Q&A with Jeffrey Gibson

Scholastic Art: Were you a creative kid?

Jeffrey Gibson: Yes, I’ve been drawing since I was a little kid. My parents encouraged it, and my teachers always referred to me as the artsy child. And so I think that was how people knew me.

SA: Is there an event that led to the artwork you’re known for?

JG: In my late 30s, I was living in New York and I received some money from a foundation to visit other Native American artists. They were mostly traditional artists, working in silversmithing, painting on hide, basketry, pottery, and beadwork. There was something about people making their own jewelry and clothing that commanded a kind of respect. That experience shifted what I wanted to make and what it looked like. After that, I came back to Brooklyn and started making the first punching bag.

SA: Where do you find inspiration? 

JG: Recently I’ve been thinking about language. I’m always collecting texts. I’ve been focusing on trying to write, but I’m also rereading some things from the past. I’ve borrowed from songs, lyrics, poems, speeches, and hymns. That archive of texts starts me thinking.

SA: What is your working process?

JG: It’s a really long process. It takes me months—sometimes a year—to figure out how something comes together. I spend a lot of time collecting things and making pieces and parts. Then it’s about playing. I just let myself play and start crafting meaning. Each artwork is quite laborious, so nothing is ever simply done.

SA: How do you engage your team?

JG: It’s difficult for some people to work with an artist who’s so process-oriented. I’d love to be able to tell you what it’s going to look like in the end, but it would be a mistake because I will make better work if I let myself indulge in process. And I think everyone here is familiar with that.

SA: What was it like to receive the call that you’d been chosen to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale?

JG: It was overwhelming. Everybody on my team was crying, and then we started a marathon to get ready the next day.

SA: How did you decide how to display your work in Venice?

JG: I’ve become really interested in how things take up space. That’s actually what led me to think about things like light, color, reflection, sound, performance, and movement. I enjoy being able to make something for people to look at that visually stimulates your eyes. I like playing with how a person’s body has to engage with an object in space.

SA: What does contributing to the Venice Biennale mean to you?

JG: It’s so intense when you’re doing it that you just have to stay in it. I had a wonderful team of people around me who worked incredibly hard to help me bring my ideas to life. I’m really proud of what we did. But I’m still kind of letting it unfold. The historical significance of it is not lost on me at all. It’s a big deal for Indigenous people in the U.S. to have a Native person represent the U.S. That creates a lot of pressure. I thought a lot about how to do this correctly, and I feel very proud of the choices we made.

SA: Do you have advice for young artists?

JG: To find out what’s important to you is not always easy, but you have to do the thing that brings you joy.