Kesha Bruce

Painter and collage artist, Kesha Bruce, weaves together the themes of the African diaspora – history, personal mythology, and magical-spiritual belief. Her work is in The Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture, The Amistad Center for Art and Culture, and MOMA’s Franklin Furnace Artist Book Collection. She also founded the Baang & Burne contemporary art gallery in NYC. Kesha has lived in Iowa, NY, France, and now makes art full-time in the dry heat among the jagged volcanic peaks of Arizona.

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Some things we talk about…

  • What it’s like when no one understands your art and how to keep going in spite of it
  • How Kesha survived being broke while attending fancy art school
  • Losing her creative voice and what she did to find it again
  • Being a full-time artist (while holding down a day job) and
  • How she wants to flip the art world on its head: making it accessible to all and meaningful for everyone

“I’m going to make this work. I’m going to make my art. And I’m going to make it for whoever wants to see it but mostly I’m going to make it for myself because this is how I navigate the world. It’s just what I do.” 

“Don’t question yourself while you’re making the work. Get the work done. Then when it’s over you can say what the work is about. My thing now is to just get the work done. Get it done. Make it exist. Let it be in the world.”

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daphne cohn