Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.

My name is Brittany Adeline King, and I am a dollmaker and community builder.

Are there any influences that are core to your work?

Probably the cyclical nature of lineage, or whatever song is stuck in my head.

How were you introduced to the mediums that you work with?

Most were introduced to me from growing up in church, going to Bible study or Vacation Bible School, or in after-school programs and camps. Drawing, painting, building, performing, taking photos; all kinds of expressions, under the guise of spirituality, playing around with friends, or simply waiting to be picked up to go home.

Is there a moment you look back on as being formative to your identity as an artist?

I would draw on my maa’s walls with crayons as a kid, encouraging my cousins to join along. I was probably four, and my inability to stop doing so, knowing what would happen if and when I did get caught, is something very aligned with my artistic drive even now.

What’s your current studio or workspace like? Do you have any rituals when you settle there?

My current studio setup is wherever I am in the world, accompanied by my CD player and, hopefully, my cat Beans.

What kind of imagery and/or material are you drawn to?

I’m really drawn to paper and thread because they’re so accessible. I can work from anywhere. I’m freed up. But these materials also don’t affect how small or big I wanna go, and that excites me.

When needed, where do you look for inspiration? Have/how have these sources changed over time?

I like to keep moving, bike, train, flight. It’s changed a bit now because I’ve made it more intimate for myself. I see the same responsibility in going to Liberia for grounding as I do in going to Trenton. Fresh perspectives can be wherever I want them to be, whether near or far away. This inspires me.

Are there any principles or ideas that guide your curatorial practice?

I grew up in enough community-sanctioned programs to feel the urgency and possibility of what built effort can achieve. When I think of curation, I immediately think of the collective. Who’s around me? How do we pull each other up? Or even a cypher, let’s go back and forth with it. Everything is a conversation.

What have you been exploring in the studio recently? Does/How does it build on work you’ve made in the past?

I’m in hand-sewn-paper-doll mode right now. My dolls are made of personal photos, diasporic advertisements, dreams, and thoughts, all jumbled up and threaded together. Dolls, sewing, and dreams have been incorporated in my work as early as my illustrations, stitched collages, pigtail paintings, dream boxes, etc. I’m thinking on the same themes and carving them out so the dolls can begin building their own world.

Are there common motifs that appear in your work often?

All of them are journal entries.

What do you collect?

I love a good tchotchke.

Interview edited by Paul Fitzpatrick