{"id":73528,"date":"2026-03-10T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/?p=73528"},"modified":"2026-03-10T17:59:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T22:59:25","slug":"the-mississippi-rivers-power-and-influence-on-an-artists-artistic-practice-an-interview-with-allena-marie-brazier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/the-mississippi-rivers-power-and-influence-on-an-artists-artistic-practice-an-interview-with-allena-marie-brazier\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mississippi River&#8217;s Power and Influence on an Artist&#8217;s Artistic Practice: An Interview with Allena Marie Brazier"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The water has always captured my attention. It is ancient and young. It is gentle and rough. I\u2019ve seen its terrifying power, but I have also benefited from its innate life-giving power. <a href=\"https:\/\/camstl.org\/exhibitions\/make-the-river-present\/\"><em>Make the River Present<\/em> <\/a>was curated by Michelle Dezember, Director of Learning and Engagement at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, and Allena Marie Brazier. The show, which opened March 7, 2025, encouraged visitors to engage with both the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. I&#8217;ve been following Brazier&#8217;s art for awhile now and I am always amazed by the projects she is working on. She is an artist, curator, and community organizer based in East Saint Louis with a deep commitment to St. Louis and its communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"876\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/brazier-image-876x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A photograph of Allena Marie Brazier. She is standing in the center of field wearing a turquoise wither coat with a black shirt underneath with black pants and boots. Image courtesy of the artist.\" class=\"wp-image-74093\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/brazier-image-876x1024.jpg 876w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/brazier-image-257x300.jpg 257w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/brazier-image-768x897.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/brazier-image.jpg 1121w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image: A photograph of Allena Marie Brazier. She is standing in the center of field wearing a turquoise wither coat with a black shirt underneath with black pants and boots. Image courtesy of the artist.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Charlie Farrell (CF):<\/strong> Introduce yourself. What are some core tenets of your art&nbsp;making practice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Allena Marie Brazier<\/strong> <strong>(AMB):<\/strong> I\u2019m Allena Brazier, a curator and artist based in East St. Louis, Illinois. I work fluidly across sculpture, installation, photography, painting, and writing, often drawing inspiration from urban and natural environments, history, and faith. I reflect on my connection, questions, and experiences within the communities I am a part of to create immersive installations and exhibitions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CF: <\/strong>What was your relationship to St. Louis and East St. Louis growing up?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AMB:<\/strong> Generations of my family have called this region home. As a child my family and I would travel across the Mississippi River on any given bridge between both cities. Travelling to St. Louis served purposes from doctor appointments and sporting events, to walks in the park with the family and viewing the Fourth of July fireworks. I enjoyed visiting St. Louis because of its vastness, fast pace, and regional differences in comparison to my hometown, a smaller city region where days were just as enjoyable, time slowed, and the people and places were intimate. East St. Louis is my home and one of the foundational cities to my family&#8217;s lineage where my interest in natural and built environments took root and continues to this day.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CF: <\/strong>What was your experience in graduate school? How do you think your time at Washington University in St. Louis shaped your practice?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AMB:<\/strong> I am happy with my experience in graduate school, I was able to grow personally and professionally with no limitations or hardships within the larger institution. The program was interdisciplinary and independently led with professional guidance, exactly what I needed at the time. My interest in social interaction and environments simultaneously were honed in towards a personal expression of place-based work and expanded my understanding of material and abstraction. Being a university based in St. Louis, WashU was a site specific experience that mentally and physically allowed me to consider all my observable interconnections between East St. Louis and St. Louis in the culture, landscape, and the materiality of place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was the inaugural Sam Fox Curator in Resident, which pushed me professionally. Much of my time was spent on administration, logistics, and connecting with artists in the St. Louis metropolitan region. My first exhibition in this position was titled <em>Belonging: Cross River Art Exhibition<\/em>, focusing on artists&nbsp;bordering the Mississippi river in the Missouri and Illinois states.&nbsp;These relationships have been cultivated carefully with respect, care, and continued support.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"976\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WaterWays-Show-Image-2-1-976x1024.jpg\" alt=\"(from left to right): Hovering Over in My Sleep - Genesis 1:2; Dark Waters; Mark 4:35-41, ink, 2025. Three paintings arranged in a row on a light colored wall. All paintings are from Allena Marie Brazier solo show: WaterWays.\u00a0Image courtesy of the artist.\" class=\"wp-image-74245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WaterWays-Show-Image-2-1-976x1024.jpg 976w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WaterWays-Show-Image-2-1-286x300.jpg 286w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WaterWays-Show-Image-2-1-768x806.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WaterWays-Show-Image-2-1-1464x1536.jpg 1464w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WaterWays-Show-Image-2-1.jpg 1496w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 976px) 100vw, 976px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&nbsp;Image (from left to right): Hovering Over in My Sleep &#8211; Genesis 1:2; Dark Waters; Mark 4:35-41, ink, 2025. Three paintings arranged in a row on a light colored wall. All paintings are from Allena Marie Brazier solo show: WaterWays.&nbsp;Image courtesy of the artist.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CF: <\/strong>What does it mean to you to be working between St. Louis and East St. Louis and within the context of place-based practices?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AMB:<\/strong> Working between St. Louis and East St. Louis means recognizing that even places in proximity can have distinctive social constructs, historical backgrounds, present-day challenges, and celebrations. The landscapes of each city are not only different from one another, but also within their own city limits. Experiencing this makes me more aware of my position and role as an artist and curator (person), and of my responsibility and desire to learn and research when making decisions about place-based work or organizing within an organization, institution, or venue. Working this way has shaped my sensitivity when visiting other places and has strengthened my commitment to learning. Understanding a place also informs how work relationships develop; the details of infrastructure like streetways, construction, large corporations, and local businesses all shape interactions, meetings, and relationships to the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CF: <\/strong>What does the Mississippi River mean to you?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AMB:<\/strong> The Mississippi River grew into my life; well, rather, I grew to know and recognize the Mississippi River. One, its power and physical nature as water. Two, its power shaping history, land, and cultural identities. I might have taken the Mississippi River for granted, going and coming through an industrial landscape, focusing only on social experiences. The river, even though it was close to my hometown, I did not interact with it for too long. It quietly rushed under my feet. Now more than ever, the Mississippi River means home. It provides a sense of self-orientation. Learning more about the river has made me more aware of how powerful and vast it is and how it is important to community, culture, and life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/River-Poem--512x1024.jpg\" alt=\"River poem written by Allena Marie Brazier. Black, italicized text on a blue background. Some text is bolded. Courtesy of the artist.\" class=\"wp-image-74016\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/River-Poem--512x1024.jpg 512w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/River-Poem--150x300.jpg 150w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/River-Poem--768x1536.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/River-Poem--1024x2048.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/River-Poem-.jpg 1081w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&nbsp;Image: <em>River poem<\/em> written by Allena Marie Brazier. Black, italicized text on a blue background. Some text is bolded. Courtesy of the artist.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CF: <\/strong>Can you speak on your relationship to water?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AMB:<\/strong> Surprisingly, my first two core memories with water are quite opposite but remind me of the life-joy-giving water has versus the dangers it possesses. My first memory was me in a pool as a child, around 4 years old. I had a drowning incident where the water rushed over me, and I was unconscious. Then, a few years later, I was taking swim lessons, never quite mastering swimming. However, I still enjoyed the water and would go swimming all the time, and I still enjoy water to this day.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My draw to water within my artistic and curation practice began in my hometown along the Mississippi River, a site of industrial growth that also carries the weight of racial violence, segregation, and historical erasure, and has expanded through my travels to Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The river&#8217;s key influence on history and community has shaped my work and understanding of water\u2019s cultural and spiritual significance. It has inspired curated shows like <em>Belonging: Cross River<\/em> and my solo show <em>WaterWays <\/em>which is based on historical and Christian-gospel perspectives.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"963\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"74017\" src=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-4-Black-Bean-natural-dye-Bleach-1-963x1024.jpg\" alt=\"No Strings Attached art series by by Allena Marie Brazier, burlap, 2023. A burlap piece\u00a0bleached and dyed with black beans is gathered in bunches and hanging on the gallery wall. Image courtesy of the artist.\" class=\"wp-image-74017\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-4-Black-Bean-natural-dye-Bleach-1-963x1024.jpg 963w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-4-Black-Bean-natural-dye-Bleach-1-282x300.jpg 282w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-4-Black-Bean-natural-dye-Bleach-1-768x817.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-4-Black-Bean-natural-dye-Bleach-1.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 963px) 100vw, 963px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"74018\" src=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-detail-2-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"No Strings Attached art series by by Allena Marie Brazier, burlap, 2023. Detail of No Strings Attached. Shadows of burlap are cast onto the wall. Unravelled pieces hang. Image courtesy of the artist.\" class=\"wp-image-74018\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-detail-2-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-detail-2-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-detail-2-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-detail-2-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-detail-2-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"74025\" src=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-steel-oxidation-stain_-1024x1024.webp\" alt=\"No Strings Attached, burlap, 2023. A horizonal burlap piece stained with oxidation of steel is hung on the gallery wall.\u00a0Image courtesy of the artist.\" class=\"wp-image-74025\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-steel-oxidation-stain_-1024x1024.webp 1024w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-steel-oxidation-stain_-300x300.webp 300w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-steel-oxidation-stain_-150x150.webp 150w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-steel-oxidation-stain_-768x769.webp 768w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-steel-oxidation-stain_.webp 1067w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"74026\" src=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-detail-3-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Detail of burlap piece stained with oxidation of steel stands out amongst the other golden pieces of burlap.\u00a0Images courtesy of the artist.\" class=\"wp-image-74026\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-detail-3-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-detail-3-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-detail-3-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-detail-3-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burlap-Piece-detail-3.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">Four Images (Top from left to right): <em>No Strings Attached<\/em> art series by by Allena Marie Brazier, burlap, 2023. A burlap piece&nbsp;bleached and dyed with black beans is gathered in bunches and hanging on the gallery wall. Detail of <em>No Strings Attached<\/em>. Shadows of burlap are cast onto the wall. Unravelled pieces hang.&nbsp;(Bottom from left to right): <em>No Strings Attached<\/em>, burlap, 2023. A horizonal burlap piece stained with oxidation of steel is hung on the gallery wall.&nbsp;Detail of burlap piece stained with oxidation of steel stands out amongst the other golden pieces of burlap.&nbsp;Images courtesy of the artist.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CF: <\/strong>The Mississippi River is used to transport people, goods, and ideas. Do you see the Mississippi River as a collaborator?&nbsp; What does it mean for you to be in dialogue with the River?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AMB:<\/strong> The river has natural qualities that provide and shape the landscape and benefit people through its water cycle. Inherently, it also has turbulent processes that can be detrimental to life. Our presence can work with these cycles or against them, increasing or amplifying the river&#8217;s raw nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s more than seeing the river as a collaborator; it&#8217;s about the actions and language used when the river is involved in systems of use. As I interact with the river, I consider my attitude and how I understand my presence and behavior within nature. The river is a natural source, and as I interact with it in my work, I consider my attitude, goals, and genuine curiosity and awe to better understand my presence and behavior within nature. I have not used the river directly, but create and discuss it through stories, visuals, writing, and curation, seeing it more as an active place than as material. The river has its own cycles that may, at times, align with my needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center six-pattern-credit is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CF-headshot-edited-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-74315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CF-headshot-edited-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CF-headshot-edited-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CF-headshot-edited-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CF-headshot-edited-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CF-headshot-edited-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CF-headshot-edited-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CF-headshot-edited-2048x2048.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Portrait by Rog Walker\/Paper Monday<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p><strong>About the Author<\/strong>: With a commitment to deep listening and thorough investigation, Farrell strives towards a practice filled with curiosity and rigor. They work to destabilize entrenched historical narratives of traditional art historical canon(s). Relationality across time and space is a point of interest for Farrell. The question of, &#8220;How can we exist better together?&#8221; drives her practice. She currently serves as the Assistant Curator at&nbsp;Counterpublic.&nbsp;@artfully.thought<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On seeing the river as more than a collaborator.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":74013,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281,443],"tags":[5004,4224,514],"byline":[9583],"class_list":["post-73528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists","category-interviews","tag-curators","tag-regional","tag-st-louis","byline-charlie-farrell"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Mississippi River&#039;s Power and Influence on an Artist&#039;s Artistic Practice: An Interview with Allena Marie Brazier - Sixty Inches From Center<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sixtyinchesfromcenter.org\/the-mississippi-rivers-power-and-influence-on-an-artists-artistic-practice-an-interview-with-allena-marie-brazier\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Mississippi River&#039;s Power and Influence on an Artist&#039;s Artistic Practice: An Interview with Allena Marie Brazier - 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