Artist Spotlight

Malachi Floyd

In my own work I’m currently doing a lot of drawing, observational and stilllife practices. I pull a lot from life around me right now and the spiritual energy that is directing me at this point whether I acknowledge it or not. I’ve always been guided by the practices my mom introduced me to like African dance, Egyptian theology or Sankofa, a concept that emphasizes the importance of learning from the past to inform the future.

When I first started glass blowing, it was almost a tribal communal experience. I entered the hot, dark shop and my mentor was almost shaman-like pulling this rod of molten lava, having to keep it on center. It was like alchemy or magic and glass blowing became like spellcasting for me. You practice this spell over and over again through repetition and if you cast the spell wrong you create this misshapen object.  

The routine has been therapeutic for me. When I pour fresh water into a bucket to wash my brushes before I begin painting is all a part of this spiritual practice for me. 

I’m never seeking perfection. When I make a mistake, I’m looking at it as an opportunity of what could be. Discovery is what inspires awe within me and what I hope visitors will experience when they enter MoA.