Jennifer Justice
Artworks
Bucket of Rain, 2017. Ball chain, eye hooks, twine, found iron spout, wood (cherry, pecan, walnut, elm, and maple). Courtesy of the artist.
Audio description
Other works in the exhibition
Future Maps, 2021. Mixed media installation. Sound recordings by the artist. Sound mixing by Andrew J Slater. Courtesy of the artist.
Audio description
Smelling Salts, 2019. Ink drawing on paper. Courtesy of the artist.
Audio description
Cane Motion Study, 2017. Ink drawing on paper. Courtesy of the artist.
Audio description
Glacier, 2020. Ink drawing on paper. Courtesy of the artist.
Audio description
Carrot and Stick, 2021. Acrylic on shaped cardboard. Courtesy of the artist.
Audio description
Jennifer Justice’s highly experimental installation work is often created specifically for each exhibition or event. She is currently responding to the interrelated environmental crises we face and the impact of humans on previously healthy ecosystems. From exploring topics as diverse as the fires in Northern California to the management of waterways, Justice thinks deeply about how her interest in technology and the environment can synthesize into a satisfying art experience for viewers while engendering respect for the traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous peoples.
Trip the Light Ekphrastic: a guide, 2021. Courtesy of the artist.
Audio description
In Ancient Greece, the term ekphrasis meant the skill of describing something in vivid detail. Elaborate descriptions could refer to fine clothing, battle armor, splendid buildings, or any item well-crafted and beautifully designed. Today, ekphrastic poetry specifically means poetry written about works of art. As an elevated and lyrical style of writing, ekphrastic poems sometimes include the emotional effect of the work of art on the viewer. They became very popular in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Many people with vision impairments or who are blind need access to audio descriptions of artworks to more fully engage with their content and form. In her "gentle" guide to the art of writing ekphrastic text, Justice is inviting us to go with her on an experimental accessibility adventure. There are no rules for how to best describe an artwork and everyone will notice something different. Justice’s playful guide prompts us to linger and spend time with an artwork, to look at it in a poetic way, and find greater depths the more we explore.
About the Artist
“As a legally blind artist, my performative installations, computer-generated sculptures, and digital works center accessibility as a grounding politic and necessary social catalyst. I find that this approach also creates, or re-centers, inventive aesthetic strategies (such as ekphrastic poetry, digital painting, and 3D printing, for example).” —Jennifer Justice
Originally from Alabama, Jennifer Justice has an MFA from Chicago (School of the Art Institute of Chicago/University of Illinois) and currently lives and works in Ukiah, California. Her work has shown at ReCoding CripTech at SOMArts, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, and StoreFrontLab in San Francisco. She often collaborates with artists Andrew Slater and Fayen D’Evie, who also have vision impairments, and Trip the Light Ekphrastic: a guide can be found on West Space Offisite, a digital platform for publishing artist-led content.