Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Goode.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Joshua. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Choosing to be an artist is a decision that has to be constantly revisited throughout your career. The primary factors that motivate me to continue doing this originate from a childhood spent making things. My parents were both highly creative and skilled craftspeople. My Father worked a lot in carpentry, welding and remodeling, basically he was always learning something new and tinkering with materials, figuring out creative ways to fix a problem. My Mother made clothes for my Sister and I and would make beaded hatbands and all kinds of crafts and was also always learning a new way to make something. The special gifts my Sister and I would receive were always handmade. It demonstrated how important making something by your own hand was. Pair that with an overly active imagination developed from growing up pretty isolated and playing alone in the woods most of the time and you have the makings of an artist. Of course I didn’t realize all of this until starting at SMU. I had enrolled in the Graphic Design program planning to tap into my creative tendencies that way while still being practical. I had no idea people could even be artists anymore until taking a drawing 1 course with Barnaby Fitzgerald, and that led to a Drawing 2 course with Bill Komodore and that was it. I didn’t know how to ‘be’ an artist and I had no idea how I was going to make a living to support a family but I knew I wanted to make things with my hands that gave my imagination physical presence. So I switched majors and that was that.
From SMU I went to Boston University to get my MFA and study with John Walker. I learned more not just about painting but what it was that made art important to me. My art tells the story of my family, of my special needs Sister and our commitment to her care and the closeness that resulted from it. My interest in history and mythology merged to tell a story about life growing up in North Texas as an imaginary ancient civilization. I was awarded the Dozier Grant from the Dallas Museum of Art in 2011 and used it to make trip that followed the origins of man. Along it I joined an archaeological dig at Vogelherd Cave in Germany, a cave where some of the earliest manmade sculptures were discovered. This was highly influential as a way to add another layer to my narrative. Following this I created an exhibition in Cairo, Egypt that involved viewers helping ‘dig’ and discover my sculptures as ancient artifacts. This was the first time I had designed a project in this way I ever since I have been traveling the world completing variations of this initial idea. It is a way to not only share my story but also to hear about the histories of each place I go, my favorite experience so far was Russia.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I can’t say it’s been a smooth road, but it hasn’t been a rough one either. Of course this is also because I had no grand illusions when making the choice to be an artist. The myth of the starving artist is so prevalent that I feel fortunate to have my fancy peanut butter and jelly sandwich lunches. But the true tests always come when I receive several rejections in a row and there appear to be no opportunities to exhibit or share your work, then just when I reach the point of overly dramatic hopelessness several exciting things present themselves and re-motivate me. It’s a common pattern that artists are aware of, things come in waves. Fortunately at this point in my career I always have something lined up down the road, although I’m awaiting word on several international projects, I’m also preparing for another show in New York at the Ivy Brown Gallery this fall.
But all of this is also because of practical choices I’ve made in being an artist. I moved back to Texas to have a family instead of living in New York and I work as a professor which provides insurance and a steady paycheck. I also have a home studio which allows me to be constantly around my children. It can often come down to choosing something non-glamourous if it provides the right conditions to make better artwork.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Joshua Goode – what should we know?
As an artist I am researching and developing mythic historical misinterpretations and manipulations in an effort to expose the malleability of our past, present and future.
My alternate history and mythology preserve memories of childhood by reimagining objects and imagery from my youth as iconic ancient artifacts. I created the fictitious Texas based Aurora – Rhoman civilization inspired by the achievements of major historical figures. Having studied history and worked as an archaeologist on many actual excavations, I conduct staged excavations around the world, working with the community as a performance. My constructed artifacts of the invented civilization mix fact and fiction to appropriate and distort the history and myths of each region I engage. The actual and fake objects “found” during these digs have been exhibited in Spain, Germany, Russia, Croatia, Egypt, Italy, China, Belgium and the US, among others.
My faux research institute, The Aurora-Rhoman Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Relics, examines the evidence of my ancient civilization at locations around the world. Inspired by amateur archeologists such as Heinrich Schliemann who discovered Troy and by past elaborate hoaxes like that of the Piltdown Man, I use my “discoveries” to manipulate and verify my invented civilization. The archaeological performance and installation begin with extensive historical research and end in an exhibit. The discoveries and claims are false and absurdly comical but based on real research.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Stubborn, rebellious perseverance. Besides doing something that is very important to me on the most personal of levels, if you tell me no, or that I can’t do something I’m going to find a way to rise to the challenge and prove you wrong. Which is also why I love the challenges of designing large international exhibits, I once fit a huge room sized sculptural installation for Shanghai in a duffel bag, now that was a design challenge!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.joshuagoode.com
- Email: joshuasgoode@gmail.com
- Instagram: @joshua_goode
Image Credit:
Teresa Rafidi
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