A Two-Way Conversation with Cheryl Derricotte
Cheryl Derricotte with large-scale glass scissors from her sculptural portrait of Sally Hemings. Photo by Julian Mocine-McQueen, courtesy of Cheryl Derricotte.
EPISODE SUMMARY
A Two-Way Mirror is an exhibition of contemporary Black artists who have used glass to create work that deconstructs social, cultural, gender, and racial identity concerns. The artists range in background from African American, to British, to Puerto Rican. Each artist uses glass to reflect thoughts and bodies that have historically been fraught with exploitation. Due to its reflectivity and translucence, glass is an apt medium to interrogate identity constructs such as the theory of double consciousness presented by W.E.B. Du Bois in his seminal work, The Souls of Black Folk.
Frit City Host Jabari Owens-Bailey interviews Visiting Artist Cheryl Derricotte about the exhibition, her residency, and her new sculptural portrait series on Sally Hemings.
Photo by Nye’ Lyn Tho, courtesy of the artist.
CHERYL DERRICOTTE
Derricotte is a visual artist whose favorite mediums are glass, paper, and textiles. Originally from Washington, DC, she lives and makes art in San Francisco, CA. Her art has been featured in the New York Times, The Guardian, The San Francisco Chronicle, MerciSF, and the San Francisco Business Times. In 2021, she was awarded the commission to develop a monument to Harriet Tubman at the transit-oriented development Gateway at Millbrae Station, the first sculptural tribute to the abolitionist in glass. Entitled Freedom’s Threshold, the monument was unveiled on March 16, 2023.
Derricotte served as the Spring 2024 Marva and John Warnock Artist-in-Residence/Visiting Professor at the University of Utah, Department of Art and Art History. She is 2023/2024 Kala Art Institute, Municipal Artist-in-Residence for the City of Berkeley’s Climate Equity Pilot Program. In 2022, Derricotte was named Inaugural BIPOC Artist-in-Residence at the Corning Museum of Glass: The Studio.
Additional honors include: the Black(Space) Artist Residency at Minnesota Street Projects; 2020 YBCA100; This Will Take Time – Oakland Residency; Villa San Francisco/French Consulate Micro-Residency; Windgate Craft Fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center; the Antenna/Paper Machine Residency (New Orleans); and the Hemera Foundation Tending Space Fellowship for Artists. Glass awards include: the Rick and Val Beck Scholarship for Glass Art and the Alliance for Contemporary Glass’ Visionary Scholarship. Derricotte was an inaugural Emerging Artist at the Museum of the African Diaspora in 2015/2016, on the occasion of the Museum’s 10th Anniversary.
Her work is in the permanent collections of the deYoung Museum, the Historic New Orleans Collection, the Oakland Museum of California, the San Francisco Public Library, and the National Association of Homebuilders. Derricotte holds a B.A. in Urban Affairs (Minor: History), Barnard College, Columbia University; the Master of Regional Planning, Cornell University and the Master of Fine Arts, California Institute of Integral Studies. A licensed city planner and member of the American Institute of Certified Planners since 1995, she serves as the Professional Development Officer of the new Arts & Planning Division of the American Planning Association.
JABARI OWENS-BAILEY, HOST
Jabari Owens-Bailey is an arts administrator, educator, artist, and Curatorial Education Program Manager for Museum of Glass. Jabari received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Corcoran College of Art + Design and his Master of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts. His varied career in arts administration has shaped his values on diversity and inclusion in the museum and arts fields and his beliefs in the personal healing powers of creating.
Photo courtesy of Jabari Owens-Bailey.