Moe Gramm | Denver Colorado
GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE WORK YOU DO: I am an interdisciplinary visual artist most commonly known for my large scale mixed media collage and mural paintings.
WHAT DO YOU WISH MORE PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT JUNETEENTH? WHAT DOES JUNETEENTH MEAN TO YOU? – The freedom of enslaved black people is an important part of US American history especially now as we grapple with how to truly liberate Black Americans. Juneteenth to me is an opportunity to celebrate the ways black folk have been liberated thus far and to also celebrate blackness as something that is to be valued and cherished. There is a narrative that blackness is something to be ashamed of or to feel dirty for. We deny that narrative every day. Juneteenth is an opportunity to engage in a collective black joy that exists despite a history that does not welcome us with open arms. Juneteenth is a celebration of our liberation and our future.
TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE ‘EVERY HUMAN’ CAMPAIGN AND WHAT DREW INSPIRATION FOR
THAT? The Every Human Empathy Campaign is a series of murals, installations, workshops, and community engagement opportunities that are meant to encourage empathy and consideration among humans. It is a project I started to dream up a few years back and have finally been able to put a little more steam behind the work in the year 2020. My goal is to create an international campaign that allows me to reach a much greater audience outside of Denver, CO.
WHAT BODY OF WORK, IF YOU COULD CHOOSE, ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF THUS FAR IN YOUR CAREER? I think the Every Human project is something I am super proud of. Specifically my most recent installation at the Gallery of Contemporary Art in Colorado Springs. The title of the project is “Every Human: Read the Room”. Visually and conceptually this project has
come to life in the most beautiful way.
WOMXN IN ARTS, PARTICULARLY BIPOC WOMXN, ARE VERY UNDERPRESENTED IN THE ART WORLD. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A FEMXLE BIPOC ARTIST JUST STARTING OUT –
PERHAPS ADVICE YOU WISHED YOU HAD RECEIVED AS A YOUNGER ARTIST JUST STARTING
YOUR CAREER? The advice that I gave myself years ago and I still hold in my heart today is that “There is evidence your dreams are possible. Womxn before you have shown that what you want is an option. You just got to make it happen.” Back when I was about 20 years old I wanted to explore a career in the arts. By about 25 I had started to question if this life was something that was actually in the cards for me. When I would look at different artists, learn about their careers, and see womxn who I looked up to being successful, I was reminded that I have time and also that I am capable. I wasn’t much different from these womxn who had the career I wanted.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK 5 YEARS FROM NOW? 5 years from now, I would like to be
doing more set design and interior design work, creating large scale collage in public spaces, and doing more immersive art installations that allow viewers to explore a topic in a high sensory setting. Something I am also wanting to explore is how to create larger public arts sculptures that mimic my smaller collage works. We will have to see what sticks!
TELL US MORE ABOUT WHAT WE CAN SEE FROM YOU NEXT. – I will be all over the place
really. I am going to be collaborating on the design for an air bnb, doing a few mural projects (one for a new hotel in Denver called the Catbird Hotel), I will be helping to design the set for a theater production of Alice in Wonderland, and continuing to do projects with Black Love Mural Festival.
WHERE CAN WE FIND/FOLLOW YOU (WEB/SOCIAL MEDIA/UPCOMING EVENTS):
Website: www.moegram.com Instagram: @mi_moegram