Interview with jeremy brooks
Jeremy Brooks is a ceramicist and educator with an impressive resume of teaching and inclusions in exhibitions. With DandyCraft he discusses how he utilizes his work as a cathartic process for expressing life events.
Please tell me a little bit about yourself. What was your trajectory to becoming an artist? How did you settle on your preferred medium(s)? What drew you to traditional craft practice as a medium of expression?
I was born in Detroit, MI in 1979. My older sister pursued a career in the arts and I followed closely in her footsteps. After earning my BFA in art and design from Grand Valley State University in 2001, I went on to earn my MFA in ceramic art from Alfred University in 2007. Since then, I have balanced my career between working as an artist and teaching. My CV includes more than 100 exhibitions and over 50 classes taught at the college level through a number of schools, including the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. Currently, I am a Visiting Assistant Professor of ceramics at Southern Illinois University & reside in Carbondale, IL.
Clay has always been fascinating to me because it is one of those chameleon-like materials that can be manipulated to look like almost anything. It is versatile (it can be functional or sculptural) and has a very rich history in both fine art and craft. I also find it to be a challenging material to manipulate; there are a number of technical concerns that continually need to be addressed. There is something ultimately satisfying about solving a material problem, and challenges like these encourage me to work at overcoming them and ultimately keep me interested in studio work.
Traditionally, there has been a scholarly divide between fine arts, the decorative arts and craft. How do you place yourself on this continuum? How do you define yourself as an artist, artisan, craftsperson, maker, etc.? Are these distinctions meaningful to you and your work or not?
I suppose I am a little of this and a little of that, depending on the project at hand. Sometimes I feel too crafty for the fine arts, or too hands off for the fine crafts (because of my fondness for incorporating found objects / materials in my work), depending on what I am making in the studio. Since my background is in the ceramic field, ceramicist feels appropriate, but only sometimes. When I make things that have nothing to do with ceramics, I suppose I am a sculptor or perhaps a collagist. Maker seems to be a more inclusive descriptor overall I guess, however it is a very broad term that often feels too broad for the material specificity I often enjoy highlighting in my work. There are distinctions though, or rifts rather, and I am aware they exist. Whether they are meaningful to me or not would depend on the specific piece. If there is a term that would distinguish the grey area, periphery, or the boundaries between such distinctions, that’s what I’d like to be - an intermediary of sorts. Or an alchemist, a fantastic title conveying a little science, a little magic and a little mystery, which I’d love to have!
Who are your influences? Who are the other artists or individuals your work is in conversation with?
My historical influences include Johann Friedrich Böttger, a German alchemist who is credited with being the first European to discover the formula of porcelain, Johan Joachim Kaendler, a mold maker who utilized Böttger’s porcelain to create fabulous and fantastical figurines for the Meissen porcelain factory, and the early pioneering work of Mary Louise McLaughlin and Maria Longworth Nichols who established the rise and development of china painting workshops and the pottery club niche in the late 1800’s. More contemporary artists who have inspired me include Howard Kottler, Leopold Foulem, and Mark Burns. All three have worked extensively with the ceramic medium, the finish fetish aesthetic, and address aspects of gender and sexuality in their work.
Your work focuses strongly on queer interpretations of traditional domesticity, sexuality and gender. Was this always a facet of your work? How did it evolve? Have you found your work informed by or in tension with the traditional associations or history of your medium? What were the moments in your life that influenced this perspective?
Work which I categorize as “homobilia” represents a facet of my work and not my studio practice as a whole. I work in many different ways and under many themes: alchemy, decalcomania, the finish fetish, and found objects being a few. Typically I have noticed that when things in my life are copacetic, my studio work is rather tame. It is when things in my life become a little less tidy that the work becomes more edgy to erotic. Works like “The Gentleman Caller”, “Stood Up”, and “Coming Out” were all made in response to my love life (or lack there of depending on the work / circumstances). Making them was a form of personal therapy. “The Gentleman Caller” was about keeping one’s expectations (my expectations) in check: an ideal fantasy versus the harsh reality. “Stood Up” was made in reference to an ex who had erectile dysfunction; I made it as a symbol to juxtapose both passion and futility in our relationship. “Coming Out”, as the title implies, was made to celebrate coming out to both of my parents by way of introducing them to a man I was very much in love with (once upon a time). Life events don’t specifically inspire me to make work, rather life happens and making art can become a form of cathartic release. It’s important for me to maintain a studio practice, even when life events, such as heartache, get in the way. I produce some of my best work when I remain focused and work my way through it.
Craft is frequently associated and lauded for its strong emphasis on community, in terms of communal production/creative processes in domestic or studio environments, or generating community participation/action around a particular issue. Do you find this to be true with your process and work? What community do you envision as the audience for your work?
My studio practice is largely hermetic. I have a private studio at the university and one small, allocated space in my apartment. I have not worked with a larger community of studio artists since my time as a resident artist at The Clay Studio, in Philadelphia and my time as a graduate student at Alfred. There are times when I do miss that sense of community for dialogue and critique, but social media has helped to fill that void and through platforms like Instagram, I can connect to many of my friends, peers, former colleagues, etc. My material background naturally guides me to those with an appreciation for the ceramic medium, so I exhibit work regularly in venues like NCECA which are ceramic-centric. It has been a bit of a crutch simply out of habit and familiarity, and I would like to get out of my comfort zone and work on broadening the scope and variety of venues for my work in the future.
The last decade has brought significant societal and political change for the LGBTQ community with the advancements in marriage equality, but there are still important advancements to be made. Have you found your work addressing or evolving in light of these the social and political changes? What do you see as the new front-line for the LGBTQ community and do you intend to address it in your work?
This past year I have made a couple pieces partially in response to Kentucky clerk Kim Davis’ refusal to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. The pieces were variations of Norman Rockwell’s iconic work “The Marriage License,” where I collaged same sex couples at the courthouse behind the traditional heteronormative couple at the counter. Having recently made the “Coming Out” plate, (gay) marriage was on my mind and the opportunity to make this work seemed timely and relevant. Aside from this though, my work rarely addressesaddress current issues or events. As for the future though, I am open to wherever life takes me, and perhaps it will manifest itself in my work in some form or another.
Please tell me a little bit about yourself. What was your trajectory to becoming an artist? How did you settle on your preferred medium(s)? What drew you to traditional craft practice as a medium of expression?
I was born in Detroit, MI in 1979. My older sister pursued a career in the arts and I followed closely in her footsteps. After earning my BFA in art and design from Grand Valley State University in 2001, I went on to earn my MFA in ceramic art from Alfred University in 2007. Since then, I have balanced my career between working as an artist and teaching. My CV includes more than 100 exhibitions and over 50 classes taught at the college level through a number of schools, including the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. Currently, I am a Visiting Assistant Professor of ceramics at Southern Illinois University & reside in Carbondale, IL.
Clay has always been fascinating to me because it is one of those chameleon-like materials that can be manipulated to look like almost anything. It is versatile (it can be functional or sculptural) and has a very rich history in both fine art and craft. I also find it to be a challenging material to manipulate; there are a number of technical concerns that continually need to be addressed. There is something ultimately satisfying about solving a material problem, and challenges like these encourage me to work at overcoming them and ultimately keep me interested in studio work.
Traditionally, there has been a scholarly divide between fine arts, the decorative arts and craft. How do you place yourself on this continuum? How do you define yourself as an artist, artisan, craftsperson, maker, etc.? Are these distinctions meaningful to you and your work or not?
I suppose I am a little of this and a little of that, depending on the project at hand. Sometimes I feel too crafty for the fine arts, or too hands off for the fine crafts (because of my fondness for incorporating found objects / materials in my work), depending on what I am making in the studio. Since my background is in the ceramic field, ceramicist feels appropriate, but only sometimes. When I make things that have nothing to do with ceramics, I suppose I am a sculptor or perhaps a collagist. Maker seems to be a more inclusive descriptor overall I guess, however it is a very broad term that often feels too broad for the material specificity I often enjoy highlighting in my work. There are distinctions though, or rifts rather, and I am aware they exist. Whether they are meaningful to me or not would depend on the specific piece. If there is a term that would distinguish the grey area, periphery, or the boundaries between such distinctions, that’s what I’d like to be - an intermediary of sorts. Or an alchemist, a fantastic title conveying a little science, a little magic and a little mystery, which I’d love to have!
Who are your influences? Who are the other artists or individuals your work is in conversation with?
My historical influences include Johann Friedrich Böttger, a German alchemist who is credited with being the first European to discover the formula of porcelain, Johan Joachim Kaendler, a mold maker who utilized Böttger’s porcelain to create fabulous and fantastical figurines for the Meissen porcelain factory, and the early pioneering work of Mary Louise McLaughlin and Maria Longworth Nichols who established the rise and development of china painting workshops and the pottery club niche in the late 1800’s. More contemporary artists who have inspired me include Howard Kottler, Leopold Foulem, and Mark Burns. All three have worked extensively with the ceramic medium, the finish fetish aesthetic, and address aspects of gender and sexuality in their work.
Your work focuses strongly on queer interpretations of traditional domesticity, sexuality and gender. Was this always a facet of your work? How did it evolve? Have you found your work informed by or in tension with the traditional associations or history of your medium? What were the moments in your life that influenced this perspective?
Work which I categorize as “homobilia” represents a facet of my work and not my studio practice as a whole. I work in many different ways and under many themes: alchemy, decalcomania, the finish fetish, and found objects being a few. Typically I have noticed that when things in my life are copacetic, my studio work is rather tame. It is when things in my life become a little less tidy that the work becomes more edgy to erotic. Works like “The Gentleman Caller”, “Stood Up”, and “Coming Out” were all made in response to my love life (or lack there of depending on the work / circumstances). Making them was a form of personal therapy. “The Gentleman Caller” was about keeping one’s expectations (my expectations) in check: an ideal fantasy versus the harsh reality. “Stood Up” was made in reference to an ex who had erectile dysfunction; I made it as a symbol to juxtapose both passion and futility in our relationship. “Coming Out”, as the title implies, was made to celebrate coming out to both of my parents by way of introducing them to a man I was very much in love with (once upon a time). Life events don’t specifically inspire me to make work, rather life happens and making art can become a form of cathartic release. It’s important for me to maintain a studio practice, even when life events, such as heartache, get in the way. I produce some of my best work when I remain focused and work my way through it.
Craft is frequently associated and lauded for its strong emphasis on community, in terms of communal production/creative processes in domestic or studio environments, or generating community participation/action around a particular issue. Do you find this to be true with your process and work? What community do you envision as the audience for your work?
My studio practice is largely hermetic. I have a private studio at the university and one small, allocated space in my apartment. I have not worked with a larger community of studio artists since my time as a resident artist at The Clay Studio, in Philadelphia and my time as a graduate student at Alfred. There are times when I do miss that sense of community for dialogue and critique, but social media has helped to fill that void and through platforms like Instagram, I can connect to many of my friends, peers, former colleagues, etc. My material background naturally guides me to those with an appreciation for the ceramic medium, so I exhibit work regularly in venues like NCECA which are ceramic-centric. It has been a bit of a crutch simply out of habit and familiarity, and I would like to get out of my comfort zone and work on broadening the scope and variety of venues for my work in the future.
The last decade has brought significant societal and political change for the LGBTQ community with the advancements in marriage equality, but there are still important advancements to be made. Have you found your work addressing or evolving in light of these the social and political changes? What do you see as the new front-line for the LGBTQ community and do you intend to address it in your work?
This past year I have made a couple pieces partially in response to Kentucky clerk Kim Davis’ refusal to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. The pieces were variations of Norman Rockwell’s iconic work “The Marriage License,” where I collaged same sex couples at the courthouse behind the traditional heteronormative couple at the counter. Having recently made the “Coming Out” plate, (gay) marriage was on my mind and the opportunity to make this work seemed timely and relevant. Aside from this though, my work rarely addressesaddress current issues or events. As for the future though, I am open to wherever life takes me, and perhaps it will manifest itself in my work in some form or another.