On Feb. 1, the Stamford Art Association (SAA) opened their art exhibition, dubbed “Symphony of Colors,” in the Ferguson Library in Stamford, Connecticut. The exhibition, which was composed of works from local artists of color, featured multiple pieces by University of Connecticut students, alumni and staff.
One of these artists was Briana Ford, an eighth-semester senior at UConn majoring in human development and family sciences. Her painting, “I Don’t Bang or Slang on Gang,” was used as promotional material for the exhibition, being shown on the SAA’s Art at the Ferguson webpage, and on the Ferguson’s library Instagram page.
In an online interview, Ford talked about the exhibition and her artistry.
“[Being asked to be a part of the Symphony of Colors] felt very amazing, mostly because all of my best friends are artists, and the curator is one of my best friends, she’s like family,” Ford said. Ford was already honored by being asked to be a part of the exhibition, and when she found out that her art was going to be used to advertise the art show, it “didn’t feel real.”
After this, Ford needed to create her painting for the event. Over the course of eight days during finals week, she started and finished her painting. According to Ford, her life became, “take a final, go home, paint, study, go take a final, repeat.” Ford talked about how she got her inspiration from a photo she saw on her friend’s phone.
“My best friend is a huge traveler, and she went to the Ivory Coast for Thanksgiving last year. She was on the beach and these four little boys came up to her, and they hopped in her selfie,” Ford said. “I just thought: Oh my god, these boys just wanna have fun. So innocent, so childlike, so joyful, and I just want to bring that innocence back.”
However, if you were to see this painting, you wouldn’t see “Briana Ford” attached to it. Instead, you would see Brie Miyoko, Ford’s pseudonym that she uses when making art.
“I create that distinction between my professional human development life and my artistic life,” Ford said. She’s “very shy,” but when she’s at an exhibition “all that social anxiety just goes away and [she’s] in the zone.”
Ford is not the only person at the Symphony of Colors with ties to UConn. Isabella Montenegro, the curator of the event and a close friend of Ford, graduated from UConn in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in digital media and design. Brea Thomas-Young similarly graduated from UConn in 2019 with a degree in digital media and design. Two of Thomas-Young’s paintings were on display: “Power Puffs,” and “Untitled.” Tara Malone, who goes under the pseudonym Tara Blackwell and is the associate director of UConn’s Center for Career Development for the regional campuses, had three of her paintings on display: “Young, Gifted & Black – Roosevelt Franklin,” “It’s Not Easy Being Green” and “Good Trouble.”
For more information about the Symphony of Colors or other art exhibitions hosted by the SAA, you can visit their website, or contact them at stamfordartassn@optonline.net.