Kianna Cooper

As a black woman born and raised in predominantly white spaces, I often found myself struggling with the relationship between the identity I’ve adopted overtime to assimilate into white spaces, and the intrinsic identity of being a black woman in spaces void of whiteness. Making art offered me an escape from reality – a means to cope with this. It gave me time to be with my thoughts in a way that was positive and uplifting, even though I often felt isolated and misunderstood. My work aims to explore the dichotomy of these two experiences and to come to terms with who I am because of it. The work I make is largely completed in either oil paint or clay due to the forgiving nature and tangibility of the materials. I find pencil and paper to be too suggestive and controlled for the themes that present themselves in my work – self-liberation, black femininity, and black aesthetics.


 


Kianna Cooper
Art Therapy ‘22

Born and raised in South Central PA, Kianna now permanently resides in Philadelphia, PA. Kianna is currently in her senior year, working to complete her Bachelor of Arts in Art Therapy. She has a passion for creative arts, arts education, and best therapeutic art practices to foster emotional health and well-being - with a specific regard to the therapeutic properties of clay materials. Studying Art Therapy at Temple has offered Kianna the opportunity to explore the various ways that art can be a catalyst for change, growth, self-actualization, both for herself and others.