Steve Prince
Spiritual Art Grant Recipient
Artist Statement
While attending Xavier University of Louisiana for undergraduate studies, Steve Prince encountered the limitless process of relief printing in a Printmaking class. He keenly remembers making an intricate drawing on the surface of the linoleum block and carefully removing the negative space around the positive lines. He rolled the block up with ink, placed paper on top of the block, and ran it through a press. He peeled back the blanket and deftly lifted the paper from the block, and was instantly smitten by the beauty of his days of crafting. Steve’s professor told him he could do it again. In that instant he was reminded of a history class that spoke about Martin Luther utilizing the Guttenberg Press to fashion his 95 Theses that called for the reformation of the church. Steve believes the artist’s role societally is to be a truth-sayer. The artist has a unique ability to see and to see the world differently, but also to help society to see who we can be through prophetic imagination.
Steve grew up in New Orleans and was profoundly affected by the unique funerary tradition. The first part of the funeral is called the Dirge, where musicians aid the congregation in mourning through sound. Once the person is laid to rest in the gravesite, the music transitions from a mournful tune into a celebratory tune in 2/4 time called the Second Line. The musicians and the spiritual leaders understand that we cannot stay in a place of mourning, we must celebrate the passing from this life into the afterlife and know that the deceased is in the loving and wanting arms of the Almighty Father. This construct has become the philosophical foundation to Steve’s artistic practice; the Dirge represents the everyday micro and macro issues we navigate, whereas the Second Line denotes the celebratory space we can find peace in if we choose to navigate the Dirge together as community. Steve is attempting to make art that urges us to look back like the mythical bird from Ghana, Africa called Sankofa. We must collectively grapple with the stains, the pain, and the sins of the past while proactively moving forward into the unstained future. The artist is the first recipient of the fruit of their work. The artist boldly navigates spaces of pain, while knowing that they/we work for beauty. Artists see the materials of this world as text, and we blend the elements to speak to generations. 200 years from now we will see the remains of this generation and the artist will assist historians, scientists, theologians, psychologists, sociologists, and everyday people to see who we were and the challenges of our time. Steve endeavors to use printmaking as a tool to disseminate stories about our history, but he challenges himself to offer solutions to these said issues. He understands that we live in a visual society, and we are profoundly moved by what we see. He intrinsically understands the power of images and its effect upon the psyche, the self-esteem, and the exportation of stereotypic constructs that affect how we see ourselves and the other.
Sow, Linoleum Cut, 36” x 96”
A mother quilts stories of America as her child sits at her feet absorbing the wisdom of making a way out of noway.
Ubuntu: Baldwin’s House, Linoleum Cut, 18” x 24”
This image is of James Baldwin and he has many people in his body like an apartment complex in Harlem.
Steve Prince endeavors to create a kitchen table. The kitchen is one of three sacred sites in the home: the bedroom, the bathroom, and the kitchen. Operatively they harness where we rest, love make, cleanse, expel, nourish, strengthen, and give thanks. He wants to carve the top of the kitchen table with images of different ethnic bodies interacting, conversing, and praying together. The legs of the table will be made of bronze, symbolically tried and purified through the fire bespeaking of what we must do with our past. He plans to make a series of 95 prints from the tabletop and send its "skin" across the nation encouraging others to create spaces of fellowship and invite your neighbor into your kitchen.
Hallelujah Anyhow, Linoleum Cut, 24” x 36”
A woman carries a home on her hip and atop her head while knowing that the journey may be rough, hallelujah anyhow!
Bio
Steve Prince was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana as Catholic. He went to Catholic schools from kindergarten through college, and for several years served as an altar boy. He went to Xavier University of Louisiana for undergrad and received a BFA in Fine Arts and a minor in Marketing. Steve went on to Michigan State University for graduate school and received an MFA in printmaking and sculpture. He is a mixed media artist, master printmaker, lecturer, and art evangelist; and he has been an educator his entire career, teaching on various levels including, middle school, high school, community college, and 4-year public and private universities across the country. He is currently the Director of Engagement and Artist in Residence at the Muscarelle Museum at William & Mary University. He has shown his art in numerous group and solo exhibitions internationally in both galleries and museums, and has participated in several residencies including Artist in Residence at Segura Arts Center at Notre Dame University, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Hyattsville, Maryland, the Atlanta Printmakers Studio, and the University of Iowa to name a few. Steve has created several public works across the country, and most recently created a 4' x 4' x 10' bronze sculpture titled, "Sankofa Seed," which rests on the campus of William and Mary in front of Jefferson Hall where the first 3 African American resident students resided in 1967 at the college.
He teaches by the credo; your imagination is your only limitation.
Alpha Omega, Linoleum Cut, 18” x 24”
Single mother with child and her hat is the weight of the community on her mind with a serpent wrapped around her waist trying to get to her child.