Tameka Norris
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Yale School of Art (2012)
T.J. Dedeaux-Norris | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | |
| Alma mater | UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture (2010) Yale School of Art (2012) |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Website | mekajean |
Tameka Norris, also known as T.J. Dedeaux-Norris and Meka Jean,[2] is an American visual and performing artist. Norris uses painting, sculpture, and performance art to create work about racial identity and the simultaneous visibility and invisibility of blackness through cultural appropriation in modern society.[3] Her work critiques the presence of the Black body in the history of painting and fine art.[4]
Born in Guam, Norris grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi.[5][6] Following high school, in 1995, she moved to Los Angeles, where her biological father resided, initially to pursue a rap career.[5][7]
She spent time working as a phone sex operator and music video extra before enrolling at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California.[8] Norris was one of few Black students in the art program, where she studied for five years.[8] In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck, impacting Norris's family back in Mississippi and also shaping her artwork.[8] The images that she created during this period were included in the portfolio that she submitted to the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture where she transferred in 2007.[8][9] While at UCLA, she worked under the guidance of several influential faculty, including: Andrea Fraser, Mary Kelly, Barbara Kruger, Rodney McMillian, Cathy Opie, and Lari Pittman.[9]
Norris went on to receive her Master of Fine Arts degree in printmaking and painting from Yale School of Art in 2012.[1][6]