If this image caught your eye on the cover of the Reader a few weeks back then you’re already familiar with the work of Rashayla Marie Brown, this month’s speaker. Rashayla’s prolific creative practice isn’t bound by theme or medium. She engages installation, storytelling, video projection, lecture, dance, and audience interaction—sometimes all in one performance—to explore themes of race, sexuality, spirituality, culture, and subjectivity. If that’s not impressive enough, she also writes, curates, and fosters community as SAIC’s Director of Student Affairs for Inclusion and Diversity.
Q+A time!
What drives your desire to create?
The desire to be free. To be anything. Artists can be whatever they want.
How does Chicago influence you or your work?
The sense of collaboration and community and the numerous opportunities to show work keep me on my toes. I can never say I’m bored or alone.
What are you most proud of, professionally or otherwise?
The fact that I have consistently stayed an artist no matter what obstacles come my way. Also, that I have a solid reputation as one of the hardest-working emerging artists and Renaissance people out there. No one can take my work ethic from me.
What is your dream creative project?
To direct a film or TV show with a mixture of pop culture and academic figures and artists. I want it to be bigger than Lena Dunham when it comes to feminism in the public sphere and bring an element of satire to contemporary feminist scholarship.
What is the relationship between this month’s theme—shock—and your work?
I don’t really seek to shock people necessarily. I like the word provocative better. I make work that makes people think about their position in society, and if they are shocked by the strong emotions this brings, then I hope they are driven to process that and take ownership for their own experience.
Rashayla will be repping CreativeMornings next Friday, October 16th during Chicago Ideas Week. If you look to CreativeMornings for your monthly dose of inspiration, Rashayla will surely deliver some fresh perspectives.
I’m already pumped for Friday! Hope you are too!
Rusty
