Casey Kaplan
JORDAN CASTEEL ON THE POWER OF ART RIGHT NOW
MAR 13, 2017
BY LEAH MELBY CLINTON
Aongst the never-ending, century-spanning talk about what art means—the ways it can impact society; how to define it—today’s political climate has us looking to gallery walls with an even sharper eye. What is the artist’s role in everything that’s happening out there? Recording, parsing, distracting?
“If anything, for me, it has affirmed why empathy and the sharing of stories continue to be necessary,” Jordan Casteel explained. The Colorado-born artist’s work has been lauded by big-time institutions like the Museum of Modern Art and the New York Times, and from our conversation, it’s easy to reconcile thoughts of the little, craft-loving girl raised by a justice-chasing family with the cerebral, Yale-educated creative she is now. Here, Casteel answers our questions on building a career, weathering criticism, and more.
What are some of your first memories of art?
For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to the act of making. I was the child who would ask for a box of “stuff” from Michael’s for Christmas. That box could include things like pom-poms, popsicle sticks, paint, construction paper, and, always, a glue gun. It would bring me hours of pleasure in exercising my imagination. I was making “art.” I had a part of our family room dedicated solely to my crafts. That space was sacred. It was one place where my brothers weren’t.
In general though, art was always around growing up. My grandmother, Margaret Buckner Young, was on the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and moved to Denver to be near her grandchildren. Although I only ever knew her as “Grams,” she had left behind a full life supporting the arts in New York City. She was collecting the works of Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Hale Woodruff, and many others before they had established names within the art canon. I was surrounded by this artwork every day, though I am not yet sure where or how I fit into that.
Why was going to a women’s college important to you?
If you had asked me as a junior in high school if I would ever consider going to a women’s college, I would have laughed. Having grown up with two brothers and all male cousins, I felt most comfortable in my relationships with men. Grams had taught educational psychology at Spelman College and my love and respect for her was profound, so the potential of following in her footsteps was something I wanted. However, I surprisingly found my home on the campus of Agnes Scott College [in Decatur, GA]. Agnes is an institution that had not previously been on my radar, but it took my breath away. I immediately changed my application to early decision. (I have made most of my major decisions in my life by trusting my gut.) My time there was life-changing.
“I CAME OUT OF MY SHELL AND EXPLORED THE POWER OF MY OWN VOICE, WHICH I BELIEVE COULD HAVE ONLY HAPPENED IN A SPACE WHERE I FELT THE CONFIDENCE AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF WOMEN.”
Before Agnes, I would have described myself as being brutally shy. There I came out of my shell and explored the power of my own voice, which I believe could have only happened in a space where I felt the confidence and encouragement of women. As a result, I cannot regret not having gone to an HBCU [historically black college or university]. I was still in Atlanta, close to Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta, and the like. I was still connecting with local HBCUs and running the Agnes Scott Black Student Union, Witkaze. The values of my grandmother continued on even if I was not in the physical location where she had once dedicated her time. I was defining my own journey.
Your body of work and professional CV, including work with Teach for America, make it obvious social justice is important to you. Where is that rooted?
My passion for social justice runs very deep. I come from a family where having compassion for others and fighting for equity is a non-negotiable. My grandfather was born to educated parents in Kentucky—a rarity for black families. His father, my great-grandfather, was the president of the Lincoln Institute, an all-black boarding high school that had a secret curriculum where they were educating students outside of the meager societal expectations. My grandfather, Whitney Moore Young, Jr., went on to serve as director of the National Urban League from 1961 to 1971, working as one of the “Big Six” during the Civil Rights Movement. He married my grandmother, Margaret, an educator and writer who went on to serve on many boards (Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Museum, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Girl Scouts, and New York Life Insurance) and write her own children’s books. My mother, Lauren Young Casteel, is the current President and CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado and was the first black woman to head a foundation in Colorado and the only person in Colorado to run three foundations.
All of which is to say: My legacy in education and philanthropy is undeniable. I think for much of my life, I did not know how this personal family history would fit into the life I wanted for myself. It wasn’t until college that the potential of merging my interests in education, social justice, and art presented itself, but the root of those passions has always felt clear.
“I COME FROM A FAMILY WHERE HAVING COMPASSION FOR OTHERS AND FIGHTING FOR EQUITY IS A NON-NEGOTIABLE.”
Can you identify a turning point in your career?
When I was accepted into the MFA program at the Yale School of Art, I knew that the opportunity had the potential to take me from painting in my bedroom in Denver to developing a career. But my time in that program was really grueling. I did not graduate with a sense of confidence in myself or the work, however, I was affirmed that hard work could pay off. I have always been really ambitious by nature, but being an artist, I have the opportunity to put my skills as a learner to good use. I continue to believe strongly that nothing can happen without the work. It is because of the work that I have had the opportunities I have had. [Art] is a practice, and with practice comes growth through failures and successes. I am in this profession for the long haul. I have to exercise patience and put all of my skills to use in order to ensure a thoughtful career.
“WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO OFFER SOMEONE VISIBILITY IN A WORLD THAT IS CONSTANTLY RENDERING THEIR HUMANITY INVISIBLE?”