YVONNE SHORTT
New York, NY
CREATIVE DISCIPLINE-
Clay fired or cast in marble dust
PRIMARY MEDIUM(S)-
clay. wood, steel.
ARTIST STATEMENT-
The pieces I create come from what I'm feeling living as an African American woman in my community. The pieces question privilege, disability, race, equality, and ultimately try to create dialogue, action, or healing. My current series African American Marbleization: An Act of Civil Disobedience is about celebrating people of color, our culture, and the objects we use. The pieces are either fired in a kiln to create porcelain or cast in Marble Dust. The clay is sometimes harvested from creeks in my community of Queens, NY. One component of the series involves installing fragments outdoors in spaces where I experience micro/macro aggressions. The pieces are accompanied by a plaque naming the aggression in hopes of educating the community and as a source of healing for myself.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY-
Yvonne Shortt is a multidisciplinary artist who takes a question-based approach to understand and activate the community around her. Recent questions include, “How does one care for community spaces left to decay?”, “How does one respond to the use of derogatory language based on skin color?”, and “How does one heal from trauma?”. Her areas of focus are equality, disability, race, and sustainability. Her mediums include sculpture, installation, mural, and social practice art. Some of Ms. Shortt's projects include African American Marbleization-An Act of Civil Disobedience, The School Fence Project, Underpass Murals, and Woman Who Build. Ms. Shortt's selected awards include NYC Parks, NYC Department of Education, Illumination Fund, Queens Council on the Arts, Elmhurst Sculpture Garden, and The Burning Man Educational Grant.
Facebook-
yvonneshortt
Instagram-
@yvonne_shortt