ArtWalk Artist Talk With Traé Brooks

Join us for an evening with current ArtWalk artist Traé Brooks before his show closes on August 29.

Blending sculpture, painting, and found materials, including worn clothing and personal artifacts, Brooks’ multidisciplinary exhibition explores how individuals carry history through memory, ritual, and material.
 
In this space, remembering becomes a source of connection, and shared grief opens pathways for collective reflection and care.
 
Brooks’ work also reflects on the impact of systems of power on communities while opening space for dialogue, healing, and envisioning more just and compassionate futures.
 
Artist Statement
“My art is about the people I love: my family, friends, and the connections that shape who I am. Through painting, sculpture, and installation, I explore how we form bonds with each other and how these relationships define my sense of belonging and identity.

My process is experimental and playful. I work with whatever materials feel right: paint, metal, fabric, found objects, family heirlooms, even worn clothing. These materials carry their own histories, and I use them to capture something essential about the people I'm depicting. Sometimes I'll paint portraits with bold colors and expressive brushstrokes. Other times I'll weld metal sculptures or create installations that incorporate personal objects that hold memories.

My work investigates how we hold onto our histories and how those histories shape who we are. The personal is political for me, especially as a person of color. I feel a responsibility to represent and honor people from marginalized communities and to show how our everyday lives and relationships hold deeper meaning. I believe art can be a catalyst for reflection and social change.

At the same time, my work is closely tied to my spiritual background and serves as a way to venerate the people in my life, honoring those connections in the past while nurturing the ones that exist in the present. Much of my recent work reflects on grief, mortality, and the loss of relationships. I want my art to serve as a reminder for us of our inherent connections to each other, and to serve as a reflection of my heart,” said Brooks.