“Imagination is just as important as breathing”
Will Kasso Condry is a visual artist, graffiti scholar, and educator based in Brandon, Vermont. Born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey, Condry studied fine art and illustration at The College of New Jersey as a first-generation college student. He furthered his education with graffiti artist Daniel “POSE 2” Hopkins and muralist Dave McShane of Mural Arts Philadelphia. For over 20 years, he has worked with young people through a variety of community organizations. He has served as an artist-in-residence at Princeton University and Middlebury College. With Jennifer Herrera Condry and Alexa Herrera Condry, he founded Juniper Creative Arts, a Black and Dominican family collective that “uses visual art to uplift the voices of people on the margins.” His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions, and his murals have been commissioned by public, private, and corporate clients in New Jersey, California, and Vermont.
BMAC spoke with Condry, the inaugural winner of The Vermont Prize and the 2023 keynote speaker at the Vermont Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Ceremony, about his artistic practice.
BMAC: Your practice is so diverse in that you work in multiple media and often collaborate with others. What are you working on now?
Condry: I’m currently illustrating an album cover for Burlington-based musician, singer, and songwriter DonnCherie McKenzie. I’m also creating a new body of work that consists of oil and acrylic paintings on canvas. My family arts collective, Juniper Creative Arts, kicked off the 2023 mural season by facilitating a community mural at the Greater Burlington YMCA.
Mural at the Greater Burlington YMCA. Photo by Will Kasso Condry.
I used to collaborate frequently with others in my early days of graffiti and street art. However, as a Black artist, the challenge was that authorship of my work was consistently questioned, and I got tired of always having to prove I was capable of creating without assistance. I love the idea of collaboration but not at the risk of devaluing myself or my work. As Dave Chappelle says: “It’s hard being Black and gifted.”
Now, I only collaborate with my family. My wife, Jennifer, is my creative partner. We are developing a storybook based on our concept of The Afro-Pollinators, who help guide the world back on track through nature and mystical influence. The concept of The Afro-Pollinators allows us to explore ideas and imagery, no matter how fantastical, that center the racial minorities of Vermont. The Afro-Pollinators offer us the opportunity to teach youth how Black people and pollinators are linked. Each is pivotal to life itself and must be protected at all costs because we depend on each for survival. Black culture seeds the world. Our pollinators feed the world. Both are endangered. Protect the children (the seeds), secure the future (the world).
Mural at Hyde Park Elementary. Photo by Alexa Herrera Condry.
BMAC: Can you describe the Afro-futurist vision that you aim to express in your art?
Condry: The Afro-futurist vision I aim to express is simply Liberation. I coined the term “Liberation Thru Imagination,” meaning in order to liberate yourself from oppression, it takes imagination to create the life and future you want. I imagine a future where we, Black people, are immune to the virus of racism and bigotry. The characters and worlds I create in my paintings and illustrations are meant for us to see ourselves beyond any physical, mental, and societal limitations.
BMAC: What aspects of African diaspora culture and what aspects of science and technology do you draw on, and what kinds of dialogues do you aim to inspire by bringing these two themes together in your work?
Condry: I draw upon the spiritual practices of the African Diaspora, Afro-Indigenous and ancient Kemetic wisdom, and the elements of hip-hop culture. I mix these influences with Black resistance and resilience inspired by science fiction to comment on the ways current technological advances contribute to the growing disconnection from the natural world.
Kelis the Afronaut, (2020), aerosol and acrylic paint community mural, Champlain Elementary School, 20 x 33 feet
BMAC: Can you tell us how the collective Juniper Creative Arts, which you co-founded, got started? Can you briefly describe the collective’s mission and the range of projects the collective undertakes?
Photo by Alan Ouellette.
Condry: Jennifer and I established Juniper Creative Arts in early 2020, a month before the pandemic. Our daughter, Alexa, officially joined us after she graduated from the University of Vermont in May 2020. We each have our individual practices within the collective. I am the lead mural artist, Jennifer is the creative director, and Alexa is our documentarian and leads the art making workshops with community members and students. In addition, Jennifer is a spiritual herbalist, and Alexa is an emerging photographer and dotting artist.
The public art and mural work I’m creating alongside my family, in conjunction with the communities we work with, provides me with lots of creative nourishment. Creating with my wife and my daughter makes me happy. I trust and love them. That happiness is then transmuted into the artwork. We vibe high and that energy is sacred for us.
We are a Vermont-based Black and Dominican family collective, and we have a mission-driven practice of creating art that celebrates the lives and stories of the African diaspora. Our work and vibe are inspired by our cultural and spiritual lineages, hip-hop culture, the mystical, and the natural world. We believe in the power of the arts to heal, build community, beautify, and create dialogue. The purpose of public art and our mural work is to ignite conversation, to encourage people to think. I truly believe that the creative process and the relationship-building within it give the art its purpose. Since 2020, we have created over 20 murals throughout the state of Vermont.
Juniper Arts creating a mural at Waterville Elementary.
BMAC: What motivates your work with young people? As the keynote speaker for the 2023 Vermont Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, do you have any comments or advice for the next generation of visual artists and writers?
Condry: As a child, I was encouraged to create. I’ve been working with young people since 1999, and my motivation was always very simple: to show children that their imagination is just as important as breathing.
My advice would be to never, under any circumstances, quit pursuing your dreams or working on your art. Your craft requires time to mature. And the best art is made when enough time is given to it. Take your time with your art, and the universe will reward you.
Applications for The Vermont Prize are accepted from visual artists currently living and working in Vermont through March 31, 2023. There is no fee to apply. Learn more…
The 2023 Vermont Scholastic Writing Awards are on view February 18 - March 4, 2023 at Brattleboro Museum & Art Center. The awards ceremony takes place in person and online at 12 p.m. on March 4. Learn more…
