How did you start creating art?
“The story goes that when I was ten months old I sneaked out to the front yard (it was Santa Fe, New Mexico, so there was not really any grass) and there were these rocks that made chalk marks in the gravel, so I kept drawing these Cy Twombly-esque abstract lines on the sidewalk. I’ve been making art ever since without too much direction from anyone or anything. My dad, Rufus Snoddy, is an artist and was featured in Artprize at the YMCA years ago, I must have been 13. I mostly resisted any type of art lesson from him growing up– I was angsty like that. It’s only now that I value his ability to share his technical skills with me.”

Where did you grow up?
“I grew up in a 98% white town called Traverse City, Michigan. In the summer it is popular for the Cherry Festival, the State Theater, art markets, Friday night live, and the Film Festival but in the winter it’s mostly just famous for white supremacist recruiting. Dealing with racism from only five years old in all aspects of my life, the biggest challenge is finding out who I am as a black woman and holding on to dear life to my culture, not trying to lose it or myself in the process. In the New York Times, Race/Related column on Aug 2nd 2017 and on USA Today, College, in “First Encounters With Racism” and “I’m Compromising Myself And My Blackness to Promote Social Change”, I relayed the racism that I experienced growing up in my hometown and how I must strive for the betterment of my culture no matter where I am or where I came from. In this collection I used an old tattered leftover sign from the second women’s march that had angry penciled in messages and needed a loving home. I chose to turn it into a collection that represents black women of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, religions, demographics, politics, countries, occupations and beliefs.”

Have any personal struggles or triumphs inspired any of your pieces?
“Honestly, I’ve just felt completely destroyed by my community. Racism affects my personal life, what I’m allowed to say in public, what I’m allowed to wear, and who I can be in public. I wanted to make a collection about black women being unapologetically themselves; some are afro-latina, some are ‘hood’, international, creative, practical, motherly, free, and all of them are definitely beautiful black women. These women don’t have to be famous or have typical western european looks in order to be celebrated. This collection is about ‘the real’. The piece “The Black Woman”, has the most important quote I’ve ever read which has guided me through the racism in my area. It’s a quote by Malcolm X. I’ll let you see the collection to see what it says.”

What is your favorite medium or artists tool?
“Molotow Acrylic paint pens”

Do you collect anything? Do you have any other hobbies outside of making artwork?
“I collect jumpsuits and platform shoes. I also play music, have a small correspondence ship with Youth Radio, am a full time political science student and a full time waitress.”

Who is your favorite well known artist?
“Jean-Michel Basquiat. His art is made of black magic, and encompasses his community and culture in every piece without ever losing his sense of style. I strive for his brilliance.”

Who is your favorite unknown artist?
“My dad, Rufus Snoddy, has been the most wonderful and important person in my life. He’s not only showed me what a black American can accomplish but helped me grow confidence in my art and my future. He’s shown me that I can be an artist and I can be successful, no matter the odds, as long as I keep defying the rules.”

What current trends are you following in the art world?
“I feel like portraiture is making a comeback, but did portraiture ever really go anywhere? Portraiture is the capability of encompassing a subject, in this ArtPrize collection, in the utmost liberty and beauty and in a way that is most representative of these women’s cultures and beauty.”

Do you have any big art projects you are planning on doing this year?
“I’m going to be making a collection of pieces known as Black Cinemascope, to prove that Star Wars, Harry Potter, Star Trek, and other popular films could have had inclusive casts– calling out the media tactic of whitewashing films and television shows. I’m also going to be doing a series of self portraits with phrases that I think but I’m not allowed to say in day to day conversation due to political pressure.”

Anything else you want to add?

“I’m a self taught twenty year old black female artist with a lot to say about the world. People inspire me everyday to use the image of diverse people of color to normalize integration, not just assimilation. There is so much potential in our country. People of color are leaders in that potential. I illustrated Daphne Nix’s “The Lesson of the Lark” over the summer as well, highlighting the anniversary of the 19th Amendment of the United States.”