Artist Statement:
“I make art to record dreams and experiences. I make art to create dreams and experiences.”

The process of bringing an idea from the inner space of imagination and feelings to an outer manifestation has fascinated me since childhood. I thought of art as play at its most sacred. I understand it now as the essence of what is often referred to as ritual. Often, that young me ruminated on the thought that this capacity to create must be part of our function in the evolution of life in the universe. Over the years I have become keenly interested in the fact of how we also become entrained by our own creations. Art imitates life, and then our lives return the favor.

I aim to use art as a social medicine, to stimulate the imaginative capacity within my audiences and myself, to prompt questions about the parameters of our assumed sense of reality.  I see art as a connective cultural technology. It is ritual, magic, medicine, social alchemy. I often feel that the real art is the experience of being created by the act of creating, and so I am passionate about facilitating creative experiences for people of all ages. I am interested in using art to explore ideas of connectedness and distance, sovereignty and slavery, authenticity and zombification, and what it means to be a part of nature in this human form. This inner exploration is also what I aim to bring to my workshops, and community art activity. By engaging the creator within, we connect to the flow of life around us and our awareness heightens bringing benefits to our lives, our relationships, and nature itself.


Bio:
I am a Baltimore based visual and performing artist, and community arts facilitator. I am a dreamer, a dream, a father, a gardener, a neighbor, a black man in America, and a being transcendent of these labels. I am indigenous to a soil that I am always walking barefoot through despite any appearances to the contrary. I was born in Trinidad, grew up in NY, and have called Baltimore home since 2002. I have been working in the public school system, with homeschool networks, the public library system, and partner with community organizations as  an art teacher, and community arts facilitator.

Artiscally, I have been primarily a visual artist, specifically a painter and sculptor. In the last decade I have been developing a sculpting technique using a clay derived from wood and recycled paper fiber to create low relief wall sculptures. I also work as an illustrator, muralist, film-maker, and animator. In 2016 I founded String Theory Theater, a small puppetry troupe composed of myself and my two daughters. We have been performing for adults, families, and children at various venues around Baltimore and have performed on the road in DC, PA, and CT. Our puppetry formats include marionettes, hand and rod puppets, shadow puppets, crankies,  large parade style puppets, video productions, and more.

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[email protected]  

JCC Video Interview

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Instagram: ​ dirkjart

store: ​ https://dirkjart.bigcartel.com/​

STT website: stringtheorytheater.com

STT Instagram: @stringtheorytheater

Awards, Grants, Commissions
2026 Bunting Neighborhood Leadership Program (John Hopkins Urban Health Institute)
2026 Joshua Johnson Council Artist Residency Award
2025 Mural Installation commission from Baltimore Office of Promotion & Arts / Artscape
2024 Urban Field Station Artist in Residence awarded by The Nature of Cities / USDA
2024 Mural Installation Commission from Rebuild Metro
2024 Free Fall Baltimore Grant recipient
2024 Created large scale puppets and curate community art exhibit for Cherry HIll Art and Music Festival
2023 Commission by The Peale Museum to create a historic crankie presentation on Moses Williams
2023 Jim Henson Foundation grant to produce a theatrical puppet show titled “DEFRAG”
2023 Arts in Action Grant from BOPA to develop and implement an experimental art education curriculum
2023 Grant from Maryland Historical Society to create large scale puppets for Artscape 2023
2022 Free Fall Baltimore Grant recipient for STT
2021 Commissioned by University of Maryland for puppet film titled “Material Witness”
2021 2nd place award in 48 hr Puppet Film Project for puppet film titled “Infloresence”
2021 Awarded film commission from Ibex Puppetry, Handmade Puppet Dreams for “Not By The Hairs”
2020 #Reflect Baltimore Award from Baltimore’s Black Arts District
2019 Window Art installation in Central Branch of  The Enoch Pratt Free Library
2019 Recipient of the a Grit Fund for String Theory Theater Baltimore Tour
2019 Free Fall grant recipient for STT
2018 BOPA grant to create large scale puppetry performances at 2018 Artscape






Exhibit History
Dirk’s Artwork has been shown at numerous galleries, libraries, community centers, and restaurants. A partial list of exhibit sites/events are listed below.



Gallery Reimagened, MD
Roosevelt Public Library, NY
Rawlings Conservatory, MD
Art Lab Baltimore, MD
Gallery 1448, MD
MICA, MD
The Whole Gallery, MD
Station North Arts Cafe Gallery, MD



George Washington Carver Gallery, NY
Corridor Gallery, NY
Rush Arts, NY
Skylight Gallery, NY
Magill House International Art Gallery, NY
African American Museum of L.I., NY
BHO Gallery, Canada 





Clients 
Graphic design, murals, data visualization, Illustration, film, animation (partial list)


Create Baltimore (Formerly BOPA), MD
ReBuild Metro, MD
DewMore Baltimore, MD
Ingleside Press,MD
UCONN, CT
Enoch Pratt Free Library
Wadigidigi Publications - MD
Tumba Productions -Senegal
Woman's Work Birthing - MD
African Ancestors Living Theater - MD
NowChild Soundstage- MD
Femmes Africa Solidarite – Senegal,
Urban Earth Synapsis, MD
Youth Resiliency Institute, MD
Black Arts District, MD
11 West Café - MD
NYC Public Schools – NY
NYC Housing Administration- NY
Gabriel Toys Inc. - NY
Brooklyn Perinatal Network - NY
CSEA Labor Union - NY
Talon Security - NY
Office of Black Ministries - NY
ALIBI Clothing Co. - NY
Basilias Music - NY

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