Artist Statement

Brianna McIntyre is a St. Louis-born artist and maker whose work explores the intersections of identity, space, and material culture. With a background in political science, international development, and fiber/material studies, her interdisciplinary practice critically engages themes of race, gender, and sustainability through found objects, textiles, and furniture. She creates installations that draw on both traditional craft and contemporary design, often using reclaimed materials to explore personal and collective histories.

Rooted in fiber art and object design, Brianna’s practice incorporates used clothing, hair, accessories, and furniture to communicate narratives around the Black experience, domesticity, and social structures. Her construction methods—such as interfacing and layering disparate materials—allow her to create hybrid textiles that merge personal storytelling with cultural critique. The resulting works are often precarious in structure, reflecting larger societal tensions and the desire for stability.

Brianna holds a B.F.A. in Fiber and Material Studies and Designed Objects from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is the co-founder and creative director of Occupy Vacancy, a public art initiative in St. Louis; a board member of Project Fielding, a Chicago-based collective teaching tool literacy to femme and gender-variant communities; and the 2023 Wayfinding Fellow at The Luminary. Her work has been supported by the Regional Arts Commission, The Luminary’s Future Funds, and Women & Their Work in Austin, Texas. In 2020, she participated in the African American Craft Summit at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.