ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

Gregory Weaver

Greg Weaver II is a skateboarder, educator, and documentary worker riffing on history, culture, identity, and beauty using creative practice as a processor. The exploration of these concepts is held within his own position as an African-American cis-male from the South, living with an ADHD-blessed brain; it materializes in experimental mixed media projects including but not limited to: zinemaking, photography, print/digital imagery, collage, animation, and video. His subjects are often Black and Latinx working-class folks and the subcultural spaces they occupy together. Alongside his creative practice, Greg is keenly interested in archiving stories from these communities through subject-centered, DIY journalism. By platforming these stories, he aims to subvert power relations that dictate what is considered valuable and worthy of documentation. He endeavors to preserve these stories in the face of sweeping gentrification and displacement of working-class peoples. In the long-term, he aims to help democratize artistic process and practice through decentralizing resources, working to expand the arts in public schools, and creating opportunities for learning and creative expression in the margins. It is critical that we build alternative systems outside of the glorified realms of universities, museums, and galleries. Greg holds that communities can nurture and protect their own stories without having to go outside of themselves and rely on the interpretations of
others who render them inaccurately. All they need is the knowledge and resources.

During my residency, I hope to explore the simple joys, textures and feelings we can experience when we move through farming with ease and comfort. These pieces will utilize new painting techniques for me, such as natural dyes and pigments. I also hope to spend my time building art community and making space for all of us to create and experience art as well as farming.

Check out Greg’s work on IG@voodustyle

Headshot photo credit: Toby Tenebaum