ARTIST STATEMENT

Keniuh Russell is originally from Fort Worth, Texas. Art has always played a significant role in her life. From an adolescent, Keniuh found comfort and excitement in creative expression, whether through sketching, painting, or simply seeing the beauty around her. Keniuh’s decision to pursue Digital Media Arts was strongly influenced by the encouragement and support of her art teachers, who recognized Keniuh’s potential and introduced her to the world of digital art. Growing up in Fort Worth, Keniuh was constantly inspired by the local art scene. Attending community art shows and festivals allowed her to see how powerful and impactful visual storytelling can be. In her spare time, Keniuh continues to grow her skills through painting, drawing, and photography. These outlets not only enrich her portfolio but also help Keniuh evolve as a well-rounded artist.

THESIS STATEMENT

My thesis project uses Virtual Reality (VR) to help solve the erasure or distortion of sports history narratives. I used a VR painting software called Open Brush by Tilt Brush to bring traditional painting mixed with 3D to life. My goals with this project were to inform my audience in a way to understand the importance of cultural narratives and help with preservation of artifacts being forgotten or misinterpreted. This would not only serve as a tool for education but also as a means of reclaiming history for communities whose stories have been marginalized. As I was conducting research, one of the few problems I came across was that there was not enough documentation on the 2009 PVAMU Football SWAC Championship Win against Alabama A&M University. I kept in mind that I wanted to paint four large paintings that aid in highlighting that victorious win. Prairie View A&M University football program had not won a championship in over four decades prior to that win. It was necessary to highlight this momentous milestone to preserve the win and keep the story alive for many more generations to come. The imagery for one of my digital paintings was inspired from the game footage itself that is broadcasted on YouTube. Two of my other paintings are inspired from the images on the PVAMU Digital Commons, a website catered to providing alumni, faculty, staff, students, and outside researchers access to the University’s archives. Lastly, I found the final image during an interview with the current Head Football coach, Tremaine Jackson, when he showed me the championship trophy.  Utilizing my Meta Quest 3S headset, I was able to bring PVAMU football to life! Each painting used both oil and “tapered marker” brush stencil to curate the texture of the paintings. I genuinely enjoyed creating these paintings because my goal was to bring awareness to a historical event in sports history and have more engagement on this important topic!

PROJECT WORK