Podcast Summary: All Of It with Alison Stewart

Episode: The 2022-23 Studio Museum Artists in Residence

Date: November 27, 2023
Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guests:

• Jeffrey Maris, 2022-23 Studio Museum Artist in Residence
• Devin N. Morris, 2022-23 Studio Museum Artist in Residence
• Yelena Keller, Assistant Curator, Studio Museum

Main Theme and Purpose

This episode explores the impact and significance of the Studio Museum in Harlem’s renowned Artist-in-Residence program, highlighting its current exhibition, “and Ever and Edge: Studio Museum Artists in Residence 2022–23,” on view at MoMA PS1. Host Alison Stewart converses with artists Jeffrey Maris, Devin N. Morris, and curator Yelena Keller about their creative journeys, how their practices intersect with the legacies and energies of Harlem, and the deep personal, cultural, and political resonances present in their work.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the Artists and Program

• The episode starts by situating the Studio Museum residency in historic context, mentioning its alumni such as David Hammons, Kehinde Wiley, and Kara Walker.
• Each artist’s unique background and medium are outlined:
  • Charisse Pearlina Weston (not present): Glass sculpture, exploring anti-black violence and surveillance.
  • Jeffrey Maris: Sculpture and performance inspired by the body, cosmic scale, and Black science fiction.
  • Devin N. Morris: Mixed media, incorporating found objects and layered collage, drawing from his explorations around Harlem.

(00:17–01:39)

2. Motivations for Applying to Studio Museum

• Jeffrey Maris:
  • Describes his first encounter with the Studio Museum at age 18, calling it “the first time that I saw art that focused on people from the African Diaspora... I felt deeply connected to the program.” (01:44)
  • Considers it an honor to be part of the residency’s legacy and growth.
• Devin N. Morris:
  • Was introduced to the residency when he was making zines and participated in an event years before applying.
  • Emphasized the importance of being ready, applying only when he felt “ready... when I felt like I was telling—having a complete sentence.” (03:26)

(01:40–03:26)

3. Residency Application Process and its Evolution

• Yelena Keller:
  • Discusses the shift from mailed to digital applications and the rigorous review process focused on selecting artists at key inflection points in their careers.
  • “The residency... focuses on the artists themselves... an opportunity for deepened research and engagement.” (03:29)

(03:27–04:37)

4. The Influence of Harlem: Place and Practice

• Jeffrey Maris:
  • Shares a story of bringing his plants to the Studio Museum studio, and how walking them around Harlem became a grounding ritual which spurred community connections and conversations.
  • “That became a ritual, if you will, where I walked my plants throughout Harlem. And it sort of grounded me in terms of finding my identity in the space.” (06:08)
• Devin N. Morris:
  • Finds meaning in collecting objects from the city, stemming from childhood walks with his mother:
    • “There was a shared... thing that everyone could take part in or already has, historically, through just these objects existing.”
    • Describes picking leaves with his mom, learning to “look for something to experience in that way... finding comfort and legacy through picking up objects that were once used by someone.” (06:53–08:34)

(04:38–08:34)

5. Practice of Gathering and Legacy in Objects

• Devin N. Morris:
  • Reflects on staying connected to legacy through object-collecting, finding ways to “reflect why I’m in a space and how I can, like, be a part of it.”
  • “Trying to stay within legacy because I find it so hard of a means to traverse as I grow as... this human that I am.” (08:41)

(08:35–08:53)

6. Charisse Pearlina Weston’s Glass Work (via Yelena)

• Yelena Keller:
  • Describes Charisse’s mastery of glass, its balance of fragility and resilience, and how it poetically relates to Black experience and the navigation of space.
  • “There is a sensitivity to space and place, one that... deeply resonates with black and brown bodies, in particular, queer bodies, and what it means to sort of navigate through space and time.” (09:07–11:00)

(08:54–11:00)

7. Deep Dives on Key Works & Gallery Experience

• Jeffrey Maris on “To the Rising Sun”:
  • 180 crutches assembled as a radiating sun/virus, symbolizing a personal health journey and transformation.
  • “2022 completely shifted my body, my biology... The pre-2022 Jeffrey doesn’t exist anymore.” (11:38)
  • Inspired by Bahamian and African American anthems, place-making, and “the complications of feeling big and small at the same time, thinking about universal ideas.” (12:13)
• Devin N. Morris on Gallery Design:
  • The room’s blue walls were inspired by a Harlem dusk sky.
  • Composed a “landscape” of sculptures and collage, exploring the juxtaposition of interior/exterior spaces and impossible environments.
  • “I wanted [the wall] to be a specific feeling of dusk, of light, but darkness.” (14:08)

(11:01–15:30)

8. Harlem as Enduring Context

• Yelena Keller:
  • Outlines Harlem’s ongoing presence as an inspiration and backdrop—“Harlem is a place where... so much of the kind of beauty of black culture is alive and well... along with the challenges.”
  • The current MoMA PS1 show is a way “to bring a piece of Harlem to Long Island City.” (15:49–17:43)

(15:31–17:43)

9. Literary Inspiration: Octavia Butler

• Jeffrey Maris:
  • Deeply influenced by Octavia Butler’s “Parable” series (“Parable of the Sower” and “Parable of the Talents”), often referencing Black authors in his practice.
  • “For me, the work is deeply political... It also... proposes a future where we can escape from this violence, where we can live our wildest dreams.” (17:52–19:05)

(17:44–19:05)

10. Intended Audience Impact

• Devin N. Morris:
  • Hopes for an emotional, sensory impact—“I’m always trying to get to an emotion... I hope that there’s a culmination of feelings that are based in traces and... become something that they can feel, because I know that’s how I make it.” (19:34)

(19:06–20:15)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jeffrey Maris on community and identity:

  “That became a ritual, if you will, where I walked my plants throughout Harlem. And it sort of grounded me in terms of finding my identity in the space.” (06:08)

• Devin N. Morris on legacy:

  “I find it so hard of a means to traverse as I grow as, like, this human that I am.” (08:41)

• Yelena Keller on Charisse’s glass art:

  “Engaging with her work really requires yourself to engage with your own physical body... an extension of or poetic of a Black experience.” (09:07)

• Jeffrey Maris on care and transformation:

  “The pre-2022 Jeffrey doesn’t exist anymore. And I need to walk into this new dimension of myself.” (11:42)

• Devin N. Morris on emotion in art:

  “I’m always trying to get to an emotion that might be a little impossible to realize.” (19:34)

• Jeffrey Maris on Octavia Butler:

  “For me, the work is deeply political... But it also, for me, proposes a future where we can escape from this violence, where we can live our wildest dreams.” (18:44)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:17–01:39: Introduction and overview of the 2022-23 Artists in Residence
• 01:44–03:26: Artists’ initial motivations for applying to Studio Museum
• 03:29–04:37: Application process and its meaning
• 04:45–06:42: Harlem’s influence on practice; walking, plants, connection (Jeffrey)
• 06:53–08:41: Collecting found objects, legacy, childhood roots (Devin)
• 09:07–11:00: Charisse Pearlina Weston’s glasswork and its embodied meaning (Yelena)
• 11:25–13:37: “To the Rising Sun” sculpture and personal transformation (Jeffrey)
• 14:08–15:30: Blue room, landscape installation, Harlem dusk (Devin)
• 15:49–17:43: Role of Harlem’s environment in art and exhibition (Yelena)
• 17:52–19:05: Influence of Octavia Butler and Afro-futurist thought (Jeffrey)
• 19:34–20:15: Emotional goals of the exhibition experience (Devin)

Conclusion

This episode of All Of It offers an intimate look into how Harlem’s cultural legacy, personal history, and broader Black diasporic experience shape the work of the Studio Museum’s artists in residence. The conversation highlights the interplay of space, memory, and aspiration in contemporary Black art, providing listeners with a window into both the creative process and the enduring importance of cultural context.