Allena Brazier

Allena Marie Brazier is an artist and curator from East St. Louis, Illinois.  She earned a BFA from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE), and a MFA from Washington University in St. Louis Missouri. From her individual art practice and community-based projects, Allena has embodied why East St. Louis is called the City of Champions.

In 2019, her outdoor steel sculpture, Katherine Dunham: Perpetual Motion, was awarded the First Place Luis Jimenez Award during the SIUE Sculpture on Campus annual event. Allena was nominated and selected for the 2021 International Sculpture Center’s Achievement Award for her sculpture Passionate Desires.

While pursuing her MFA, she served as the inaugural Curator in Residence for Sam Fox-Lewis Collaborative at TechArtista in University City, MO.

Allena currently works with ArtVillage and has partnerships with other community-based organizations. 

Connect with Allena:

https://www.allenabrazier.com

https://www.instagram.com/creative_allena_marie/

Gallery:

"Katherine Dunham: Perpetual Motion"
"Back Home and Across tha River"

Artist Notes:

“Katherine Dunham: Perpetual Motion” is an all steel piece inspired by the movement of Katherine Dunham’s dances she performed in her full length ballet that premiered in 1938 titled L’Ag’Ya.

       Katherine Dunham (1909-2006), was an anthropologist, dancer, choreographer, educator, and activist. World Renowned, she was considered the greatest dancer of her time. She was known as the “Matriarch of Black Dance”. Miss Dunham combined her love and University studies of anthropology and the black diaspora culture into dance; creating the Dunham Technique that stems from African and Caribbean rhythms.

       Miss Dunham’s legacy continues in her roots with the city of East St. Louis IL where she created dance and cultural programs for local residents and visiting artists from around the world. She also established a museum and dance studio in the city for local residents and visiting artists from around the world. Miss Dunham’s international recognition in dance, choreography, and anthropology remains relevant today..