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5 Questions to Destinee Ross-Sutton
Name and Role: Destinee Ross-Sutton, President of Destinee Ross-Sutton & Associates, Art Curation, Advisory and Management and the ROSS-SUTTON Gallery.
Favourite work: I don’t have a single favorite! Right now, my favorite work is snow at Argenteuil. I truly love that quiet after a fresh snow- before it’s trampled underfoot and turns into a gray slush.
Destinee Ross-Sutton_Headshot April 2020
- If you could have your portrait done by any artist dead or alive, who would it be?
I’d love to sit for Jordan Casteel. The amount of love she puts in her work really shines through. I feel like I’m reuniting with a long lost friend when I see her art.
- In a recent interview you said: “Ultimately, I want the artist to benefit.” What’s the most important thing we can do to allow Black female artists to benefit?
Black female artists need the space and support to do so. Of course everyone is an individual, so their needs are different, and that ultimately needs to be respected.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979-2005, photo: Wolfgang Volz © 2005 Christo and Jeanne-Claude
- Imagine you could live forever in one artwork. Which would it be and why?
I’d love to live in Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s “The Gates.” There’s not many childhood memories that stand out as much as running under the orange Gates in Central Park.
Kara Walker, Amy Sherald, Carrie Mae Weems
- In our episode we talk about inspiring Black female artists: Carrie Mae Weems, Kara Walker, Amy Sherald, just to name a few. Is there a difference for you between Black art and female Black art?
Absolutely, and as often as we think that isn’t a good thing in and of itself, at its core it’s just different. Some artists like to highlight these differences, and others shy away from it. Either way we are all really just exploring the facets of who we are.
- If you had a magic wand and could change one thing about the way Black art is understood, what would it be?
What stands out to me is the immediate politicization of Black art. Especially nowadays, adding a political tone to anything can become heavy. Some individuals want to create- and not bear that burden, and they should be allowed to do so.
My gallery is now open with “BLACK VOICES: Friend of My Mind” until January 8, 2021. A much larger version of the exhibition will be up on the Vortic Collect app starting Dec.22 – February 28, 2021
