Sweet, Crazy Conversations: Jordan Brown & Janiece Maddox

“Sweet, crazy conversations full of half sentences, daydreams and misunderstandings more thrilling than understanding could ever be.”

-Toni Morrison

Imperfect steps on an imperfect journey. We can be sweet, we can be soft, we can be strong, we can be wild. We know no bounds and we shouldn’t be expected to. We are Black & queer, and we can dream as much as we want. This work is our thoughtful conversation about what dreams, play, love and liberation mean to us right now.

Jordan Brown

I’m thinking right now a lot about value, what I value. My values are the feelings that move me, and what I need in order to feel safe. Right now I am trying to make work that embodies the values I want to live by: liberation, restfulness, free-dreaming, free-loving, shameless imperfection, full-bodied wisdom. In some ways, every day feels like a new beginning, and in other ways, every day feels like the end of the world. (Voice memo from Aug 24, 2023)

Jordan Brown (b. 1996, Silver Spring, MD) is an artist currently based in Chicago, IL. His practice combines sculpture, installation, textile, video, and performance to assemble myths, memories, and is basically a dream journal. He holds an MFA in Sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Janiece Maddox

In my work, I discuss my experience growing up in predominantly white spaces as a Black woman. I address concepts of my identity by contemplating the influence my environment has had on my interests and the way I move through life. By utilizing iconic Black imagery and cultural references, I create work that my younger self would have loved without the pressure and opinions of white dominated spaces.

Janiece Maddox (b. 1998, Davenport, IA) is an interdisciplinary artist who earned her BFA in ceramics from the University of Iowa in 2022. She is currently based in Chicago, IL where she keeps a studio practice as well as works as a ceramics educator throughout the Chicago area. Her work addresses concepts of her identity and reality by contemplating the influence societal institutions have on the way we think.