The Courage to Push Through

A R T I S T I N T E R V I E W S

THE COURAGE TO PUSH THROUGH

By Sarah Hermes Griesbach

Nala Turner’s capstone project for her Bachelors of Fine Arts exhibition at Truman State University solidified her notion of herself as a professional artist. What she initially intended as a group of five ceramic artworks turned into an impressive collection of 11 imposing vessels.

Turner found herself entering an acutely mindful state while meticulously building the large-scale coil vessels for that 2018 project. As she pulled up from clay coils to form 4-5 foot tall masterworks (they would be smaller after firing), she pulled up from her own roots. She accessed a technique she hadn’t used in years to form sculptural tributes to women who had shaped her deeply, women who had started long before she was born to give shape to this life she now lives.

Nala Turner, Dema (courtesy of the artist)

Nala Turner, the Aunts (courtesy of the artist)

Nala Turner, Mother and Sisters (courtesy of the artist)

Turner named each of her 11 vessels after a woman who has helped form her. She kept that woman in mind throughout the reduction and addition process as she carved each into a signifying pattern. Turner describes the sharp contrast between the smooth glazed interior and ornately carved exteriors of these sculptures as strategic. She refers to the exteriors as armor and matches the motif of that armor to her model.

Turner titled her exhibition of those carved coil vessels, Negritude or Attitude. Kara Walker and Hank Willis Thomas are both inspirations for her work. Turner interprets and expands her art practice through her awareness of work by other contemporary artists. Recently, at a major national conference, she made an effort to meet Judi Tavill, a ceramicist she admires. Afterwards, Turner learned that Tavill — this artist whom she had felt a thrill and some fear to meet — had integrated elements of her ceramic carving into her own practice, a great and unexpected compliment.

Turner has thought quite a bit about the differences between making and sharing 2 dimensional versus 3 dimensional works of art: “For a period of time while I was a student at Truman, I was creating so much ceramic work that my professor was a little annoyed that the kiln was perpetually full of my stuff. I realize now that I was having a reaction against the 2 dimensional assignments I was required to complete. Me and the pencil just weren’t working.

I used to feel like two different people when I moved from two-dimensional to three-dimensional artworks. I’ve now found themes that are clear constants in my work: femininity, strength, cultural misnomers regarding black women. These things were showing up in all of my work — showing up differently, but always there.”

She has since submitted artworks to printmaking exhibits and embraces 2D media without the acute ache to shape structure into clay. The push-pull of art materials somewhat parallels her battle between professional interests: psychology and ceramics. After the long battle she realized the war was unnecessary and she could embrace both her scientific, practical mind that enjoys datadriven research and her urge to knead earth and fire it into new forms.

Today, Turner attends Pratt Institute in New York City. She’s working toward a masters degree in art therapy and creativity development. She also works as an art handler at the C24 Gallery in Chelsea and is the first creative arts therapy intern at Mount Sinai Hospital. Her embrace of 2 dimensional art forms is a necessity in that work. She considers the soothing or inspiring, expressive or overwhelming qualities of the materials she offers patients. Sometimes that means watercolor, other times charcoal. Helping the patient connect to the media is part of the process in her work with them.

At this point, Nala Turner has something to offer as advice to those pursuing art careers and those mentoring emerging artists. Expertise and hard work alone do not get a growing collection of artworks onto walls or into galleries. And art school often does not include instruction on how to exhibit work. Drumming up confidence to ask for leads from those a step ahead has taken Turner to where she is now. Were she in charge of curating art school coursework, she’d include access to resources that direct student artists toward opportunities to enter the fray.

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