This month, we had the opportunity to interview Jasper Duberry, co-op member, recent Full Color Print Fellow, artist, and new dad (!!!), about their creative practice, inspiration, and what being a part of Highpoint has meant to them.
I am a printmaker who lives in Minnesota, where I grew up most of my life. My printmaking is focused primarily on the form of relief through woodcuts. Art has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I would draw the Rugrats and provide coloring sheets for my kindergarten class. My love for printmaking, however, didn’t start until I learned the art form in college. I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin (Go V-hawks!). The themes that I like to explore are those encompassing the black experience – pain, joy, excellence, healing, and resistance, to name a few. Exploring these themes has provided an avenue for me to reflect and express personal emotions, thoughts, and feelings of being a black male in America.
Can you tell me more about your current exhibition in the Threshold gallery at Highpoint?
Absolutely. First of all, I am extremely grateful and fortunate that Highpoint makes this available for it’s members to have this fantastic opportunity. I think every artist dreams of having their own show at some point so opportunities like this are fantastic to come upon.
The woodcuts in my show explore themes from my experiences and encompass the Black experience – pain, joy, excellence, healing, and resistance, to name a few. As I have been working on my pieces, along with curating my show, I wanted to tell a story that ranges from pain and struggle through resistance and rallying to creating the future we want to see and victory. I have also been drawn to using the medium and my pieces towards educating on Black history, topics and moments as well. With that, you will see my piece “Just Us,” which is focused on the Voting Rights Acts of 1965 – which helped give Blacks and other marginalized groups protection to be able to vote in America.
I believe that the viewers, no matter what walk of life they are from, will be able to resonate with the pieces.
You've been involved with Highpoint in several capacities, including co-op member and Full Color Print Fellow. Could you talk about your experience?
My experience with Highpoint started with the Full Color Print Fellowship. It was truly timing and stars aligning that brought me to Highpoint. After being gone for several years, I had just moved back to Minnesota and was looking around for a printmaking studio.
What drew me to Highpoint was their state-of-the-art studio, availability of many different printmaking styles, and a clear commitment to diversity and community.
When I reached out to check it out, I was introduced to the Full Color Fellowship and told about it. That confirmed my prenotion on how Highpoint showed its commitment to diversity and community. My experience with the fellowship and time after it has been nothing short of amazing. My favorite part of being at Highpoint through these experiences has been the opportunity to meet many visiting artists, getting to explore many different techniques and classes along with non-stop continual support from staff and other members on whatever venture or idea that I want to explore from themes to materials or research to help foster my thoughts and ideas. I would say my highlight so far has been the opportunity to hang my pieces in the Threshold Gallery. Special shoutout to Josh, who is always available for questions and ideas and helping make this show physically happen.
“Highpoint is a community where everyone belongs. A place where everyone is able to be themselves both personally and artistically and has the freedom to explore whatever idea or theme they would like to without fear and provided the tools and guidance along the way to help them get there. ”
Obviously, being part of the Full Color Print Fellowship, I would say that this is something I am very passionate about and would love to see continued and for others to know about. I would also challenge those who don’t think about representation in art to take some time to educate themselves on it. This can be seen and not seen on many different levels, from the art that we are shown (and again not shown) in museums to deciding who dictates what messages and art should be seen, and at its smallest scale, it is programs like this that start to turn the tide with some of these ideas and concepts.
Highpoint has been a huge help with both my creative process and my early career as a printmaker. From a creative process standpoint, Highpoint has been instrumental not just in the equipment and space it provides as far as co-op but also in the continual education in the form of classes and access to visiting artists, shows, and resources as well.
Some of the best magic about Highpoint is how all the artists here are on similar journeys of wanting to improve, help one another, and be successful. There hasn’t been a single day that I am in the studio where a fellow co-op member hasn’t asked what I was working on or made a suggestion for technique or simply an artist to check out. This magic also carries over into our careers as far as getting the opportunity to meet possible patrons and collectors at the many different co-op shows and gatherings.
instagram.com/jasperduberry
jasperduberryprints.bigcartel.com
From the Back of the Bus, now on display through December 31, 2024.