McHenry County College (MCC) is currently showcasing an ode to Octavia and that which is forever by artist Jazmine., now through September 11 in Galleries One and Two, located inside and outside the Learning Commons (A212).
an ode to Octavia and that which is forever begins with two seminal texts, which act as a material composite for guiding, connecting, and re-membering. It oscillates between interior and exterior worlds, collapsing time, while exploring how to shape a well-lived life in a world not designed for you, but too often shaped for and by your exploitation and harm.
The works and the material matter that inform each require one to pause and embody the presence. You have to slow down enough to look back while still moving forward in order to witness their intention. Living and navigating change are compositional methods for learning how to take what feels rough, what has been mishandled, and soften it with attention and time until it becomes something beautiful you can hold, rather than something that holds you.
There will be an artist talk with Jazmine. on Wednesday, September 2 from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. in the Luecht Auditorium (B170). An artist reception will follow in Gallery One (A212). The event is free and open to the public.
Jazmine. is a multidisciplinary artist working across photography, video, embroidery, and text to examine and intertwine narratives. She holds a BS from Florida A&M University and an MFA from the University of Chicago. She was a participant at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and is completing an MRes in Anthropology at University College London as a US–UK Fulbright awardee.
Her work and practice have been recognized and shown by the Chicago Artist Coalition (HATCH Residency), A Public Space (Writing Fellow), the Hopper Prize, Kartemquin Films, Newcity (Breakout Artist), For Freedoms, the City of Chicago's DCASE Individual Artists Program, and EXPO Chicago/DCASE's OVERRIDE Billboard Project. For more about Jazmine., visit https://jayelaine.works and follow her on Instagram @jay_elaine.
For more information about the art galleries at MCC, to request pricing, or to be added to the mailing list for upcoming exhibitions, please contact Trevor Power, Art Gallery Curator, at tpower@mchenry.edu.
