Margaret M. Morris - Artist Statement
Quantum Negress aka Margaret M. Morris’s work traverses the sonic, literary, visual, and physical performance arts. It functions as a prayer/spell, a healing and as a permission slip to express and heal the intersectional traumas of the Maafa and Colonization upon which US culture is built and build something better. Quantum Negress encourages us to envision and build our preferred Novus Ordo Seclorum*
*Novus Ordo Seclorum is Latin for New World Order, the slogan of the Unites states traditionally referenced by US presidents during speeches and upon which numreous conspiracy theories are based.
Bio
Multidisciplinary artist Margaret M. Morris aka Quantum Negress aka Moonbones Evolutionary aka Moon Marie began her yogic breath training as a child singer traveling the country and earning superiors ratings in classical solo and small ensemble vocal competitions with the Whitney M. Young Concert Choir. She went on to become an award winning choreographer and physical theater divisor, a published poet, a musical collaborator on 6 albums, and an experimental collaborative co-divisor of performance. During her dance studies at Columbia College, she learned Ashtanga yoga to deepen her understanding of the body. She went on to study shiatsu, receive two reiki attunements, go through the Anusara immersion teacher prep process, and certify to teach C-Yoga with Carmen and Moises Aguilar. She is also a certified pilates instructor. Artistically, Ms. Morris has enjoyed support from the Chicago Dancemakers Forum, High Concept Labs, Links Hall, Ragdale Foundation, Driehaus Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, and the Chicago Office of Cultural Affairs. The literary jazz/funk/hip-hop album The Amiri Baraka Sessions on which she collaborated won the American Book Award for Oral Literature. Her poetry appears in Apogee Journal #11 and is soon to be published in Kenya's Kistrech International Poetry Festival anthology entitled “I can’t breath.” Ms. Morris is currently working on her genre transcending opus entitled Quantum Negress Tantras (QNT).
Ms. Morris has taught and facilitated workshops at Columbia College Chicago, College of Lake County, University of New Haven and University of Indiana’s Bloomington campus. Her work has been seen live in venues including the Chicago Cultural Cultural Center, W Hotel Chicago Lakeshore, Chicago Art Department, St. Mark's Church NYC, Epiphanie Episcopal Church Chicago, Uptown Arts DC, Bowery Poetry Club NYC, Constellation Chicago, Lichen Spiritual Archives, Wow Theater Cafe NYC, Ruth Page Center for the Arts and others. She is currently an artist in residence at Elastic Arts. Keep up with her work at www.quantumnegress.love