Erica Bryant Interview

Tell us a bit about yourself. Who you are, where you're from and what you do!

I am a collage artist who makes representations of dreams. Cool stuff happens in sleeping minds, in my opinion. As a former newspaper reporter, I see my artistic practice as reporting on the dream world with little cut up pieces of paper. I was born in Rochester, NY during a mid-April snowstorm.

How did you get your start as an artist?

My sister-in-law Ingrid Pawoe was a collage artist. When she was facing cancer I sent her a care package, with a collage I'd made depicting a river made of cut up little hearts. That was the first art I had put my heart into since I was a child. Like many people, I got it into my head that I was not "good at art" because I could not draw still lifes of fruit bowls. But I found out I liked making collages, so I made more of them.

“I am a collage artist who makes representations of dreams. Cool stuff happens in sleeping minds, in my opinion.”

— Erica Bryant

What do you love most about what you do?

I like making people laugh with my artwork. Oftentimes, dreams can be funny. Once I made a collage of my husband's dream that I had gone into a cave with hyenas. He was worried, but then I came out unharmed and just said, "hyena meat is not delicious." This collage was in a show and I saw this man read the description and just crack up. I really enjoyed that. Might have been my favorite moment as an artist.

What do you find the most challenging?

Finding time and space to concentrate. I have three kids and I am also the associate director of writing at the Vera Institute of Justice, which is an organization devoted to ending mass incarceration. There is never enough time in the day to do all the things I want to do. I wish I could freeze time for 8 hours so I could really work on this dream about a war between polar bears and spartans that a friend had, but life doesn't work like that.

When things get tough, where do you find the inspiration to keep moving forward?

Embracing the concept of "drafts" for artwork has helped me get over "artists block". If this version of a piece doesn't work out, you can try again. It's not like you get one shot. As long as you are alive, you can keep trying.

Who is another artist you admire most and why?

Purvis Young. By an unexpected twist of fate I was living in Tampa when there was a big exhibit of Purvis Young. I went and it was like being in a church or temple. I love his Goodbread Alley work. I aspire to do large scale outdoor installations on abandoned walls.

What is an art supply or collage tool you can not live without?

National Geographic magazines and Elmer's glue sticks. The purple ones.

Tell me something unusual that makes you happy.

I like cutting open pomegranates and beets.

Anything weird on your bucket list?

I have always wanted a motorhome.

Top three songs you keep on repeat?

Right now, Lasty by Santigold, Set Up Shop by Damian Marley and Norf Norf by Vince Staples, because I really like his new show.

“Embracing the concept of “drafts” for artwork has helped me get over “artists block”. If this version of a piece doesn’t work out, you can try again. It’s not like you get one shot. As long as you are alive, you can keep trying. ”

— Erica Bryant

Podcast you can't get enough of?

Levar Burton Reads. I was a Reading Rainbow child, so it is very nostalgic to hear Levar Burton read stories to me as an adult. But I always fall asleep. I have to restart the podcast five times to get through a story.

How do you fuel for the day?

I basically eat my children's leftover breakfast. So like five bites of cold oatmeal, half eaten apple slices, whatever is left in the cups of orange juice. That kind of thing.

Tell us about your vision for the future? Go big! We want to root you on!

I'd like to write a book, like a kids book but for adults, with a story and collage illustrations to go along with the story. Also, last year I did a street art residency with Kolaj Institute in New Orleans and it was amazing. I would like to try my hand in street art. I have an idea of creating Goodbread Alley, except in Rochester and with story collages.

Artist Erica Bryant
instagram.com/erica_likes_alligators