Ayana Evans facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ayana M. Evans
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Ayana M. Evans is an amazing African-American performance artist and teacher. She lives in New York City. She also teaches visual art at New York University and Brooklyn College. Ayana is also an editor for Cultbytes, which is an online art magazine.
Ayana Evans learned about traditional art forms like painting and sculpture. She also studied fashion design. In her performances, she uses everyday actions. These include crossing the street or changing clothes. She does this to show what it's like to be an African-American woman. She has performed in many places. These include streets, museums, and art festivals. She has performed in the United States, Martinique, and Ghana.
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Ayana's Early Life and Education
Ayana Evans grew up in Chicago. Her parents were both therapists. Her mother was from Alabama and her father from Mississippi. Ayana studied art at several great schools. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting. This was from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. She also got a Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual Arts from Brown University. She attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. She also has a degree in Accessories Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Ayana's Art Career
Ayana Evans started with fashion and painting. Then she moved to performance art. She wanted to challenge people who watched her art. She explained that in performance art, you don't worry about selling things. She said you can make a very angry painting. But people can just walk away from it. With performance art, she can make people react right away.
Since becoming a performance artist, she has performed in many places. These include museums, galleries, and art festivals. She has performed in the United States and Africa. Some places are the Newark Museum and Queens Museum. She also performed at the Bronx Museum and the Barnes Foundation. She was also at Ghana's Chale Wote festival.
Famous Performances
Ayana's live performances are very interesting. One is called "Operation Catsuit." For this, she walks around New York City. She wears a bright green zebra-print bodysuit. She also wears purple high-heeled shoes. She watches how people react to her.
Another performance is "I Just Came Here to Find a Husband." She wears a sign with this phrase on her back. She wears it while attending public events. This performance needs a lot of strength. She often walks for 2 to 4 hours. Sometimes it's very hot. She answers personal questions and listens to advice. She also poses for photos and explains her art.
In 2017, she performed "Throwing Hexes." This was part of an exhibition at the Barnes Foundation. Also in 2017, she performed "African Body Snatchers." This was at the Chale Wote Street Art Festival in Ghana.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Ayana performed online. She was part of the Inverse Performance Festival. She also spoke at Black Portraitures, an event about art and identity.
Awards and Collaborations
Ayana Evans has received many awards and grants. She has also been an artist-in-residence. This means she gets to live and work in a special place for artists.
- She was an artist-in-residence at Art on the Vine in 2019.
- She was a fellow at EFA's Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop in 2018.
- She was a resident and grant recipient at Artists Alliance Inc in 2018.
- She received the Franklin Furnace Fund for performance art in 2017-2018.
- She was a fellow for Interdisciplinary Arts at the New York Foundation of the Arts in 2018.
- She was an artist-in-residence at El Museo Del Barrio in 2016.
- She received the Jerome Foundation's Theater and Travel & Study Grant in 2015.
Ayana has also worked with other famous artists. These include Marina Abramovic, Tania Bruguera, and William Pope L.
Ayana's Art Style
Ayana Evans's art often tells stories about black women. She explores social ideas about her own life. She was trained in painting and fashion. So, color, texture, and fashion are important in her work.
Her performances often use bright fabrics and plastic tiaras. She also uses high heels, makeup, and everyday objects. These things help her connect with people. They also connect her art to popular culture.
Operation Catsuit
In 2012, Ayana found the special catsuit. It was at a sample sale. It fit her perfectly. So, it became her art uniform. It became her trademark. Ayana says wearing the neon catsuit is about accepting herself. It's about being confident.
She hopes that her "Operation Catsuit" shows others to be themselves too. In this series, she often does long solo actions. She might do jumping jacks or high kicks in heels for hours. She might do push-ups in heels in the street. These actions show the problems of racism and unfairness. They also show the power of a woman taking up space. This space is usually for men in the United States.
In 2019, she shared this project at the College Art Association's conference.
I Just Came Here to Find a Husband
This performance is ongoing. It combines physical and mental strength. Ayana wears a sign that says: "I Just Came Here to Find a Husband." She started this piece in 2015. She wanted to create her own family. She was also frustrated about not finding a husband.
This performance uses humor for some people. It makes others feel a bit uncomfortable. It shows the pressure women feel to have a family. A writer at The Root said it also comments on how men and women look at each other.
Social Health Performance Club
Ayana Evans helped start the Social Health Performance Club in 2014. She started it with Esther Neff and Elizabeth Lamb. This group of artists creates events and art projects. They use performances to explore social relationships. They believe art needs ongoing discussion and safe spaces. The club has performed at places like JACK and Abrons Arts Center. They also performed at Queens Museum.
Other Projects
Ayana Evans also helped edit a book. It's called Institution is a Verb: A Panoply Performance Lab Compilation. She worked with Esther Neff, Tsedaye Makonnen, and Elizabeth Lamb. A writer named Seph Rodney praised the book. He said it showed how artists used their space to become powerful. Martha Wilson said the book was important. She said it helps people understand performance art in the future.
Ayana Evans has also organized art shows. One was called Your Decolonizing Toolkit. She co-curated it with Anna Mikaela Ekstrand in 2016.
