Austin Gardner is a Black queer person who has seen and experienced how the nation-state is organized to oppress his communities and uplift those most aligned with whiteness, patriarchy, and wealth. His art journey started in 2015 and 2016 when he presented a collection of works on justice at the Gresham Art Festival and Gresham Multnomah County Library. These two years of creating culminated in Gardner curating a solo exhibition of his work for the International Baccalaureate program. He attended Northwestern University, where he took various performance and time-based media courses. There he created and showcased a variety of video, installation, and performance-based pieces to audiences. Gardner co-hosted a digital art showcase and disco in July 2020, holding space for Black joy and worldbuilding through the power of tech-based Black music. He wants to inspire others to hold space for Black joy, center it in the fight for freedom, and uplift it as we collectively build a world where Blackness is loved and nurtured.

WEBSITE: https://www.austincreatesthings.com/
INSTAGRAM: @gardner_austin
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Jx4ycuTLm6rjvKI7qvv4A