Highlights from Jon Brown, Chidinma Nnoli, kg, and more!
Dear Readers,
Since long before my appointment as Storyteller at Ox-Bow, storytelling has been a part of the fabric of this treasured, 114 year-old institution. It’s how traditions, culture, and lore pass from one generation of Ox-Bowians to the next. In my role, I’m able to talk to the torch bearers of these traditions: faculty who have taught for decades, fellows who are spending their first summer on campus, and everyone in between. In 2023, we launched Ox-Bow News on our website. As we round out over a year of sharing stories online, we wanted to share some of our favorites. In this batch of highlights we share the story of our favorite bartender Jon Brown, former fellow Jack Holly, Artist-in-Residence Chidinma Nnoli, and many beloved others! Thanks for journeying with me and these artists by engaging with their stories. I look forward to sharing more story highlights with you in the months to come.
With admiration and gratitude,
Shanley Poole, Engagement Liaison & Storyteller
John Brown serves Ashley M. Freeby a drink. Photo by Jamie Kelter Davis.
Partner Profile: John Brown
The driving force behind John Brown’s career is a philosophy of hospitality. One encounters this spirit almost immediately upon meeting Brown, who lends winning smiles, gentle jokes, and a spark of curiosity to even the briefest of conversations. As bartender and mixologist, Brown explains it's his job to “throw a party for everyone,” and this is not a role he takes lightly. His primary goal of extending hospitality and putting guests at ease is extended through the one-on-one interactions he shares with those ordering drinks as well as the general atmosphere that his drinks build throughout the night.
A still from Jack Holly’s film Big Yellow Horse. Image courtesy of the artist.
Summer Fellow: Jack Holly
During the summer of 2023, after completing their BFA at the Kansas City Art Institute, Holly started their portrait series on campus where they spent 13 weeks as a Summer Fellow at Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists’ Residency. In each photo, an individual identifying as queer or gender nonconforming faces away from the camera and holds an object of meaning to them. “It's one of those projects that I kind of consider a sketchbook practice because it's not really a main tenet of my practice, but it's a way for me to continue photographing and getting to know people and understanding the weird part of people's lives,” explained Holly. During each portrait session, Holly incorporates an interview to better understand the individual. Oftentimes, the stories they reveal are deeply personal.
A headshot of kg and their dog. Image courtesy of the artist.
Artist Profile: kg
When I entered kg’s weaving class in January of 2022, I was drawn first to a mighty stack of books at the back of the studio. kg had arrived with an entire traveling library (though they clarified it was only a 12th of their collection). Over the years, these books have served as objects of sentiment and inspiration to kg’s practice and method of instruction. “I don’t actually assign readings,” they said. Instead, they talk about the possibilities with their students and allow them to mutually agree upon the texts they’ll engage together. After only a brief conversation with kg that January, I left with multiple book recommendations. The readings eventually selected for their courses are “the result of the conversations that are happening between students.” This in turn creates a course, a syllabus, a series of conversations custom fit to the community of learners. With this background in mind, I knew kg was an ideal facilitator for Longform, a residency built upon long talks, walks, conversation, and contemplation.
A headshot of Chidinma Nnoli in front of her work. Image courtesy of the artist.
Artist Profile: Chidinma Nnoli
Artist and Ox-Bow Alumni Chidinma Nnoli resists those that put her in boxes, and I understand why. She describes herself as a homebody who rarely leaves her home studio in Lagos, Nigeria, but in 2023 she spent two months in London, three weeks in Florida, and another three at Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists’ Residency. It all began with a desire to explore new places and create without the pressure of deadlines. “I needed to pause… and put out work that I was curious about,” Nnoli specified. To spur this shift, she decided to get out of her home studio, and the country while she was at it. “I wanted to go out and see new things,” Nnoli said. And so she did.
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Banner image: Portrait of John Rossi by Jack Holly. Image courtesy of the artist.