Artist Voices: D Derek's Learning Journey

In the Artist Voices series, NEFA connects with grantees to learn more about the impact of the grant on their work. D Derek received a Public Art Learning Fund grant in 2023 to participate in the "Abstraction Master Class" at Mass MoCA, an immersive one-week intensive with Judith Kruger. D Derek shares the impact of this experience on his public artmaking practice.

New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) has asked me to reflect a few words about receiving my Public Art Learning Fund (PALF) grant. Initially, I thought the answer would be simple and straightforward. Clearly, it gave me the opportunity to learn. We are all students in life, right? We all have this inherit need to grow, elevate, and hopefully contribute in some way. But in the process of writing this I discovered it’s more than just learning. It’s about understanding yourself more, the power of experience and the value of community.

After several years of experimentation and self-analysis, I find my artistic investigation centers around social practice. Possibly it’s because of my background in mental health. Or it may stem from growing up in a small New England town and feeling a sense of not being enough. Regardless, finding a balanced place where everyone’s voice can be heard became important to me.

At the time of applying for my learning grant, I was at the cross roads of trying to understand my artistic practice. Creating public art allows me to tackle social issues and build bridges between communities on a larger scale. I utilize painting, installation and sculpture as mediums because of the immersive connection it relays. My goal is to deliver the power of experience that is commensurate with the important subjects it addresses.

Creating public art gives me space to create imaginary worlds of higher social consciousness. It also allows the viewer to travel to places of possibilities. It’s about trying open doors in our minds and finding new perspectives of social balance. 

As fate would have it, I came upon a one week in-residence intensive Abstraction Master Program at The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA). What intrigues me about abstraction is that it draws more questions than answers (and in doing so… we find greater possibilities). And Judith Kruger, the instructor, focuses her practice on human-environment connectivity and their shared vulnerabilities. Human, environment, connection are mainstay terms in my artistic vocabulary and I knew I needed to attend this program. 

I applied, accepted, and was ONLY able to attend with the generous funding from the PALF grant. 

The program included private and open critiques as well as film showings and demonstrations. It allowed me an opportunity to delve more deeply into the investigation of my work and consider shifts. 

Sometimes our journeys as artists is solitary, working and living in a bubble. We sometimes get so caught up in life and not have the time to reflect on our practice, experiment or set goals. This program gave me a safe and supportive environment to express my authentic self as an artist. It also provided the opportunity for collaborative feedback from a diverse group of artists who are also yearning to elevate themselves artistically and create impactful work. The open platform encourages free exchange of ideas and progressive ways of thinking. I forged new partnerships with other artists to this day. And I learned that “art is a conversation.” Now more than ever has the need for community, collaboration, and connection been greater. 

An unexpected surprise also came along the way with this in-residence program. The MASS MoCA campus itself. I was offered the opportunity each day to visit the countless galleries of the museum and become inspired by other public artists work from around the world. Artists such as James Turrell, Laurie Anderson, Louise Bourgeois, and Anselm Kiefer, to name a few, all reminded me why art is important. Art shows us that we are more than our physical bodies. It humanizes society. And it has a power to connect people across divides. 

One ripple effect from this PALF learning experience is receiving recognition by the NAACP for a recently completed public art sculpture titled, Promised Day. The award is for creativity and work to inspire community through the arts. There is no question that this NEFA funded learning opportunity influenced my confidence, passion, and desire for this project. 

The other unexpected outcome for this experience is that I have a greater sense of the work I want to do. It gave me a more confident understanding of myself and why art is important to me. It’s freed me to express myself in new ways and take risks.

My advice for any artist or group reading this: stay curious, learn, make connections, experiment and explore the boundaries of the unknown. If there are financial limitations for your growth, seek out grants, such as PALF. You just may find that you understand yourself, the work you do, and the world around us more clearly. 

Find D Derek on Instagram: @dderekman