Foundations — Grade 12 • Jackson, Mississippi
Alumni Art Exhibit Jennifer Drinkwater '97: The What’s Good Project
During these times of doomscrolling and cynicism, Jennifer Drinkwater dares to ask, “What’s good?” According to Drinkwater, “The What’s Good Project is my combined attempt to learn from folks, make art, and shift my default way of thinking.”
As a professional artist and educator since 2007, Drinkwater has explored contemporary life through a variety of lenses, including popular culture, the rapid pace of news cycles, and how we identify ourselves and others through various forms of media and technology. Beginning in 2018-19, Drinkwater began interviewing folks in communities in rural Mississippi, Michigan, and Iowa and was inspired by their meaningful stories of what’s good about where they live.
“Culturally,” Drinkwater says, “it seems we are addicted to negativity. According to sociologists Jan and Cornelia Flora, shifting focus from community challenges to community assets can result in more effective community improvement. Using that as a starting point, The What’s Good Project explores the following questions: What happens when we deliberately acknowledge and discuss the what's good in our communities? Can this build momentum and lead to communities getting even better?”Despite the absence of human figures, Drinkwater’s compositions are nevertheless full of life. Her painting technique balances vibrant hues layered beneath and between the structural and more rigid architectural forms in each piece. This approach creates movement and interest throughout, and her deft brushwork reveals areas of both abstraction and realism within each piece. The stories, however, are at the center of her artwork, offering a profound sense of humanity and optimism from within these rural settings that are so often overlooked.
Jennifer Drinkwater is a Mississippi native and St. Andrew’s graduate, class of 1997. She is currently an associate professor at Iowa State University and has been involved in numerous community arts programs. She has a B.A. in both studio art and anthropology from Tulane University and earned an M.F.A in painting from East Carolina University. Her paintings have been exhibited nationally in juried and group shows, and she has had solo exhibitions in venues all over the United States. Her work has been featured in Surface Design Journal, New American Paintings and Studio Visit magazine.
This exhibition will be on view at the St. Andrew’s Center for Performing Arts from January 19 – May 19, 2023. For information on purchasing artworks, please contact exhibition curator Lizzy Abston at info@eafineart.com or visit www.whatsgoodproject.com.
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Foundations — Grade 12 • Jackson, Mississippi