Welcome to Short Answer Sunday, a weekly (#goals) interview series where I ask artists, art adjacent individuals, and other interesting, creative people the same set of questions. With the intent of getting to know the person behind the artwork as well generating new avenues to artistic discovery, participants respond with a few words or an artist’s name, always with the opportunity to elaborate if they wish!
Today I’m over the moon to share a Short Answer Sunday with Franchell Mack Brown. I have been totally captivated by Franchell’s work since we were both included in a group show at Ada Gallery last year. Her studio practice is extensive and dedicated, and I’m so inspired by the way she combines and transforms many familiar materials into stunning displays of visual ingenuity.
Much of Franchell’s work fits beneath the umbrella of textiles, however she also incorporates a broad range of skills and wide assortment of materials. She welds! She crochets (not like your grandma) using vibrant ribbon, synthetic hair, brown paper, industrial paracord, etc.! And when I learned that she makes her own glass beads (over 1000 handmade beads in her recent solo Aww Sookie Sookie Now at Second Street Gallery in Charlottesville), I needed several moments of silence afterwards. These pearls of studio wisdom (and so many others worth knowing) are shared in her conversation with fellow artist Justice Dwight as part of Second Street Gallery’s Artists in Conversation series (lucky for us, we can watch it online here). Her insight into her process informs and expands my understanding of her work, as do all of the personal stories that she shares. Every detail, no matter how small, is imbued with intention, endurance, care and passion. Her Short Answer Sunday is no different—get to it!
For more info about Franchell Mack Brown and her work, visit her website and follow her on Instagram.
xo, Lauren
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| Photography credit: Bethany Brewster |
Occupation: Professional Artist
Astrological data: Mighty mighty Virgo!
Hometown: Washington DC
Current location: Richmond VA
Other than Instagram, how do you find new-to-you artists?
Google search, others recommendations, visiting galleries and museums
An artwork that makes you laugh?
Justice Dwight’s outfits make me very happy.
An artwork that makes you cry?
All the black trauma art… EVERY-SINGLE-ONE
Most underrated artist?
An artwork that you’d like to live inside for a week?
Torkwase Dyson work on the high line in NYC
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| Torkwase Dyson, Alice (Hand to Hand, Heart to Heart), NYC High Line; image source |
An artist whose work you can’t stop thinking about?
Other than my own… Barbara Chase Ribaud
An artwork that feels like a warm hug?
What’s your favorite characteristic in an artwork?
Divine repetition like the buttons on a Nick Cave Sound Suit.
Erotic artwork? (Ed. note: this is a multiple choice question)
Yes: ✅
What’s an artwork that doesn’t look like art?
People’s fashion choices… the good the bad and the ugly of it all.
What’s an artwork that you suspect that you shouldn’t like, but you do (guilty pleasure)?
No guilt just pleasure, black and white erotica.
What’s an artwork that you secretly hate?
No secret, black trauma art. Just stop.
Most insane art piece?
Anything by El Anatsui
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Fav monograph or art book?
Book of Symbols currently… but this answer changes frequently.
Fav museum or gallery in your current location?
1. The Branch Museum 2. The VMFA
Last exhibition you saw irl?
Aww Sookie Sookie Now at the Second Street Gallery in Charlottesville, VA
An artwork that packs a spiritual punch?
An artwork that you’d like to see before you die?
Barbara Chase Riboud in person
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| Barbara Chase-Riboud with her sculpture, Le Manteau (The Cape) or Cleopatra’s Cape, 1973; image source |
What art material do you love to nerd out on?
Textiles/ribbons/buttons.
What was the last thing that you listened to in the studio?
My playlist on shuffle. Last song: everything is everything Lauryn Hill
What’s a book that changed your life?
What song, book, podcast or film do you think everyone should know about?
❤
Franchell Mack Brown is a multi-disciplinary artist who employs an amalgam of materials in her practice, from the pliancy of crocheted ribbon and industrial cording to the solidity of welding and fused glass, and embellishment with natural pearls, gemstones, and flamework beads. She tells stories that encourage and empower. Since arriving in Richmond, Virginia in 2018, Mack Brown has expanded her studio practice. She is a VMFA Fellow (Richmond, VA; 2021–22), a cohort of Interlude Residency (Hudson, NY; 2022), Monson Arts Residency (Monson, ME; 2023), and The Visual Arts Center of Richmond (Richmond, VA; 2023–24). Mack Brown teaches creative workshops for CultureWorks and facilitates an art-based mentor program for sixth-grade girls, and is the Professional Artist Development Co-Ordinator for The VisArts Center six-month residency program (all Richmand, VA). Her works are held in the collections of Capital One and Pam Royall.
For more about Franchell Mack Brown, head over to her website and follow her on Instagram.
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