In this interview readers are given the opportunity to meet one dynamic young woman, Quinn Hunter. Quinn is a recent graduate who is already making her mark in our community. To support her and other NC artist be sure to join us for the public opening of Winter Show on December 4 from 2-5 PM.
Ritchie: Tell me a little bit about you.
Quinn: My Name is Quinn Hunter and I am a multi-discipline artist that primarily works with ceramics. I was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro this spring and currently work as a post-baccalaureate at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Ritchie: What themes do you pursue?
Quinn: My work is about inheritance. Not the inheritance of monetary value, but the intangible things that came genetically and virtuously from my parents. My race and religion, Southern Baptist, are the biggest influences to my work. Exploring how these two seemingly small factors have determined my view and place in America’s social economic class. The romanticism of the “New” antebellum south versus the reality of what growing up black in the southern Bible belt, a culture that idealizes a beauty that is not my own. My primary concern in art is the place and continued status of African Americans in society; to convey the monochromatic and dimensional human experiences of the 21st century African-American through the use of beautiful brown objects. My work is primarily made of wheel-thrown vessels and objects either glazed to a mid-range fire or burnished to natural shine.
Ritchie: What’s your favorite art piece?
Quinn: It very hard to pick a favorite piece, but one that I have returned to over and over again is The Triumph of the Name of Jesus, by il Baciccio. It is on a ceiling of a church in Rome, that I was fortunate enough to see in person when I studied abroad the summer between my sophomore and junior year in college. I was immediately taken with everything about the piece. It was emotional and awe inspiring. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted everything that piece was able to move in me, to move in someone else through my own work.
Ritchie: What is your favorite or most inspirational place in Greensboro?
Quinn: My favorite place in Greensboro is Easy Peasy. It is a Cupcake place that holds my heart and tummy.
Ritchie: What memorable responses have you had to your work?
Quinn: A few months ago, an acquaintance of my mother saw my work in a magazine. She had her reach out so that she could meet me. When we met she told me, through tears, how much my work had moved her and pulled me into a hug. It was a very emotional experience. It is something I will never forget.
Ritchie: What couldn’t you do without?
Quinn: Crispy M&Ms, I’m so glad they are back.
Ritchie: What is your dream project?
Quinn: My dream project is to receive a grant that would allow me to create a monument that represents the trial and triumph of the women who came before me. A quite place of reverence, but also a place of celebration for all the accomplished sacrificed and fought for. To Honor their strength would be a humbling and incredible project.
Ritchie: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Quinn: The best advice ever given to me was “ Self-Care”. The first time I heard of it I rolled my eyes. I thought, “I’m taking care myself just fine”. But I wasn’t, and I didn’t realize how much I wasn’t until I took a step back. I started eating three meals a day, taking mental breaks, and doing things besides working on my practice. Self- care looks different for everyone, for some its bubble baths and for others video games. It doesn’t matter what yours is as long as you do it for yourself. It is really easy to get into a cycle of mistreating yourself, and when you hurt yourself you also hurt your work. Treat yourself like your most prized tool, because it is.