Above: Jefferson Pinder performing Monumental @ Untitled Art Fair Miami on December 1, 2021

Over the past few months, I’ve found myself jumping headfirst into my first sabbatical year, excited to take advantage of the time dedicated to my practice. Kicking it off in December 2021, I presented my performance, Monumental, at Untitled Art Fair Miami. This performative disruption of the commercial art space forced spectators to deal with the struggles of the body over the commodification of art (or not).

In January, video documentation of my 2020 performance piece Prowl was included in “Stolen Goods”, a group exhibition at Marketview Arts at York College of Pennsylvania. The catalogue is forthcoming; you can follow the exhibition link for more information on how to order a copy.

Above “Orlando at Piano in Seattle" Video Credit: Stevie Calandra

Pinder is currently in Washington, D.C. for the next couple of months to finish a video piece he’s developing for Smithsonian Artist Residency Fellowship.

Utilizing the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s collection of mid-20th century home videos of Black American families, the piece explores expressive joy found within the archived footage.

The Smithsonian has awarded fellowships to 14 accomplished visual artists from an international pool of candidates as part of the 2021 Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship Program. Over the course of a one- to two-month residency, each fellow will conduct research at Smithsonian museums and research centers to inform the development of innovative, cross-disciplinary work.

Artists are nominated by art curators, scholars and former fellows, and then selected by a panel of art experts. Over 100 artists from around the world have received Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship Awards since the program began in 2007.

Jefferson Pinder (Based in the U.S.): Black Nostalgia, Black Joy

Pinder will delve into archival films and materials documenting the everyday lives of Black Americans at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Pinder’s research will support a video artwork celebrating Black joy.

The Smithsonian has awarded fellowships to 14 accomplished visual artists from an international pool of candidates as part of the 2021 Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship Program. Over the course of a one- to two-month residency, each fellow will conduct research at Smithsonian museums and research centers to inform the development of innovative, cross-disciplinary work.

Artists are nominated by art curators, scholars and former fellows, and then selected by a panel of art experts. Over 100 artists from around the world have received Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship Awards since the program began in 2007.

Jefferson Pinder (Based in the U.S.): Black Nostalgia, Black Joy

Pinder will delve into archival films and materials documenting the everyday lives of Black Americans at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Pinder’s research will support a video artwork celebrating Black joy.

“The week of violence following Williams’s death left dozens dead, hundreds wounded, thousands homeless, and a city struggling with racial inequality—a problem that persists a century later, but is little talked about.

‘Everybody knows about the south side of Chicago, but nobody knows how it really began. This is how it really began,’ Pinder says.

There is currently only one memorial to the victims of the 1919 race riots: a plaque set in a boulder near the beach where Williams drowned. It was installed in 2010 by now-retired Elmhurst high school teacher Mike Torney and his students.

Pinder says he didn’t think the fixed stone was “enough.” So, over two years, the artist planned a “living monument” that would offer Chicagoans the opportunity to physically explore the connections between their past and present” - Elise Schimke

Laura Roulet interviews Jefferson Pinder for Sculpture Magazine's July/August edition.

Please click here to read the full interview.