Kevin Demery - Assistant Professor of Foundation at KCAI - is an interdisciplinary artist originally from the San Francisco Bay area who has exhibited internationally. Demery looks for poetry in objects in order to interrogate Black historical narratives and examine the sociopolitical context in which he finds himself as a Black man.

In his exhibition, A Lesson Before Dying, Demery takes on themes he describes as having “permeated African American communities from emancipation to present day.”

“Sculpture is the vehicle I use to engage the audience with iconic elements such as children’s puzzles, windchimes, and plaster-cast hands,” he notes. “Many of the works reference specific histories and poetically interpret them within larger cultural experiences."

"I’m drawn to the use of unconventional materials to reveal the subtle nuances of the histories I awaken. In this, I find links between the objects I create and my experience growing up as an African American youth amid atmospheres riddled with political inertia, poverty, and violence," Demery said.

A jury of contemporary art professionals selects the Charlotte Street Visual Artist Awards recipients each year. Nelson-Atkins Sanders Sosland Senior Curator of Global Modern and Contemporary Art Stephanie Fox Knappe joined Hyperallergic Senior Editor Hakim Bishara, Walker Art Center Assistant Curator of Visual Arts Taylor Jasper, and Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth Curator Marina Elena Ortiz to choose the 2024 awardees from more than 100 applicants.

For full details on the 2024 Charlotte Street Visual Artist Awards and their recipients click here to read more.