Deborah Grant (artist)

Contents

Deborah Grant (born 1968) is a Canadian-born African-American artist noted for her work in painting and collage, particularly for her series "Random Select".[1] She lives and works in Harlem,[2] New York.

Early life and education

Grant was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1968, and spent the first four years of her life in Canada. She was raised Catholic[1] and on occasion created Catholic shrines in the abandoned lots of Brooklyn with her brother.[3] Grant received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in painting from Columbia College Chicago in 1996. She received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Tyler School of Art in 1999.[4]

After completing her MFA, Grant completed a summer residency at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Madison, Maine.[5] From 2002 to 2003, she was an artist-in-residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem.[5]

Work

Grant's works feature fabulist narratives[1] in painting and drawing. Amalgamating images from a variety of sources, ranging from comics to art historical reference books,[6] she creates imagistic stories that investigate cultural identity, race and politics.[6] Ranging from explosive flurries of color and collage to simpler compositions that address singular concepts, Grant explores within her work: "...[T]he idea of constant information bombardment or the chaos in the back of our minds juxtaposed with what is happening physically in front of us."[7]

Awards and fellowships

Deborah Grant was awarded the William H. Johnson Prize in 2011.[8]

Selected exhibitions

Grant's work has been featured in exhibitions at numerous galleries and institutions, including:[9]

  • Freestyle, Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, US (2001)
  • Freestyle, The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, US (2001)
  • a gin cure, Steve Turner Gallery, Beverly Hills, US (2006)
  • a gin cure, Roebling Hall, New York, US (2006)
  • Taking Possession, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, US (2007)
  • Arte Povera Now and Then, Esso Gallery, New York, US (2007)
  • Welcome To My World, Alexandre Pollazzon Ltd, London, United Kingdom (2007)
  • Emergency Room Show, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, US (2007)
  • The Old Weird America, Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, US (2008)[10]
  • Deborah Grant: Bacon, Egg, Toast in Lard, Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley, US (2009)[11]
  • Making Sense, Institute for Research in Art at the University of South Florida, Florida, US (2014)[12]
  • Christ You Know it Ain't Easy!!, The Drawing Center, New York, US (2014)[5]

Collections

Grant's work is held in permanent collections including:

  • In the Land of the Blind the Blue Eye Man is King, 2007, Nasher Museum of Art, Durham, US[13]

References

  1. 1.[1.2][1.3]Walleston, Aimee (28 January 2014). "Deborah Grant Plays Matchmaker". Art in America. Archived from the original on 12 February 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  2. 2.Welch, John (4 August 2014). "Deborah Grant, A Master of Reinvention". International Review of African American Art. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  3. 3.Maxwell, Dwight (2005). "Still in the Chicken Coop: A Conversation with Visual Artist Deborah Grant" (PDF). Calabash a Journal of Caribbean Arts and Letters. 3 (1). Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  4. 4."Deborah Grant bio". Steve Turner. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  5. 5.[5.2][5.3]Valentine, Victoria (23 October 2014). "5 Candid Comments: Deborah Grant on Navigating the Art World". Culture Type. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014.
  6. 6.[6.2]"Deborah Grant: Christ You Know it Ain't Easy!!". The Drawing Center. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  7. 7."Deborah Grant, A Master of Reinvention :: IRAAA". iraaa.museum.hamptonu.edu. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  8. 8."2011 Johnson Prize Winner: Deborah Grant". The William H. Johnson Foundation for the Arts. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  9. 9."Deborah Grant". artnet. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  10. 10.Waddell, Stacy Lynn. "In Her Own Time: a Conversation with Deborah Grant". Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Duke University. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  11. 11."Deborah Grant: Bacon, Egg, Toast in Lard". BAMPFA. The Regents of the University of California. 8 June 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  12. 12."Making Sense: Rochelle Feinstein, Deborah Grant, Iva Gueorguieva, Dona Nelson". Institute for Research in Art at the University of South Florida. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018.
  13. 13."Browse Artists in the Collection: G". Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Duke University. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2016.