Today we’d like to introduce you to Ria Brodell.
Ria, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in Boise, Idaho. I bounced around a bit from there, taking the long, slow route through undergraduate school in Chicago, and then in Seattle. I came to Boston for graduate school at SMFA/Tufts and I’ve been living and working here since.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No, I wouldn’t say it’s smooth. There are always challenges.
When I was in school there were financial struggles, and balancing school life with a full time job was difficult. After finishing grad school, it was all about finding my voice as an artist. Mental perseverance is huge. Convincing oneself to keep at it despite rejection letters, or financial struggles or self-doubt. Those might be the toughest challenges. And, again finding balance can be difficult maintaining an active studio practice while working multiple jobs. In my case those jobs are teaching jobs, which I love. I’ve been able to make teaching and making art work for me, and I think they consistently inform each other.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Ria Brodell – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Right now I’m primarily a painter, but I’ve also worked in printmaking, sculpture and installation. My work has always been narrative in some way, and usually addresses issues that I feel strongly about, from animal rights and conservation in my earlier work to queer history in my current body of work.
My current body of work is a research based portrait project titled Butch Heroes. For this series, I look for people in history with whom I can personally identify. People who were assigned female at birth, had documented relationships with women, and whose gender presentation was more masculine than feminine. Once I find a person (including their name, dates and region), I verify their story to make sure that it’s true (and accurate) and I paint their portrait using gouache on paper in the style of a Catholic holy card. Each portrait is accompanied by the abbreviated story of the person’s life and a bibliography.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Butch Heroes is still in progress. I’m working on the thirtieth portrait now (!) it’s still an exciting project for me, even after eight years. Each painting involves new research that takes me to new places and different time periods, and I’m still trying to find people from as many different regions of the world as possible.
I also have a book coming out in the fall with MIT Press, Butch Heroes: Reinscribing the Narrative from the 15th to the 20th Century. It includes twenty-eight of the portraits with the narratives and a bibliography. There will be a book launch at Porter Square Books on September 5th and an event at MIT Press Bookstore on October 9th.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.riabrodell.com
- Email: info@riabrodell.com
- Instagram: @riabrodell
- Other: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/butch-heroes
Image Credit:
Portrait: e&b photography
Images: Courtesy of the Artist
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
