‍Bio

Brittany Holloway-Brown is a visual artist from the sleepy suburb of Bethlehem, PA but is now based in Brooklyn, NY. She completed her Bachelor’s in Illustration at Maryland Institute College of Art in 2011.  

Inspired by romanticism and pleasure, Brittany loves making tactile and textural work. The human touch is of utmost importance to her, whether the project is digital or traditional.  

Currently, she is the Digital Art Director for Marie Claire.  

Statement

Ever since I was a little girl, I have been enamored by history, the past, and the things that came before us. It’s humbling knowing you are part of a legacy but also empowering; if old things can last, so can I. Black womanhood, Old World mythologies, and sensuality inform my iconography and inspiration.  

I work with collage for its accessibility and immediacy. It was a medium I used during my day job as an editorial designer to make quick imagery for news articles using digital means. Still, I began collecting paper and ephemera to get away from the screen and work with my hands.  

I love repurposing old objects into something new, giving new life to fragments that have been discarded or discovered. I’m drawn to the subconscious, memory, and metaphor, and collage cuts to the heart of these, the way our brain can make meaning through simple juxtapositions of images.  

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@b_h___b

When did your interest in art begin vs. when you began thinking of it as a career/life choice?

When I was little, my mother read to me nightly, and I was always mystified by the illustrations in the books. I started drawing in middle school but only took it seriously in high school when my teacher noticed my natural ability and encouraged me to pursue it as a career.

I dedicated time to working on my craft by taking as many art classes as possible and working with art organizations in my hometown, the Baum School in Allentown, and weekend classes at UArts in Philadelphia were significant parts of my development. I'm very fortunate that creativity was nurtured in and around me. My mother was a huge encouragement.

What interest of yours (outside of art) ends up influencing your practice the most?

I'm enamored by history and the things that came before us. Going beyond family legacy and the wonder of endurance, the long arc of human history is awe-inspiring. We are all at the endpoint of hope, dreams, love, and strife. Things continue to endure. I'm drawn to Old World stories, mythology, Jungian archetypes, and enduring motifs.

Another significant portion of my work has been informed by Toni Morrison and how she mixed the quotidian aspects of Black life with beauty, terror, and magical realism. She weaves dreams and collective memory into her stories. Collage has given me a way to mix everyday imagery and metaphor in an accessible and sustainable way. It gives me an exciting immediacy. I love how the brain can make meaning by combining two or more contrasting images; it reminds me of film editing.

What is one piece of advice you wish you could give your younger self?

Don't mistake shrinking yourself for humility. Trust in your tastes and opinions. You will only get far if you put your work and yourself into the world. Less perfectionism.

What would you say is your biggest goal for this year?

Giving my practice the space and time it deserves.