EXHIBITIONS
BRADBURY ART MUSEUM
SUNSOILSKIN&BONE - Jillian M. Browning
September 12th - November 20, 2024
Using self portraiture and the 19th-century photographic technique of cyanotype, I explore the intersection of personal history and botany, creating a topographic landscape of memory. My work captures the whispers of untamed fields, where resilient plants hold stories of the past, and the voices of my ancestors reverberate through nature.
Central to this series is the sugarcane plant, a symbol deeply rooted in my family's history. Its tall, swaying stalks echo the texture of my locs, intertwining my personal narrative with the natural world. This particular patch of sugarcane was planted by my father and left to thrive untended for years—a testament to resilience and life’s enduring cycles. The same hands that grew the sugarcane also nurtured me, the same soil that sustained the plant shaped my foundation, and the same sun that fed the cane also fostered my growth.
Through cyanotype, I weave together the intertwined growth of plant and person, capturing the echoes of my family’s legacy. These prints reflect a visual tapestry of life, memory, and nature’s craftsmanship—a reminder that the act of nurturing, whether of plants or people, leaves an indelible mark.
Bio
Jillian Marie Browning (she/they) is an interdisciplinary artist pursuing themes of feminism, identity, and the contemporary black experience. Born in Ocala, Florida they received a Bachelor of Science degree in Photography from the University of Central Florida in 2012 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art from Florida State University in 2015. They have had their work shown nationally as well as been included in the permanent collection of the Center for Photography at Woodstock, The Southeast Museum of Photography, and the University of Maryland’s David C. Driskell Center For The Study of Visual Arts and Culture Of African Americans and the African Diaspora. They currently serve as Assistant Professor of Photography at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
