Quána Madison

Growing Happiness

artlifting

QUÁNA MADISON | ARTIST, MODEL, AND PHILANTHROPIST | @artlififting

Interview by Charlie Price Photography by Zachariah White | @z.c.white

You are an author, artist, speaker and much more - how did you become so accomplished at such a young age?

I have experienced many complex traumas and challenges throughout my life. An essential ingredient in my healing process is expressing my creativity in meaningful ways. Embracing my creativity as a healing tool over the years has fueled my courage to pursue my creative dreams as an author, artist, speaker and more.

How would you describe your paintings and what would you like viewers to know about your work?

My paintings are visual mudras (symbols) about well being topics that are created during my creative meditation sessions. I contemplate inner peace messages and mental/emotional wellness practices. I visualize my reflections as colors, shapes and lines. Then I channel my creativity into a spontaneous gestural dance between myself and the canvas. As I paint, I consciously pour my positive energy into my art-making process, in hopes of uplifting the spirits of communities and art collectors that experience my art.

I believe art nourishes physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. I create art to promote inner peace, resilience, hope, healing and well-being in myself and others. It is a joy to nourish the well-being of others through my art.

You are very organized as well as calm, cool and collected as part of the Fashion West runways production team. I can tell you love the process of mounting the show. What do you love most about this project?

I love the exhilarating synergy that is cultivated between all the creatives involved in the Fashion West runway shows. I am passionate about supporting the team with creating the desired ambience and lasting impressions on the audience, when expressing the fashion stories that will be featured on the runway through garments, hairstyles and makeup.

Relentless Spirit of Transformation

"My paintings are visual mudras (symbols) about well being topics that are created during my creative meditation sessions."

Becoming Whole

Cultivating Joy

Art Nourishes Well-being

You also model, what has your experience in that realm been like?

I am a petite plus-size disabled model, who is relatively new to the modeling realm. I have experience as a commercial model and more recently as a fashion model. As a model with visible and invisible disabilities, I aspire to be a part of the movement to make the fashion modeling industry more inclusive. My disabilities include a fused ankle that impacts my mobility and invisible chronic illnesses that cause total body pain twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. In 2016, I nearly died from life-threatening surgical complications related to my previous treatments for cancer. Additionally, I experienced major complications from my double mastectomies and breast reconstruction that still impacts me everyday. Images of disabled persons in high fashion are almost nonexistent. There are many ableist barriers that can prevent opportunities. The fashion/modeling industry has a lot of space to grow with being more accessible and valuing models with disabilities. One of my dreams is to have more opportunities to model for high fashion clients, fashion designers and runway shows.

You are an advocate for severely vulnerable groups of people in society - how did you become involved in community work?

My great-grandmother told me, “Many of the opportunities that you have today, are because of the folks who came before you who walked the grass down—-so that there was a path for you (and future generations) to follow. It’s your responsibility to walk the grass down for those who will come behind you.” My great-grandmother’s message and personal experiences with folks advocating for me when I needed it have deeply influenced me. When I was a homeless teenager, a local church community strongly advocated for me. During this time of my life, I got involved with community service projects. I began helping on builds for Habitat for Humanity, working at soup kitchens, volunteering at shelters for survivors of domestic violence and helping in foster homes. As an adult, I have actively sought out ways to be involved in the community in formal and informal ways. I was an educator for over 15 years, who advocated for all my students. Currently, I serve as a board member for Envision: You, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting, educating and empowering members of Colorado’s LGBTQ+ community who are living with a mental health and/or substance use disorder. I also facilitate Creative Meditations for Colorado Artists in Recovery, as well as the Catholic Charities shelter for women experiencing homelessness.

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