Abstract

Ghanaian-American artist Ewuresi Archer shares her experiences as she navigates the various aspects of her career. As a public artist, Archer explains how she uses art to inspire, engage, and educate her community while actively exploring and embracing her own identity.

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Interviewee

Archer, Ewuresi (interviewee)

Interviewer

Kanewa-Mariano, Makialani (interviewer)

Project

Community-Based Public Art

Date

7-2-2024

Document Type

Oral History

Duration

48 minutes

Transcript

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:00:04] Today’s date is Tuesday, July 2, 2024. My name is Makialani Kanewa-Mariano with the Cleveland Regional Oral History Collection at Cleveland State University. Today I’ll be interviewing Ewuresi Archer. Thank you so much for meeting with me today, Ewuresi.

Ewuresi Archer [00:00:18] Of course, thank you so much for having me.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:00:20] Yeah, of course. Just for the record, could you state and spell your name?

Ewuresi Archer [00:00:24] Yeah. So my full name is Ewuresi Archer, and it’s E-W-U-R-E-S-I. Last name Archer. A-R-C-H-E-R.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:00:35] Thank you. Where and when were you born? Just to begin with background.

Ewuresi Archer [00:00:37] I was born in Burlington, Vermont, and my parents are from Ghana, so I grew up in Ghana.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:00:45] Interesting.

Ewuresi Archer [00:00:45] Yeah. My mom would come here just to give birth to her children just so we could have citizenship, and then all her children would be sent back to Ghana to grow up there. So.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:00:54] Interesting. So where did you go to high school then?

Ewuresi Archer [00:00:56] I went to high school in Ghana. It was called a Akosombo International School, and it’s A-K-O-S-O-M-B-O, and it was in one of the- In Ghana, they were broken up into regions rather than states. So I went to school in a region that I didn’t grow up in, so, yeah, and it was boarding school.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:01:15] Okay.

Ewuresi Archer [00:01:15] Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:01:16] Where did you go to college?

Ewuresi Archer [00:01:18] I went to the Cleveland Institute of Art in Cleveland, Ohio.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:01:21] What did you study in college?

Ewuresi Archer [00:01:23] I studied painting with a printmaking emphasis, and then I got a creative writing concentration.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:01:30] Did you focus on any type of art when you were in boarding school in Ghana?

Ewuresi Archer [00:01:36] I did, because the way it’s set up in Ghana, since boarding school is high school for everyone, so the way it is, you technically go for your major in high school. So I went for visual art and I did ceramics, graphic design, and then we had a course called general knowledge in art. And that was just a course where you kind of learn a little bit about, you know, multiple art movements. So, yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:01:59] Cool. Was that experience compared to what you did when you got to college? And how was that experience different from when you went to high school?

Ewuresi Archer [00:02:08] It was a very different experience because, one, the culture here is like a whole different culture. And then it’s also, like, I got to focus more on painting, and I got to also, like, develop skills that, you know, I may have had or I may have, like, you know, learnt in high school, but then I wasn’t really, like, good at it if. Yeah, I don’t know the word I would use, but, like, I just got to develop my skills.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:02:39] Focus in one area?

Ewuresi Archer [00:02:40] Yeah, focus in one area, especially painting. Like, I can see, like, growth in my paintings a lot. So, yeah, I got to focus on things, and then I discovered printmaking here, so I never knew about printmaking in high school until I got here, so, yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:02:56] Do you like one over the other more printing, printmaking, or painting?

Ewuresi Archer [00:03:01] I can’t say I like one or the other more, but right now, I would say I really enjoy printmaking, and my printmaking method is screen print. That’s the process I usually work in, and I love it. Yeah, I mean, I love painting also, but there’s just something about being able to recreate, like, the same image multiple times and then, you know, manipulate it as many times as you want but then still have the original. There’s just something fascinating about that, because, I mean, painting is also fascinating in a way, where you make one, and that’s, like, a special thing, but then, I don’t know, it’s like a push and pull. So I. I love both of them equally.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:03:42] Yeah.

Ewuresi Archer [00:03:42] Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:03:43] Understandably.

Ewuresi Archer [00:03:43] Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:03:45] Do you primarily live in Cleveland now, then?

Ewuresi Archer [00:03:47] I do, yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:03:48] And what’s your current occupation?

Ewuresi Archer [00:03:50] I’m currently a contracted art handler with the Cleveland Institute of Art ’cause I was able to get a job there after a contracted job there after I graduated, so, yeah, I’ve been art handling for about two years now. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:04:06] What year did you begin working for the, as a contractor for Cleveland Institute of Art? Sorry, I think you may have mentioned that already.

Ewuresi Archer [00:04:11] In 2022. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:04:12] 2022, okay.

Ewuresi Archer [00:04:13] That’s the year I graduated. So, like, a short while after graduating. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:04:18] Okay. And when did you first realize you had an interest in art? Was it in high school or was it before then?

Ewuresi Archer [00:04:27] It was before then, but then I didn’t know that I could go to school for art because I was always, it’s that kind of thing where it’s like, I knew I was always good at art. Like, in art classes, I would, you know, always be the person to, like, do really good and make, you know, amazing drawings and amazing little paintings. So it’s like, it was, like, a hobby, and then, because at first I wanted to be a pilot, and then I got scared, so. But then I discovered that I could go to school for art, and then ever since. Yeah, I mean, high school is when I, like, really had to pinpoint, like, what I’m interested in, because, like I said previously, my high school, you technically go for your major, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything but visual art, so, yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:05:14] So, what kind of inspired you, then to become an artist and begin working for the job that you do now?

Ewuresi Archer [00:05:20] Well, the place that I grew up in is such a vibrant, like, the culture is very vibrant and the art. Some of the art that I saw was just amazing. And my own art teachers in high school were amazing artists. So that alone also, like, made me really want to pursue a career in art. And I forgot the other part of the question.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:05:47] What kind of inspired you to not only just become an artist, but also to become working as a contractor with the Cleveland Institute?

Ewuresi Archer [00:05:52] Well, I enjoy art, and I enjoy just, like, learning about other artists and their processes. And through, like, being an art handler, I’ve gotten the chance to be able to learn multiple ways of, like, hanging art, because there’s, like, you know, there’s so much you can do in the art world that as a painter and as someone who primarily works with, like, 2D pieces of art, it’s just fascinating to see what other artists do and just learning. Learning things that I, like, don’t know myself. That’s what. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:06:28] Do you- Is there people that you, like, teach at Cleveland Institute of Art, too? Why are you doing art handling? Are you just mostly helping out and creating the projects?

Ewuresi Archer [00:06:41] I’m just mostly helping out because I never intended to do art handling. That was never, like, a thing that I even had in the back of my mind as, like, a career choice for me. But then I got asked to. I got the opportunity to be on the team because I think there was, like, something going on, and then they needed someone, and then I got recommended, and I had, like. I mean, I’ve hung shows before. I had hung shows before that, but that was, like, through school, and then it was, like, my BFA, because that the BFA process, you have to do that all by yourself. So through that, I was like, oh, this is. I actually really enjoyed hanging up my BFA, and then I was like, I could actually do this. And then I got recommended to do that, and then. Yeah, I love it.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:07:28] Yeah.

Ewuresi Archer [00:07:28] Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:07:30] So before, when you said it wasn’t, like, your, what you thought you were gonna go into. What was your original goal then?

Ewuresi Archer [00:07:35] My original goal, I was thinking more of, like, curatorial stuff, which is, like, I feel like that seemed like something, at the time, it seemed like something I would enjoy to do. And then I realized I’m someone who really loves to do things with my hands, so, like, being an art handler made sense for me because, like, I’m someone also who loves to learn new skills all the time, if it, like. And the skills have to be, like, either art or, like, something that has to do with my hands because after high school I took a gap year and I learned how to weld, stuff like that. Like, I just. Yeah, like any skill I can learn how to do, I will do it. If I’m interested in it, I will try to learn how to do it. So. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:08:20] So, you said you learned how to weld?

Ewuresi Archer [00:08:21] Mm-hmm.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:08:22] Yeah. Where did you learn how to do that?

Ewuresi Archer [00:08:23] I did that in Ghana. I was at a place called Accent and Art and it was a woman-owned business and she was really awesome. Yeah, and it was, yeah, it was an amazing experience. It was like a six month experience and I was one of two women in there and I was still like a teenager. I was like 17, straight out of college. And it was a little intimidating because everyone else in there, it was like a full business and everyone else in there was like an older man. So like, imagine a 17-year-old girl straight out of high school in this environment. It was a little intimidating. But I did learn a lot and I made some cool stuff.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:09:03] Did you have to get picked to do that? Was there like a like application process or did you just go apply for it?

Ewuresi Archer [00:09:08] I’m not even really sure ’cause I just expressed to my dad that I would like to do something and then he was, he suggested that because I guess he was friends, he’s friends with the person who owned the place and she did internships, so, yeah, that’s how I got it. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:09:25] So have your missions or goals for you or for your art kind of expanded since you first began developing your skills just in any medium to where you’re at now?

Ewuresi Archer [00:09:36] Yeah, printmaking for sure. Because I definitely never, had never- I mean, aside from like stencils, which is like a thing I feel like we all try at a point in life because that’s, that’s part of like art classes as a child. But apart from like stenciling, which I didn’t even really know that that was a printmaking process. Like, I didn’t know anything about printmaking at all. I didn’t know it was this whole like art practice by itself. So that was really fascinating for me to, you know, discover and at college, at this, at CIA, and I learned how to etch, I learned how to do relief prints and then I finally learned how to screen print and then that was, that’s all I needed, screen printing. Yeah. So that’s a skill. So those are skills that I definitely developed like etching, making, being able to make intaglio etchings, being able to screen prime being able to make relief prints, vinyl cut, woodcut, those are skills I learned, skills I developed. I knew how to crochet. I quite. I cannot remember how I learned how to crochet, honestly, but I know that I- It was like a trend in my primary school in Ghana, which is elementary school here, where the girls were, like, out of nowhere, someone had a crochet ball and was crocheting, and then it became a trend. Everyone had to crochet. So I can’t remember how I learned, but that’s when I learned how to crochet. And since being in college, there was a time in my junior year where I was extremely depressed, and I just didn’t want to be in my studio, and so I had to figure out ways to, you know, make art, like, through this time, figure it out. And I chose to explore my crochet skills. So, yeah, I decided to, if you see some of my crochet pieces, they. You would not come to it and think that they were crocheted. But I’m using a crochet process because I kind of like crochet in a very haphazard manner when I do crochet. But, yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:11:36] So you still do crochet pieces, like, today? Do you still?

Ewuresi Archer [00:11:40] I have not made a crochet piece in a while, but I would. That is something I would do still. Yeah. Because I’m focused right now on painting and printmaking, but then I’m also. I’ve realized that I’m at a point where I’m, like, either painting or printmaking, and I kind of want to marry them instead of just having them separate, because these are two art processes that I use a lot. So I’m in the process of, like, merging my art, like, the skills I have, and then crochet will probably come in sometime down the line.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:12:17] So the crocheting that you learned, you said you learned that in primary school in Ghana?

Ewuresi Archer [00:12:21] Mm hmm.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:12:21] Okay, that’s interesting.

Ewuresi Archer [00:12:23] Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:12:23] So you’ve sort of brought those skills over as a Ghanaian-American to kind of create-

Ewuresi Archer [00:12:30] Right.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:12:30] Both into one?

Ewuresi Archer [00:12:32] Mm hmm. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:12:36] Who else contributes to your work? Do you collaborate with other artists ever? Or do you primarily just work kind of alone?

Ewuresi Archer [00:12:42] I primarily work alone, which I would love to collaborate with other artists. I mean, I guess through, like, art handling, we could say that’s a collaboration, because, I mean, that’s not like a direct collaboration with the artist, but, I mean, I am putting up their art. So, in a sense, yeah. But, so I work solely by myself. I tried. We were, I was gonna collaborate with an artist here in Cleveland on with Rooms To Let. But then that didn’t happen this year, so. But, yeah, I’m yet to- I mean, I’ve collaborated with, like, my classmates, stuff like that. So, yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:13:26] Does your work engage public involvement?

Ewuresi Archer [00:13:28] My work does engage public involvement sometimes, because my work is the way my, like, the content of my work is- I don’t know how to put this in words, but my aim is to have, like, the- Like, the public and audience come to my work and learn something. So, because I’m trying to- Even though, like, you might need a statement to understand some stuff, but I’m trying to- My work is about educating, like, people who are not familiar with Ghanaian culture, because that’s what my work is about. It’s about being from Ghana and being, you know, so far removed from a culture that I grew up in and only realizing that I was so far removed from it once I got here to America. Because if I was still in Ghana, I mean, I would probably by now figure it out, because I’m an adult and I’m growing and learning things. But I don’t think that would have happened that fast if I still lived there in Ghana, because moving away from Ghana made me realize that, like, we desire, like, living in Ghana, we desire so much, like, a western lifestyle, and it’s an issue. So that’s what my work is about. My work is about celebrating myself, because my work is also, like, my work gives me a chance to also learn things for myself that I didn’t learn growing up. So, yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:14:57] Yeah, it’s fascinating. So, kind of learning about yourself, maybe discovering your self identity?

Ewuresi Archer [00:15:01] Mm-hmm.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:15:04] How do you put that into your work? What’s some of your techniques or a favorite piece, if you even have one?

Ewuresi Archer [00:15:09] I have multiple favorites. Well, one of my favorite pieces was the very first piece I made that was about Ghana. And it’s called Free Forever. And this was a piece where I, like, played with distorting images, because, like, for me, I think, like, thinking about growing up in a place where we have such a rich culture, but then we’re desiring, like, another person’s culture that feels disorienting to me. So, like, that’s why most of my paintings look like a little disorienting with the color and, like, the scrape marks and, like, the way I, like, put color together. Like, sometimes, like, it’s very vibrant. Like, it vibrates. If you see it in person, it’s gonna. Like, it’s gonna call your attention, and then you’re gonna see all, like. Because I use a palette knife to scrape in all my paintings, and the only thing that I use a paintbrush for is if I have a figure in the painting. The skin of the figure would be painted with a paintbrush, but other than that, everything is done with a palette knife. And the palette knife gives me, like, a really cool effect that I like, and I’ve stuck with that, and I’ve kind of developed that. That was my very first piece, the free from ever, Free Forever piece. That was the first time I, like, explored scraping in, like, a background. And usually you would see that, like, my backgrounds are also, like, usually really textured, intricate. I’m currently in the process of building a background where there’s stuff in the, you can see stuff, like something in the back, but then it’s kind of covered up with, like, scrapes. So, like, it just gives more depth and more, you know, disorienting feelings. And same with my screen prints. Like, I use the bitmap method when I screen print, and there are dots that, like, it’s the CMYK method that I use. And it’s basically printing with, like, a printer, but by hand, because it’s the same process as the printer using, like, the cyan, yellow, magenta, black. But then I’m doing that in person and I’m printing each layer by hand. So, and then the bitmap is, I have my bitmaps. I don’t know if you’re familiar with bitmapping?

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:17:22] I am not sure.

Ewuresi Archer [00:17:23] It’s a- it’s a process that- It’s a screen printing or not a screen print. It’s just like a Photoshop edit where it gives you that, like, half, like, define the dotted. I can’t put in words.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:17:37] Similar to Ben-Day dots?

Ewuresi Archer [00:17:39] Yeah, it’s like, there. It’s like an image formed with dots, but it doesn’t have to just be dots. You can use lines, you can create your own pattern. I just found that out. So you can create your own pattern. But, yeah, it just breaks down your image into, like, these tiny, you know, little dots, lines, whatever. And you can go from there. And the higher the frequency, the more put together your image is going to be. And then the lesser the frequency, the less, like, the more the image falls apart. And that’s my goal. I want the image to, like, fall apart, but then I want the image to fall apart when you come close to it, but then when you stand far, you, like, see as a whole. Because again, going back to my disorienting feeling of not really realizing that these issues were issues while I lived in Ghana, I only had. I only realized them when I stepped away from the country. So that’s, like, the goal for my art. Yeah. For my screen prints, Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:18:40] Where was the Free Forever? That was the first work that you said that you did?

Ewuresi Archer [00:18:44] Mm-hmm.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:18:45] Where did you show that piece? Was it, like, a public piece, or was it in a studio?

Ewuresi Archer [00:18:48] It was a piece that got curated in a show at CIA, and it got sold. So I don’t currently have that piece, but that was, I would say 2021. Yeah, it was 2021. Yeah. It was part of a show called Snickers That Turn into Livable Joy. It was curated by Imani Williams. She also works in the Reinberger Gallery with me. That’s the gallery at CIA.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:19:19] What was it called again? Sorry?

Ewuresi Archer [00:19:20] The Reinberger Gallery.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:19:21] Reinberger?

Ewuresi Archer [00:19:22] Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:19:29] So just to kind of go back a little bit to when you were growing up, the community that you were in, were there any works of public art that you can remember that could maybe, like, you know, influenced you or inspired you?

Ewuresi Archer [00:19:39] Yeah, there’s public art everywhere. There’s art on the- We had these, like, um, cellars on the road. On, like, the side of the road. We call them roadside cellars. And they usually have, like, little, like, their kiosks, like, set up. And usually it’s, like, decorated or, like, painted with, like, designs. Like, the food is, like. It’s. There’s this distinct style that all of them had. I can’t- I don’t know the name of the style. I don’t know what name I would give the style, but there was a style wherever all the, like, roadside sellers had. And, like, they would, you know, paint their little kiosks, and then the food and their menu would be, like, decorated really nicely. So, yeah, stuff like that. And then there were just my mom. My sister’s best friend’s mom was, like, really into us doing art. So was my mom. But my sister’s best friend’s house was, like, a place also, where, like, I could explore, because there were times where we would just be given, like, art supplies to make art, so. And I used to just, like, draw beaches. Yeah, it was like, I was like, I know that if I paint a beach, it’s gonna look beautiful. So I just kept doing it. So.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:21:00] And this was- Was this in the States?

Ewuresi Archer [00:21:02] No, this was in Ghana. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:21:04] So the kiosks, you said they were, like, selling food and art, or they were kind of using their food or their kiosks to sell food, to kind of create art?

Ewuresi Archer [00:21:14] I don’t think they even intended for it. To be art. But I just saw it as art because it’s just like having your- It’s just them having their little kiosk and then decorating it. But then it’s like there’s a distinct style to it that I like. I would consider art. Yeah. ’Cause it wasn’t just like, you know how restaurants usually have like a very formal, like, graphic design layout and stuff like that. It wasn’t that at all.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:21:38] More unique?

Ewuresi Archer [00:21:39] Yeah, it was a very unique style. Yeah, it’s like, imagine like a lemonade stand by a kid, but it’s not by a kid, it’s like by like an adult who has like a very distinct style of creating art.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:21:55] And you think that this would be like the main art that you saw kind of in the community growing up?

Ewuresi Archer [00:22:00] One of the main- And then there were just like also murals everywhere, so. Yeah, and then on, like, you could- There were also just like people who sold art on the side of the road, actually. And they would sell like little paintings or like, it’d be like paintings mixed with like beads, slippers, all that. So. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:22:27] How do you think that kind of seeing the art as a child growing up influenced you? Do you think it influenced you to kind of want to go seek out do art yourself and create?

Ewuresi Archer [00:22:38] Yeah, I think it did. Because, I mean, I don’t know where else I would get the influence from, you know, I mean, because I didn’t have a phone growing up, you know, so there was- And then social media wasn’t really a thing growing up. Like, I was born in 1999. Like, I mean, I think I am Gen Z, I’m pretty sure, but, like, growing up, I still, like, I didn’t grow up like, you know, the iPad kids right now. So, yeah, it’s like we were still, you know, in tune with everything going on around us. So, yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:23:13] Outside of your current occupation and your artwork, do you participate with any other organizations?

Ewuresi Archer [00:23:19] I part- What do you mean?

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:23:22] Do you- Is there any organizations- It can be included with your artwork. Before I asked if you collaborated with artists, do you collaborate with any organizations?

Ewuresi Archer [00:23:33] I kind of do because I apply for residencies and grants and I do- I’ve been lucky enough to get a- Like some of the ones that I’ve applied for. I did a residency with Akron Soul Train last year, and I put on an exhibit about food from Ghana, and then I got- I was lucky enough also to get one of the Satellite Funds. I don’t know if you know about the Satellite Fund. It’s just Spaces Gallery here in Cleveland. They run a fund that is, I think it’s sponsored by the Andy Warhol foundation. So I was lucky enough to get one of those. And I’m actually creating a recipe book that should be out by the end of the summer. So yeah, I guess I would say I do collaborate.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:24:21] So the recipe book that you’re talking about, do you do cook to then? or is it-

Ewuresi Archer [00:24:26] I do.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:24:27] Okay.

Ewuresi Archer [00:24:28] I do. I love to cook.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:24:30] Is it- The foods that are featured in the book, are they mostly like American or Ghanaian dishes?

Ewuresi Archer [00:24:37] It’s Ghanaian. Everything I do would always be about Ghana. Yeah, yeah. If it’s- If there’s an American aspect to it, it’s like a compare and contrast. It’s like- Right, but everything will mostly be about like trying to decolonize myself, stuff like that. So.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:24:57] You said trying to decolonize yourself. How do you think that helps in some of your public art, some of your community art? How do you think you trying to figure out your own identity and pieces kind of helps other people, maybe figure out their identity through your pieces?

Ewuresi Archer [00:25:15] I think it helps other people when like- ’Cause I only know to help myself because I heard someone else, you know, talk about it. So I feel like when, once you hear it, um, people talk about issues that are kind of similar to issues that you’ve had that you never really thought of. It’s gonna like, wake something up in you and you’re gonna like, think about it. Yeah. ’Cause I- I only started because before I even started making art about like, being from Ghana, I just like, automatically thought like, being a Black artist here in America because again, like, I didn’t grow up here in America. So, like, being Black in America was like a whole new, like, experience for me. So I didn’t- I was expect, like, my expectation for myself for some reason was like, I’m a Black artist. It’s expected of me to make art about, you know, being Black. And then I spoke with a professor and she was like, well, you can make art about whatever you want to make art about, but just know that at the end of the day, you’re still gonna be part of your art no matter what. So I was like, okay, cool, I’m gonna make art about whatever I want. And then, I was reading a book by. Her name is Ama Ata Aidoo. she’s a Ghanaian poet. She’s no longer here, but her poems are really good. I was reading a book called No Sweetness Here, and it’s a short. It’s a book of short stories about navigating of people from Ghana, navigating life after being colonized. So that book, like, hearing, like, reading those stories, those little, like, stories she put in there, made me, like, you know, start to realize, like, I mean, I already realized, but then that made me, like, that pushed me to really, like, explore the topic of my art. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:27:05] And just reading, like, some influences like that, how does that then translate into some of the stuff you do? I know one of the last pieces you talked about there was, like, a disorienting effect. How does some of those stories or those books or those biographies that you read kind of get translated into that?

Ewuresi Archer [00:27:26] It gets- Well, there was, like, a- The very first story was, like, fascinating because it was a story about three women who, like, didn’t know what to do with their hair. Like, they were going back and forth about, you know, whether their hair is acceptable to show because, you know, they’ve been told forever because they just came out of being colonized and, you know, their hair, like, all sorts of disgusting things were done to them, told to them. So they were like, you know, one of them wanted to put on a wig, and one of them was like, no, like, we don’t have to do that anymore. Stuff like that. So. And then, like, reading that story, I was like, wow, I feel like I’ve gone through this same exact, these same exact thoughts. So that’s what gets translated. So I like, for, like, an example like that, reading that and then remembering my own experiences, that’s what pushes me to create art from my own experience also, because- Right. Because I can’t- I really can’t speak and make art from anyone else’s experience but mine. So stories like that and reading, like, stuff like that made me, like, think about my experiences and, like, why that was. And then that pushes me to, like, respond to, like, my thoughts. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:28:48] So have you ever collaborated with, like, the LAND studio?

Ewuresi Archer [00:28:52] Yes, I have. I forgot to mention that a little bit. Yeah, I did. I did a mural with them in April. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:29:06] Where was the mural located?

Ewuresi Archer [00:29:07] It was located in Public Square.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:29:13] Was it the Rotating Art wall?

Ewuresi Archer [00:29:17] Yeah, the rotating art wall on the cafe art wall. I can’t remember the name of the cafe right now, but it’s a- It’s the cafe, like, in the center, but, yeah, art rotates on that wall, I think, every two months. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:29:32] What was the name of the piece that you were created for that?

Ewuresi Archer [00:29:36] The name? I’m, like, blanking on what I named the piece.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:29:40] Yeah. You could describe it a little bit if you want.

Ewuresi Archer [00:29:42] To describe it. It’s a piece where, again, you can really see the scrapes, the way I scrape in painting when I paint, because it was on such a huge scale. You could really. Even though I made the piece at a one-tenth ratio, but then they blew it up and you could still see all the texture and all that. But it’s a colorful piece where there’s one figure dead center in a field of grass, and the grass is painted in such a way that it looks disorienting, but it still invites you in. But then you have no option. You have no, like, the grass, the way it’s painted invites you in. But then there’s also the figure in the middle, and that’s the only figure in the middle. So you’re also drawn to the figure. And my aim for that was to make art. You know, make a piece that, you know, just focuses on, like, a Black person or, like, someone who’s obviously a Black person and which happens to actually be my brother. So, yeah, I just wanted to focus on, like, features. Like, Black features. So that’s why there’s, like, a single person in the middle and you have no option but to confront this person. Like, the way I painted it, he’s kind of looking at you. Like, you have to look back at him. And it’s not in like a- What do you call it? I’m blanking on the word. But it’s not in a way where it feels uninviting. It’s in a way where I hope that I did it in a way where you admire the figure and admire the space the figure is occupying.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:31:24] Right.

Ewuresi Archer [00:31:24] Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:31:26] You said it was of your brother?

Ewuresi Archer [00:31:27] Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:31:28] Did he have a similar upbringing? Did he also go to primary and high school in Ghana?

Ewuresi Archer [00:31:29] Mm-hmm.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:31:30] Is he back in the States?

Ewuresi Archer [00:31:34] He came. Well, we each kind of have different experiences or different, like, I don’t know how to put it. But he didn’t go to high school in Ghana. He went here in Vermont. Yeah, I went. My sister and I went. I’m the eldest of seven children. Yeah. But I’m really close to my sister and brother because we’re really close in age. Everyone else is, like, eleven years after me or, like, maybe like, 15. So I’m, like, really close to my brother and sisters. My sister is just a year younger than me and my brother is just three years younger than me. So we kind of grew up really close together and we’re, like, known as, like, three musketeers. But, yeah, we’ve each had, like, different experiences, my sister and I probably had, like, similar experiences, but my brother and everyone else after my brother, totally different. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:32:31] So you’re the oldest of seven?

Ewuresi Archer [00:32:33] Yes.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:32:35] How do your younger siblings do? Besides your brother being kind of, like, the center of that picture, do your younger siblings otherwise kind of inspire your work?

Ewuresi Archer [00:32:45] They do, yeah. Because usually if I’m- Because the way I see it, like, in the past, when you make a painting about someone for someone, that shows your appreciation for them or that shows how much you admire them, and that’s my goal. Every time, like, every time I have a- I usually only paint, like, female figures or female presenting figures, but every time I do include a male figure, it’s always my brother, so. But, yeah, this is just my way of, like, you know, showing my appreciation for the people around me, because my art is for the people who look like me and experience my culture. So, I mean, I have my brother and my sister. If I’m gonna put a figure in it, why not use them as a reference?

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:33:36] So I’m sure that, yeah, just your identity helps a lot of people in the community, too, as well, just kind of relate to your art.

Ewuresi Archer [00:33:46] Right.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:33:47] So you were in college. Were you in college during 2020 during, like, the Black Lives Matter movement?

Ewuresi Archer [00:33:52] Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:33:53] Did any of that influence some of the stuff you did? I know, to what’s going on in America, you know, and just kind of putting that identity here now.

Ewuresi Archer [00:34:02] Right. It did influence, because then, like, that really pushed me to make art about what I wanted to make art about, because before I was making art about, like, like, interior spaces and, like, the space we occupy, and it was mostly about, like, home and, like, how being sometimes, like, a home is supposed to be a place where you can, like, you know, de stress, you know, just relax. But sometimes that’s not the case. So, like, that was what my art used to be about, and then I was like, I- I think I made one portrait after. After I did the Free Forever painting. That’s when I really wanted to delve more into- Yeah. So I would say influence a little bit, but not a lot. Yeah. Because I think I was slowly coming to that realization anyways by myself. But, yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:35:03] I just want to go back for a second to the LAND studio. What kind of about their studio, what they’ve done, their projects in the past made you want to collaborate with them, or did you want to collaborate with them? What was, you know, kind of pushed you to be like, oh, yeah, that’s what I want to do that.

Ewuresi Archer [00:35:18] Well, I think it’s amazing that they kind of- They give an opportunity to Cleveland artists to just showcase their art, which it’s like- I feel like that’s a really good thing, and that’s the thing that’s needed, because there’s so many amazing artists here in Cleveland, and LAND studio does, like, collaborate with a lot of artists here. So that alone was, like, you know, a push for me to say yes, because they reached out to me and it was like a no brainer because they like. Yeah, they work with Cleveland artists. They work with local artists. And I think that’s, like, empowering. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:35:59] Kind of just building off of that, why do you think public art and art in the community, or your community specifically, is important?

Ewuresi Archer [00:36:07] I think it’s important because some people are, like, visual learners, and I think there’s always something to learn with art because there’s always intention behind the art that artists make. And especially, like, with public art. Like, imagine being, like, a Black person and not just Black African, being from Ghana. It’s like, we don’t usually see ourselves in, like, in the galleries. Like, we don’t see. I mean, now we do, but in the past, it wasn’t, like, a thing to really see yourself in a gallery space. So I think stuff like that, I’ve seen public art where their figures are Black, and it’s like, I mean, I grew up in either Ghana or Vermont. I definitely wasn’t seeing public art where Black people were centered, stuff like that. And it’s not just the Black community I see that with, like, also the, like, Latino community, like, I see art about. So it’s. I just think it’s fascinating to see art that you can connect with. It’s just interesting to see, like, artists from your, like, culture making art, if that makes sense.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:37:28] Yeah, yeah, yeah. And kind of encourage a sense of community maybe?

Ewuresi Archer [00:37:32] Right. It’s, it’s important. It also, like- And art is also, like, a thing that’s underfunded, and no one really thinks that, like, you know, art’s, like, a thing that anyone should go into. So it’s, like, public art and seeing what, like, artists are doing. It’s not just, like, murals on the wall. It’s, like, sculptures. Seeing that, like, I think may, like, what is the word? Encourages younger people to really go into art. Yeah, because. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:38:07] Definitely. Do you have any hopes for the future to collaborate again with Land Studio or just for the LAND studio itself, like, for their goals and stuff going forward?

Ewuresi Archer [00:38:18] Yeah, I hope they would love to work with me again, but, yeah, I would love to work with them again.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:38:24] Or other artists that are kind of involved with them, too?

Ewuresi Archer [00:38:26] Mm-hmm. Yeah, I would love to collaborate with other artists more. Like, I do collab, like, I’m remembering from our previous conversation, but I did- Like, while I was in school, I did collaborate with one of my classmates on a two person show at Kaiser Gallery. My classmates and I put on a show at Waterloo Arts while we were in school. So, yeah, I have collaborated with artists, but not on a large scale or, like, not a lot. And I would love to collaborate more with artists.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:39:00] Yeah.

Ewuresi Archer [00:39:01] Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:39:03] Have you worked on any projects outside of the Cleveland area? Maybe just shows outside of the Cleveland area?

Ewuresi Archer [00:39:10] Yes, I had a show in Detroit at the Beltline project, and I- In 2020, I actually got asked to be part of a show at the painting center in New York. Yeah. So. And that was during the. All the George Floyd and stuff also. So.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:39:34] What was the show primarily about in Detroit?

Ewuresi Archer [00:39:38] The show was about celebrating Black features. It was called Alluring Souls. And each painting was like a portrait, and it was just portraits of, like, you know, people who, like, obviously look Black. So, yeah, I was just celebrating Black features and, you know, the features that, you know, even made fun of. It’s just- It was just a show to celebrate myself and those around me who look like me.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:40:07] And that was the Alluring Souls one? Okay.

Ewuresi Archer [00:40:10] Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:40:11] How about the New York Painting Center?

Ewuresi Archer [00:40:15] The Painting Center? That show was called I Am My Best Work. And that show was a show to- I cannot- It was a show. The title I Am My Best Work came from, I can’t remember who, but it came from, like, a very well known poet. One of their poems, I can’t remember who. I want to say it’s bell hooks, but I don’t think it’s bell hooks, but, yeah, it was just centered around- I cannot remember exactly what it was centered around, but it was all show that was showcasing, like, Black artists. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:40:59] So you had the Detroit one that was showcasing Black features, and then this one was showcasing, like, other Black artists?

Ewuresi Archer [00:41:05] Yeah, other Black artists. And I got curated. ’Cause the Detroit show was a solo show. Yeah. And going back to collaborating artists, I just remembered, I don’t know how I forgot this, but I am collaborating with artists right now. ’Cause I’m helping my friend Bobbi Reagins. She’s putting on a Black art showcase. It’s gonna be on July 20. This is the third year she’s doing it. This year I’m helping her. And there’s an exhibit. There’s going to be an exhibition in conjunction with this showcase, and I’m helping her put on the exhibition. So I am collaborating with artists to put that exhibition on.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:41:45] What was the name of the artist again?

Ewuresi Archer [00:41:48] Bobbi Reagins. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:41:50] Bobbi Reagins, okay. What is that show a little bit about? What’s the theme of that one?

Ewuresi Archer [00:41:55] So it’s a showcase that’s just, like, uplifting and, you know, showcasing Cleveland. The Cleveland Black artists. So it’s like a- It’s a day. It’s a full day of events where you can come in and there’s workshops. There’s gonna be artists selling their art. There’s gonna be workshops like acting workshops, painting workshops. There’s gonna be a screen printing workshop, and then the show is gonna be up in conjunction to that. So, yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:42:22] The workshops, is that kind of open to, like, the community?

Ewuresi Archer [00:42:27] Mm-hmm.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:42:28] Okay.

Ewuresi Archer [00:42:28] It’s open to the public. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:42:30] Do you do workshops with the community? Like, do you teach them ever? Or run them?

Ewuresi Archer [00:42:35] I have run a couple workshops since graduating. I ran- What is it? I did a workshop with the CMA through Futurine graphics, and it was just me screen printing. It was like a creative making workshop where it was my image, my screen, like, my art being screen printed over. You could either collage something together and then come to me, and then I have. And then I print over your collage, or you. Or I print, and then you go and sit down and collage. So, yeah, I collaborated with, like, the community in that way. Yeah. Cause everyone got to take a piece of, like, my art home with them, but then it was unique to them because they created, like, you know, images around my art or included images onto the art that I screen printed, or I also welcome them to, like, screen print themselves, because screen printing is a very exciting process to do.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:43:32] Yeah.

Ewuresi Archer [00:43:32] So, yeah, that’s awesome.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:43:37] How do you want your overall work as a public artist or even maybe just in the workshops, like, we just talked about to sort of impact the community around you?

Ewuresi Archer [00:43:46] Well, I just want- I hope, like, for people who are not familiar with, you know, Ghanaian culture and can’t really relate in that way, I just hope that they come to my art and appreciate, like, the little things in life, because I essentially, that’s what I’m doing. It’s, like, appreciating, like, the things that, you know, I once took for granted that were little then, but then now, for me, I’m like, these are like. I mean, these are little things to celebrate, but they’re huge things to celebrate. So I hope people can, you know, do some self reflection. Yeah. And then I also hope people just enjoy the. My art, because it is colorful. And I always. Yeah, it’s just a very colorful. That’s the whole point. Like, I’m a huge color person in my art because I want to invite people in. So, yeah, I hope people, you know, come to my art and are inspired in some way themselves. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:44:56] What advice would you give to younger artists or just growing artists who wish to design creative spaces in their own communities that they’re in?

Ewuresi Archer [00:45:06] I would say just go for it. Yeah, I would say just go for it. And I would say, like, things may seem intimidating, but it never. Nothing could never be that intimidating, you know, because, like, I mean, back to me learning how to weld. I would never have guessed that I would learn how to weld, because that’s something I never in my life thought of. But then I, like, just did it, and it was the best thing ever, so, yeah, I would just say, like, do it. Like, whatever you want to do, just try to do it. Yeah. And if you. And just, like, also, if you need help, just ask for help, because there’s people out there who will help you. Yeah. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:45:53] Is there anything else that you want to add before we wrap up the interview? Like, any final thoughts or experiences or advice that you think is important for others to know you as an artist or just as a person, too?

Ewuresi Archer [00:46:05] As a person, I just- I may seem serious, but I really am, like, I don’t take things seriously, but I do take things seriously, but I’m always, like, joking. Like, yeah, that’s another thing I would say. Like, some things you should take very seriously, and then some things you should just, like, I don’t know, have fun. Don’t take things too seriously sometimes. Yeah. Because, like, and then I would hope that people would also know when to be serious, because I’m not trying to be like, well, just don’t be serious all the time. But it’s like, no, I would hope that you would be able to pinpoint when you should be serious and when you shouldn’t be. Yeah. Which is. I mean, it’s not easy all the time, but again, if you, like, don’t ever feel, like, shy to, like, ask for help. That’s something I’ve also learned to myself. Like, I’m someone who’s, like, kind of introverted, and I. I’ve realized that. I mean, I’m also very hyper independent. But sometimes if you need help, just ask for help. You can’t- Like, I mean, we can do a lot of things by ourselves, I believe, but I think sometimes you should just ask for help if you need help. Right. And. Right. And that way, you get to, like, collaborate with other people, and then other people also, like, have way more insights than you do. Like, I mean, I’m, like, an artist, and I’ve done a lot so far, but then there’s also people who have done way more than me, so it’s like, I can’t. Like, I have knowledge, but then I know there’s someone out there who has way more knowledge than me, so, of course I’m gonna reach out if I need help. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:47:38] That’s a good way to look at it.

Ewuresi Archer [00:47:39] Mm-hmm.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:47:39] Anything else to add?

Ewuresi Archer [00:47:40] Yeah. Thank you for interviewing me. Yeah.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:47:49] Thank you so much for meeting with me.

Ewuresi Archer [00:47:51] Of course.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:47:51] The time is now 3:02 PM. And I’m going to stop the recorder and complete the interview with Ewuresi.

Ewuresi Archer [00:47:57] Thank you.

Makialani Kanewa-Mariano [00:47:58] Thank you.

Ewuresi Archer [00:48:01] Of course.

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