today. Can you elaborate on the meaning behind your work, and the impact you hope to make?
My grandfather, James S. Hunter, who I spoke of earlier, was the first Black Indiana State Representative. Between sharing family stories, he authored Civil Rights laws in his state. Two years before Brown vs. the Board of Education, he penned the law that outlawed the previously segregated school system in the state. His desire and work towards a more equitable world stuck with me and plays out in a lot of the work that I do.
You work in a variety of media; from drawing and painting, to collage and installation work. How does each medium lend itself to the work you are creating?
I have no allegiance to any art form, though collage is what I tend to do most. But if a piece of bark speaks to me or a juggling club, they might just make their way into a work.
In addition to being an artist, you are also a curator, culture writer, and water rights activist. Can you tell me about your experience in these fields and how these roles impact the work you create?
There were not as many opportunities for women artists of color when I was young, and so, most things that I wanted/needed to do, I had to do myself. I have talked my way into many doors – when I realized that there was virtually no critique in a city as large as Chicago for black artists, I requested a meeting with one of Chicago’s newsweeklies and asked about my submitting a short piece. I became the Arts and Culture writer for N’Digo for three years and then did the same work for the Chicago Defender.
The same kind of thing happened with curation. Artists that I knew needed someone to do that work and I stepped up.
Now, for the Water Rights? It was an artist's desire to be seen. The University of Minnesota had posted a listing for a show, Women and Water Rights: Rivers of Regeneration. The kicker? The lead juror was Lucy Lippard! I needed my work in front of her. The problem? I knew nothing about this issue. So, I set about learning. The more I learned, the more I realized that I needed to address the issue. That turned into, “Dust in Their Veins: a Visual Response to the Global Water Crisis”.
I first self-produced Dust with the help of a successful Kickstarter campaign. Literally at the opening, it was invited to move to the DuSable Museum that Fall. It then went on to the Stritch School of Medicine, then the Avery Research Institute at the College of Charleston, and the Murphy Gallery in Champagne/Urbana. It has allowed me to speak around the country on Women and Water Rights.
When did you join Instagram, and how has it impacted your work as an artist?
I have only been on IG for about a year. It has liberated me in how I can share my work with ever widening circles.
What advice would you give to emerging artists who are working to find their voice?
Just keep working. Keep creating. Don’t stop.
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Website: http://www.kellyjohnstonart.com