Vetiver (Vonne Napper) '22

Community Arts, MFA '22 Community Arts

Vetiver (b. 1989) is a transdisciplinary artist, facilitator, educator, printmaker, and land steward. Their practice centers on preserving Black queer & trans identities & narratives and promoting spiritual wellness. Identifying as nonbinary & trans-masculine, Vetiver pulls from their lived experience to highlight the challenges of existing at a particularly targeted intersection in society, and employs their ancestry and relationship with nature to establish connections between the communities to which they belong.

Vetiver was the first artist from the Community Arts MFA program at Maryland Institute College of Art to hold residency at the B&O Railroad Museum, where they developed the first arts-based program, The Roundhouse Connection, for middle school students. In 2024, they were one of two resident artists in the Joshua Johnson Council x Maryland Institute College of Art x Baltimore Museum of Art Artist-in-Residence program, where they created their first iteration of the living archive for the Black queer and trans community which incorporates linocut portraiture and transcribed narratives. In addition to exhibiting works and facilitating workshops throughout Baltimore City and surrounding areas, they currently steward Blue Light Junction, a natural dye initiative, as Garden & Studio Manager, where they study the spiritual benefits and interdependence of plants and the cultural significance and heritage of working with natural dyes. As co-founder of Lacy Oasis, a Black-owned recreational land in Owings, MD (Piscataway Territory), they help steward the land with their sister to ensure the legacy of their late grandmother, Julia Lacy, is fulfilled. With printmaking, Vetiver continues to work on a living archive dedicated to preserving identities and experiences within the Black queer and trans community.

REUHSEMBL carries the essence (and faith) of putting oneself together again after dismantling thought patterns, behaviors, and negative perceptions brought on by others, and re-establishing a foundation and relationship with inner and higher guidance to thrive. This first iteration of the ARCHIVE includes an 18"x24" linocut portrait of three people (Brandon, Boutzie, and EJ) that identify has nonbinary, queer, and/or trans and have inspired the artist and impacted their life in one way or another. Each conversation with all three individuals carried a sacred vibration, and, in turn, elevated this project to a degree that could not have been predicted. They were prompted to choose one word from a list given to them before their scheduled interview that related to their existence, spirituality, and joy. Each interview was recorded and transcribed for online access via the artist's website. + Enlarge
Am I Visible? speaks to the phenomenon of being made visible (or invisible) in today’s society as a Black queer and trans person, and the adverse effects it places on an individual. Though it can be affirming to feel seen amongst others in the general public, policies made against the trans community pose threats to one's livelihood while striving to live authentically. Featuring photos from childhood, where the artist is shown wearing white, shades of pink and blue make up the majority of the artwork to invoke the idea of stepping away from the gender binary. + Enlarge

REUHSEMBL

REUHSEMBL carries the essence (and faith) of putting oneself together again after dismantling thought patterns, behaviors, and negative perceptions brought on by others, and re-establishing a foundation and relationship with inner and higher guidance to thrive. This first iteration of the ARCHIVE includes an 18"x24" linocut portrait of three people (Brandon, Boutzie, and EJ) that identify has nonbinary, queer, and/or trans and have inspired the artist and impacted their life in one way or another. Each conversation with all three individuals carried a sacred vibration, and, in turn, elevated this project to a degree that could not have been predicted. They were prompted to choose one word from a list given to them before their scheduled interview that related to their existence, spirituality, and joy. Each interview was recorded and transcribed for online access via the artist's website.

Date
Vetiver
Dimensions
18" x 24"

Am I Visible?

Am I Visible? speaks to the phenomenon of being made visible (or invisible) in today’s society as a Black queer and trans person, and the adverse effects it places on an individual. Though it can be affirming to feel seen amongst others in the general public, policies made against the trans community pose threats to one's livelihood while striving to live authentically. Featuring photos from childhood, where the artist is shown wearing white, shades of pink and blue make up the majority of the artwork to invoke the idea of stepping away from the gender binary.

Artist
Vetiver
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