When Columbus mixed-media artist met fellow artist Aminah Robinson, he had all the jitters that come with meeting a legend.
鈥淚 came to Aminah鈥檚 house back in 鈥�91, and I got to meet her son, Sydney. And when I met Sydney, I was so starstruck that I asked him, 鈥榃hat do you think about your mother being an artist?鈥欌�� Brown said. 鈥淲hen I left, I thought, I should have asked he what does he dream? What is he about? And so that stuck with me all these years. And then I found out that he died young.鈥�
Aminah Robinson died in 2015, 11 years after receiving the for folk artists. Her artwork and her former home and studio on Sunbury Road are today hallowed as some of Columbus鈥� richest cultural treasures.
Now, as the recipient of the 2022 Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Fellowship from the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Columbus Museum of Art, Brown has the opportunity to work in Robinson鈥檚 former home and studio for the next three months.
Spending time in that space has made Brown reflect on that fateful first encounter with Aminah and Sydney Robinson. Fueled by his poignant memory of meeting Sydney Robinson and the powerful influence of Aminah Robinson鈥檚 artwork, Brown says he will devote his fellowship period to creating new work that forges connections with Aminah and her son.
For Brown, who says he never knew his father, those connections are nothing short of family.
鈥淔or me, family鈥檚 the thing that we all need,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淲hen I鈥檓 making art, I鈥檓 creating family. It鈥檚 how I connect and how I keep the family stories and tell the family stories.鈥�
Aminah Robinson鈥檚 former home and studio are full of stories and connections. The voices of Robinson鈥檚 friends and fellow artists resound in handwritten notes on the walls throughout the house. A bench in the front entryway is a vibrant chronicle of Columbus鈥� Poindexter Village, the neighborhood where Robinson grew up. The kitchen cabinets burst with Robinson鈥檚 bold line paintings of larger-than-life faces. The mosaic kitchen floor is a rainbow of ceramic tiles, shells, buttons and other 鈥渇ound鈥� objects.
Brown says he鈥檒l pay homage to Robinson鈥檚 artistic style and legacy during his fellowship period by creating work from many types of materials, including gourds, fabric, yarn and paint. But in the end, he says he aims for all of his new works to fulfill a higher calling.
鈥淢y assignment is really to comfort humanity. And to comfort humanity is to be human, to have hope,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淎nd so, every piece is laced with hope, is laced with comfort, is laced with my desire to touch and bring family to the table.鈥�
