Spotlight: Connor Henderson (he/they)

Early in the semester, current SPQ student Connor Henderson (he/they) was interviewed virtually. The interview is transcribed below! You can also read his bio here.

How does SPQ support your mission as a creator? What is the most important thing you’ve learned at SPQ thus far? 

I feel that SPQ supports my mission as a creator by allowing me to create in an open environment while still supporting me as a learner. I don’t feel any pressure to create anything to fit a specific narrative, but rather I feel encouraged to experiment and explore themes and ideas that are important to me. SPQ also offers courses that help me improve my practice and ways of thinking about art and the world around me. Last semester I took an art history course focused on the use of photography in social movements and facilitating social change. It really made me think about my role as a photographer and the responsibilities and power I hold to create positive change.

Please provide 3 or more pictures of your favorite work(s) produced during your enrollment in SPQ (or that relates to your work in the program). 

Here is a little about my thought process with this work: Focusing on the ideas of intimacy, and isolation I have created these fragmented images to express this strange feeling of relating during a pandemic. This project started there but I quickly realized that the images I was creating are far different from anything I would normally create digitally. I found myself framing my images in new and different ways using my film camera, and I found a unique tension between myself and the lens that I do not feel when working digitally. I then printed and manipulated the work by hand which has given another level of interaction with this imagery. The images are almost an archive of both pieces of memory and actual experiences of living during this time. While this work is not going to cure Covid, it has given my partner and me a new lens on our relationship. Working together to create this work has of course at times been frustrating due to the process of this medium however, it has also been fulfilling, intriguing and comforting. 

Which one of your works best represents your mission? Pictures, links, etc. are encouraged!

I am attaching a photo titled “The boy within.” This is an image from an older series titled “The Boy Within” a series I created of a Drag Performer undressing under hot lamps. I shot them with a 35mm camera on a black backdrop. I began the project with several discussions of what drag is and what it can hide and mask but also what it can accentuate and celebrate about the performer. The images that resulted showcased vulnerability, but also confidence and power of “the boy within the queen.” I feel like this image and body of work represent my mission as an artist as I am so interested in the concept of identity and how we perform our own identities. For me, this series was a celebration of identity in the sense that we were “removing” one layer of identity only to reveal another.

How does your job as an educator fit into your experimental work and analysis of gender and identity? Have your students helped with your work in any way? If so, please share!

I love this question!! I feel that my job as an educator is a big facet of my identity and I think that while the artwork I make with students compared to my personal practice are definitely very different and separate, they both influence each other quite a bit. I think that my views on art-making are definitely shaped by working with my students. I feel that I get excited about trying new things and completely embrace making mistakes and because of that, I don’t feel restrained to only make art in certain ways or mediums. The idea that mistakes are only opportunities for learning is something I fully embrace as an artist and it is definitely because of my experiences as an educator. I can’t think of a specific way off the top of my head as to a student helping me with my work, but I will say that I feel I am constantly learning and gaining inspiration from my students. They challenge me to look at things in different ways, to stay inquisitive, to question anything I’ve taken for granted, and to understand different perspectives. I would definitely say that my students have shaped me into the artist I am today!

Is there anything else you want me to know about you?

My favorite colors are blue and purple, I’m an Aries, I love to cook, and in addition to being a teacher I also coach Cheerleading & STUNT!