Bethany Collins
Visual Artist
3Arts / Make a Wave Artist
Bethany Collins (she/her) was born in Montgomery, AL and lives and works in Chicago, IL. Bethany is a multidisciplinary artist whose conceptual practice examines the relationship between race and language. Centering language—its biases, contradictions, and ability to simultaneously forge connections and foster violence—her works illuminate America’s past and offer insight into the development of racial and national identities. Drawing on a wide variety of documents, ranging from nineteenth-century musical scores to U.S. Department of Justice reports, she erases, obscures, excerpts, and rewrites portions of text to bring to the fore issues revolving around race, power, and histories of violence.
The Star Spangled Banner: A Hymnal (2020). Artist book with 100 laser cut leaves 6 x 9 x 1 inches. Edition of 3 Produced by Candor Arts.
© 2024 Bethany Collins.
Featured Artworks
The Southern Review, 1983 (2022). Charcoal on found paper 57 1/2 x 104 inches overall.
© 2024 Bethany Collins.
The Aeneid: 2017 / 2022 (2022). Ink on handmade paper, 44 x 30 inches each.
© 2024 Bethany Collins.
Dixie's Land (1859-2001) (2020). Graphite and charcoal powder on paper, 14 x 26 inches each.
© 2024 Bethany Collins.
The Odyssey: 2000 / 2017 (2018). Graphite and toner on Somerset paper in two parts, 44 x 30 inches each.
© 2024 Bethany Collins.
Where the lash is made red in the blood of the slave (The Chase) (2021). Charcoal and acrylic on panel, 48 x 72 x 2 inches.
© 2024 Bethany Collins.
The Star Spangled Banner: A Hymnal (2020). Artist book with 100 laser cut leaves, 9 x 6 x 1 inches.
© 2024 Bethany Collins.
Old Ship I-XII (2023). Cast paper and confederate granite, dimensions variable.
© 2024 Bethany Collins.