"Joelle Provost is a talented visual artist who is working on her newest project, called “The Lives of Animals.” --Lucy Dennis, 6th grade
Joelle Provost Joelle Provost is a talented visual artist who used to be my art tutor until she had her baby named August in 2022. Here at OSA we learn about inspiration through our art. I think Joelle is a perfect inspiration for us here at OSA. Her newest project is called “The Lives of Animals.” She earned a Masters of Studio Art and Integrated Media from Brooklyn College of New York in 2013 and has shown her work everywhere from Brooklyn, Chicago, Oakland, Tokyo, and more. I chose to interview her because I wanted to learn more about her work as an artist, and specifically her newest project.
Lucy: So, can you tell me what project you are thinking of or working on that excites you the most?
Joelle: Yeah, so it’s really perfect timing because I had a friend come over this weekend and film our family for this project that I’m doing called “The Lives of Animals.” Basically it’s a dinner table made out of all upcycled materials, and the dinner table is a metaphor demanding that all animals deserve a seat at the table, when we are talking about climate change and human activity. So every time that humans go to war, animals also get affected, so each time we are giving them each a plate at the table, to honor them.
Lucy: And why is this project special to you?
Joelle: So this project’s really, really special to me because for so long I’ve wanted to show my love for animals, and as you know, Lucy, I paint about a lot of different things, but this one is special because it’s about ALL animals, because I really love all animals, so this project is, like, my full heart.
Lucy: Yeah, so what inspired you to come up with this project? When did you first get the idea?
Joelle: I’ve sorta based it off this other artist named Judy Chicago, and she made a dinner table too, called “The Dinner Party,” but instead of animals it was for all women who didn’t get recognized as artists, and this was back in the 1970’s—but this table is a bit different because the table will be made of upcycled wood, and the plates will be made out of stone, and there is going to be a birthday cake in the middle, and it’s going to be called “The Birthday Cake of Overconsumption,” and my friend who works with plastic and stuff on
the beach is going to make the cake. I first got the idea of my project, right before I had August, my son.
Lucy: Yeah, cool! Where do you usually work on your projects, and what are the pros and cons of that space?
Joelle: Well yeah, so we have this sunroom which is really good for painting in, but I sometimes will paint outside. But I’m still I’m trying to figure out where I’m going to have this dinner table installation, so I’m going to host the actual installation, with a big party, and the ribbon cutting ceremony in San Francisco, but in terms of where I’m going to make it, each artist that is helping me has there own studio, so where just going to make it in there studios.
Lucy: And, if you had the choice, what would happen to your project in the future, or where would it live in the future?
Joelle: If I could choose anywhere in the world, I would choose the Legion of Honor. It's a museum on a cliff in San Francisco, so it’s very dramatic and awesome.
Lucy: Who is supporting you with this project? What does that look like?
Joelle: I have two artists that I’m working on for the installation, and then other artists as well, but the two main artists are Tess Felix, and she lives near Stinson Beach, and she saw one day all these plastics washed up on the beach, a big rainbow of plastics, and she said she had to do something about it. So she just looked at it and she was in shock, and then that’s when she became a plastic artist, so she started making portraits out of people the size of life-sized Barbies, like huge, made out of plastic, like for famous people. So anyway she’s amazing, really funny, and she’s going to be doing the cake, and I met with her this weekend, so we meet a couple times before the project, and we have to figure out a couple things, how big the cake will be, and what it will look like, and I want the cake to look earthy and grotesque, I want it to make you feel full just looking at it. This other person that is helping me is a stone carver, and he’s really cool, and he is helping me a lot.
Lucy: What are you hoping to feel when you finish this project?
Joelle: The main thing that I want to feel is I want to feel like it had an impact, and the main thing I’m trying to do right now is to make sure that I’m speaking for those that can’t speak for themselves through art, and so I really want to move the viewer and I want to make the viewer feel like their actions matter, and then I really want to make people feel like animals matter.
Lucy: For sure! Tell me about your trajectory as an artist. When did you start working on larger scale projects?
Joelle: This is one of the first bigger projects I’ve done, and I’ve kinda dabbled on smaller projects, and I’ve had a couple of large scale installations, but this is the main one right now.
Lucy: Yeah, so what materials do you usually work with?
Joelle: I work with upcycled canvas, so canvases from painters who have either died, or just didn’t need them anymore, and then I work with paints from friends that don’t need them anymore.
Lucy: Oh, cool! Do you have any projects in mind after this one?
Joelle: I have a bunch, but I have four main ones that I really want to do in my lifetime, so one of them is called “The Carousel of Limited Resources,” and it’s just a carousel, and it’s made out of all upcycled materials, so instead of a unicorn in the middle, it’s like an old bike, or an old unicorn, and it’s just the idea that we go round and round buying more stuff, and we aren’t realizing that we have to take care of the world.
Lucy: That sounds really cool to see. What is your favorite part of making art?
Joelle: Right now, the collaborations with other artists is my favorite part, because there are so many ideas and it all mixes together like jazz, and it’s just super fun!
Lucy: What advice do you have for young artists?
Joelle: Well, I would say that art is way more than just painting on a canvas. It’s a way of life, and the creative process taught me how to be a better person, I would say, and it can really help you think of good solutions in life, so just like let your art let you think out of the box. The world needs artists who can do art that way.
Lucy: So, can you tell me what project you are thinking of or working on that excites you the most?
Joelle: Yeah, so it’s really perfect timing because I had a friend come over this weekend and film our family for this project that I’m doing called “The Lives of Animals.” Basically it’s a dinner table made out of all upcycled materials, and the dinner table is a metaphor demanding that all animals deserve a seat at the table, when we are talking about climate change and human activity. So every time that humans go to war, animals also get affected, so each time we are giving them each a plate at the table, to honor them.
Lucy: And why is this project special to you?
Joelle: So this project’s really, really special to me because for so long I’ve wanted to show my love for animals, and as you know, Lucy, I paint about a lot of different things, but this one is special because it’s about ALL animals, because I really love all animals, so this project is, like, my full heart.
Lucy: Yeah, so what inspired you to come up with this project? When did you first get the idea?
Joelle: I’ve sorta based it off this other artist named Judy Chicago, and she made a dinner table too, called “The Dinner Party,” but instead of animals it was for all women who didn’t get recognized as artists, and this was back in the 1970’s—but this table is a bit different because the table will be made of upcycled wood, and the plates will be made out of stone, and there is going to be a birthday cake in the middle, and it’s going to be called “The Birthday Cake of Overconsumption,” and my friend who works with plastic and stuff on
the beach is going to make the cake. I first got the idea of my project, right before I had August, my son.
Lucy: Yeah, cool! Where do you usually work on your projects, and what are the pros and cons of that space?
Joelle: Well yeah, so we have this sunroom which is really good for painting in, but I sometimes will paint outside. But I’m still I’m trying to figure out where I’m going to have this dinner table installation, so I’m going to host the actual installation, with a big party, and the ribbon cutting ceremony in San Francisco, but in terms of where I’m going to make it, each artist that is helping me has there own studio, so where just going to make it in there studios.
Lucy: And, if you had the choice, what would happen to your project in the future, or where would it live in the future?
Joelle: If I could choose anywhere in the world, I would choose the Legion of Honor. It's a museum on a cliff in San Francisco, so it’s very dramatic and awesome.
Lucy: Who is supporting you with this project? What does that look like?
Joelle: I have two artists that I’m working on for the installation, and then other artists as well, but the two main artists are Tess Felix, and she lives near Stinson Beach, and she saw one day all these plastics washed up on the beach, a big rainbow of plastics, and she said she had to do something about it. So she just looked at it and she was in shock, and then that’s when she became a plastic artist, so she started making portraits out of people the size of life-sized Barbies, like huge, made out of plastic, like for famous people. So anyway she’s amazing, really funny, and she’s going to be doing the cake, and I met with her this weekend, so we meet a couple times before the project, and we have to figure out a couple things, how big the cake will be, and what it will look like, and I want the cake to look earthy and grotesque, I want it to make you feel full just looking at it. This other person that is helping me is a stone carver, and he’s really cool, and he is helping me a lot.
Lucy: What are you hoping to feel when you finish this project?
Joelle: The main thing that I want to feel is I want to feel like it had an impact, and the main thing I’m trying to do right now is to make sure that I’m speaking for those that can’t speak for themselves through art, and so I really want to move the viewer and I want to make the viewer feel like their actions matter, and then I really want to make people feel like animals matter.
Lucy: For sure! Tell me about your trajectory as an artist. When did you start working on larger scale projects?
Joelle: This is one of the first bigger projects I’ve done, and I’ve kinda dabbled on smaller projects, and I’ve had a couple of large scale installations, but this is the main one right now.
Lucy: Yeah, so what materials do you usually work with?
Joelle: I work with upcycled canvas, so canvases from painters who have either died, or just didn’t need them anymore, and then I work with paints from friends that don’t need them anymore.
Lucy: Oh, cool! Do you have any projects in mind after this one?
Joelle: I have a bunch, but I have four main ones that I really want to do in my lifetime, so one of them is called “The Carousel of Limited Resources,” and it’s just a carousel, and it’s made out of all upcycled materials, so instead of a unicorn in the middle, it’s like an old bike, or an old unicorn, and it’s just the idea that we go round and round buying more stuff, and we aren’t realizing that we have to take care of the world.
Lucy: That sounds really cool to see. What is your favorite part of making art?
Joelle: Right now, the collaborations with other artists is my favorite part, because there are so many ideas and it all mixes together like jazz, and it’s just super fun!
Lucy: What advice do you have for young artists?
Joelle: Well, I would say that art is way more than just painting on a canvas. It’s a way of life, and the creative process taught me how to be a better person, I would say, and it can really help you think of good solutions in life, so just like let your art let you think out of the box. The world needs artists who can do art that way.
"The Birthday Cake of Overconsumption"
Judy Chicago with her "Dinner Party"
The Legion of Honor
