Desirae Brown is currently an LTL (Limited Term Lecturer) at Purdue University. Her classes are focused on ceramic studio art. Her work presently revolves around sculpture. Her artwork is a response to growing up as a Black bi-racial child and addresses her mother's influence on her in their single-parent household. Additionally, it delves into themes like being a woman and a single mother herself, Black single motherhood, and social class. Her goal is to create works that open a space for discussions of all these themes.
When not creating or teaching, Desi spends time with her children or works out at the gym and other physical activities (roller skating).
Artist Statement:
Many symbols in our culture associated with low-income black women and/or women of color have negative connotations. They are often viewed as cliche, reduced to a type and not a person: Lazy, low class, young, unmarried, uneducated, uncultured, non-contributing members of society.
I respond to these perceptions by elevating materials often associated with lesser value and lower class: [bed foam, pig intestines, food stamps, earthenware, etc.] Instead, I use them as tools to expose the true brilliance upholding black motherhood: Limitless creativity, resourcefulness, intelligence, resilience, selflessness, awareness, humility, self-sacrifice, patience, perseverance, protectiveness, triumph, advocacy and at the root of everything, LOVE.
