A MULTIMEDIA HOME STUDIO
Joann Quiñones
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Editors: What techniques do you use to make your work and why? Joann Quiñones: I love slip casting and mold making. It is poetic and labor intensive. Conceptually, both techniques are still relevant to me as I think about the dehumanization of individuals in terms of both race and labor. The circumstances of the past year, however, have really impacted what kind of work I can make. Between transitioning into a home studio setup and a pandemic, it felt like so many avenues were closed—from the businesses where I could purchase supplies to facilities where I could have pieces fired. And yet, because artists are generous with their time, knowledge, and resources, I found I was really able to branch out and try new things. I have taken a wide range of workshops and classes online this past year during quarantine, from glaze chemistry to sculpting on a wheel. Through this process, I discovered that I have seriously underestimated things like press molds, the sculptural possibility of thrown objects, the value of making smaller work (especially when you only have a tiny kiln), and making larger works constructed 28
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2 1 View of Joann Quiñones’ home studio. 2 Molds and raw materials in Quiñones’ studio. 3 Quiñones’ Cress E911t kiln. 4 Joann Quiñones with her work. Photo: Destini Ross. 5 Work in progress, 2021.
