Raven Harper

Raven Harper (b. 1980) is a multidisciplinary artist who joined NIAD Art Center in 2004. Harper draws inspiration from African art and Black cultural icons, and her practice spans printmaking, painting, textiles, and ceramics. Her work has been exhibited at many spaces around the Bay Area including Et al. Gallery, Eddie Rhodes Gallery, the Oakland Museum of California, the Richmond Art Center, the Museum of Northern California Art, and the Berkeley Art Center. 

I am an African American artist who works primarily in printmaking, painting, fiber and ceramics.

Learning new skills and improving my craft is an important foundation for my art practice. I am currently working on my first rug with Maria Guzman Capron in NIAD’s fiber department. I like how NIAD encourages developing new skills and how I can work on long term projects.

The NIAD studio facilitators are an integral part of my practice. Bill Zindel in the printmaking department has helped me develop my printmaking works and expand into making t-shirts and bags. I like to use different techniques with printmaking, like linocut. It’s cool to make something unique instead of repeating yourself over and over again. At NIAD I can learn something new every day.

Working in ceramics I like to put things together. I like to build in ceramics. When I look at the clay it’s like a picture is already on there. I just like to carve into it what I want it to be. In my art I like to explore and have fun. The making process has to be fun for me.

I love to do African inspired art and sculpture. I like the fashion from Africa and the graphic designs. I want to make quilts inspired by African cultures. I think it’s good to make stuff from the old days. Because people don’t make those things anymore. I think it’s good to bring back old styles of art and craft.

Art is about remembering for me. It comes to my mind that we should remember our ancestors. It’s about the things you have that you can be thankful for. I remember Dr King and Rosa Parks and the old ways and the way they showed us.

There is power in learning history. Celebrating Black hair is important to me and exploring it in my clay sculptures of Black people. Black cultural icons are important to my practice also, especially Aretha Franklin. Aretha inspired a lot of people and showed herself in a good way.

I think I am a beautiful artist. I would like to end my statement by thanking all of my facilitators at NIAD for supporting me.