2025/26 MCAD–Jerome Fellow Interview: Connor Rice (CRICE)

Melanie Pankau
In your practice, you combine bold iconography that is heavily influenced by hip-hop, street art, ancient hieroglyphs to translate complex themes of Black identity. Could you share with us how you incorporate these motifs into a work or project?

CRICE: I utilize imagery and stories from the Black diaspora to illustrate themes around spirit that have continued from generation to generation. I begin all of my projects with a period of historical research before my ideation phase. This research often extends well past the ending of the creation phase. Ever since I was young I had a voracious appetite for studying history and myths. I continue this attitude of learning into my practice today by formulating a language of symbols that are found throughout my work. By depicting and referencing ethos from the past that resonate with me and my ancestors I am highlighting the legacy of our culture.

MP: Innovation and experimentation are key factors in your creative process. I’m curious, could you tell us more about how these methods drive your practice?

CRICE: I believe that transmutation through the practice of art is very important for humanity. Whether by changing attitudes and feelings through my practice or challenging rigidly defined mediums I want my work to reflect the sublime by incorporating elements of the unknown into my methods. This is often manifested as element changes or some other tweak to a system. Play is important to me and can often lead to amazing results that could never be contrived. Like in life, if you can appreciate the unexpected then the beauty of life reveals itself at the end of every action and my practice is just documenting that process.

MP: Themes involving time are central in your practice. You have described that your work explores a non-linear view of time, a temporal untethering, and realities across space and time. Could you talk about these ideas of time and how they show up in your work?

CRICE: I still remember the first time I heard my pop tell my brother that time was a construct. That concept stuck with me ever since and has shaped much of my understanding of this world. Time being a construct however doesn’t mean that time isn’t real. As with any movement, something that is done with enough synchrony will have an effect. When researching how other cultures explain and measure time you see a stark disconnect with our capitalistic society. This also is evident on western societies' reliance on 12 month calendars instead of the 13 month system. With so much confusion as to our true purpose it is no surprise to me that our understanding of the fourth dimension is also similarly obscured. I don’t think that the disconnect we feel is a coincidence. As a rejection of the artificial concepts around time I incorporate subjects that are significant to not only me but my ancestors as well. Through direct and intentional references I imagine each peace as a portal that flattens the timeline.

MP: You have spoken about the importance of scale in your work. How do you use scale to elicit somatic experiences in your viewers?

CRICE: I use scale most often to confront the viewer. The degree with which one is comforted or perturbed often varies based on the individual's proximity to the ideals found in my art. I learned a lot about monuments and art that is used to cultivate identity when I studied monuments abroad. In the U.S. it is more common for creativity to be funneled towards advertisement especially in the public sphere. Billboards and business signs are the most prolific examples of art being utilized at a scale that demands attention. My work is a rejection of those capitalist instincts and instead is referencing art that was used for civic cohesion and spiritual clarity found in ancient societies.

MP: You mentioned two books that have been impactful on your practice, The Artist Way by Julia Cameron and On Art and Mindfulness by Enrique Martínez Celaya. Can you tell more about how their words have influenced you? Or any other writer, thinkers, or makers that are inspiring?

CRICE: I recommend The Artist Way to everyone. I think that it can be tremendously helpful for anyone willing to humble themselves and put in the work whether or not they consider themselves a capital-A artist or not. Enrique Martinez Celaya is also an amazing writer about creativity and how that is confronted by the realities of modern life and personal ambition. I am currently reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X who of course has been an immeasurable source of inspiration in the culture. I have also been listening to a lot of lectures from Michael Parenti as well as esoteric themed podcasts. There are countless makers who I am inspired by so it would be impossible to write all of their names here. The ones I know should know how I feel! Keep Going!

MP: What has winning the MCAD–Jerome fellowship meant to you?

CRICE: I try not to focus too much on the worldly accolades especially when it comes to my art practice. Although it always feels good to push past a perceived defeat and find success through persistence. That being said I am very grateful for the opportunity to continue a tradition of excellence and a chance to sharpen and grow my own creative skills. I think as I continue my journey in this fellowship and even after that the true blessings of this opportunity will reveal themselves to me.

MP: If you could describe your work in one word, what would it be?

CRICE: Continuity