Boi Boy ('16 Fiber)
DIY Art Space Creator
Discovering your motivation as an artist helps shape the way you create and present your art. Making art that inspires others and provides the space for escapism is what inspires artist Boi Boy's (‘16 Fiber) drive to create.
While Boi Boy was in Kansas City, they were actively involved in the artist community and believed it was the key to being a great artist. Having the opportunity to go to events, parties, gallery openings, and performances influences their drive to create and helps them focus on what they want to make. Through this participation in the art community, Boi Boy noticed a gap. That’s when they decided to co-create ALTER (2017 -2018) with Bo Hubbard (‘16 Painting), an artist-run space that was collaborative and multidisciplinary. It sought to connect a variety of creative disciplines through interactive environments and unexpected programming.
Participating in and creating DIY spaces for the arts community has been a major motivator for Boi Boy and their practice. “My interest in starting an artist-run space came from not seeing the types of DIY spaces, events, programs, performances, or art that we wanted to see in this city. So we started a space and duck-taped it together, it was for us and other queer weirdos. This was the sort of space I wish I had growing up, so we decided to make it and have it exist for other people to enjoy.”
The art aesthetic that Boi Boy has developed is a built-up vocabulary of references and color palettes. From years of experimentation they have developed a distinct style and aesthetic. Behind each of the colors that Boi Boy uses is a different persona they have identified to represent themself.
“As my color palette grows, the cast of characters gets larger. It’s helpful for me as I am working through something to express myself in this way and ask myself what colors I am drawn to.” Boi Boy said. “That has developed over the years and has become the guiding principle that has affected the language and aesthetic I use.”
Along with their art characters, Boi Boy described their inspiration coming from cinema, thinking about narrative structure, set design, lighting, staging, and how people move through the space. They want to create an environment in order for other people to be the lead in their own play or narrative and shape what it means to them.
Throughout their time at KCAI, Boi Boy interned with fashion designer Peggy Noland, the Kansas City gallery, Plug Projects and since graduation was a part of the Charlotte Street Foundation in several different ways, starting as a studio resident and eventually becoming the Volunteer Coordinator. In 2017, Boi Boy was awarded a Rocket Grant as well as the Meow Wolf DIY Fund Grant to support the work happening at ALTER. In 2019, Boi Boy was awarded the Charlotte Street Visual Artist Award resulting in an exhibition at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Boi Boy co-curated the exhibition, Adorned, with Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, JoAnn Northrup. Currently, Boi Boy is attending the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University pursuing their MFA.
Boi Boy’s advice to current KCAI students “It’s your studio practice, make it what you want and have fun doing it. The perception of a starving artist is true but also an illusion that we put on ourselves and our art. Be playful with your ideas, experiment, and learn new things.”