Lindsey Brittain Collins grew up in Alexandria and spent plenty of time taking in the region’s many museums and theaters. But it wasn’t until she was getting her MBA at Columbia University that she decided to pursue her passion for the arts. “I’ve always had that entrepreneurial spirit, and it was through business school that I realized I could marry that entrepreneurial spirit with what I love,” she says. On May 21, the professional artist will be recognized as an Emerging Leader at Arena Stage’s Annual Gala. She’ll join NPR’s Nina Totenberg and headliner Kathleen Turner for an evening dedicated to the local arts. Here, Brittain Collins shares how her NoVA background has impacted her art. // Arena Stage: 1101 Sixth St. SW, Washington, DC; $500, young professional tickets (under 35), $300
How would you describe your work?
Most of my work deals with issues of history and reinvestigating overlooked elements of history, and I also explore issues of identity and economics, so really I’d summarize it as the intersection of race and economics. I also have a huge focus on materiality. I love working with building materials and found objects. Each material has a life that it’s lived, and I love its way of telling its own unique story, piggybacking on the stories that I’m telling through my work.
How did growing up in Northern Virginia influence your work as an artist?
I think it gave me a unique perspective. I was exposed to the arts at a very young age just because there are so many great museums and great theaters in the area. Most people don’t think of DC as a creative city and it really is, which is why the work that Arena Stage is doing is so important.
What was it like moving back here as an adult?
A huge influence on my work was moving back to this area and seeing how much it had changed since I was here [in the mid-’90s]. DC was a majority black city and it no longer is. It’s just changed in a way that has become almost unrecognizable. So that was a huge influence on my work and I actually did a whole series around gentrification in DC where I focused on unearthing the lost black history of Georgetown. Most people don’t know that, but Georgetown used to be a predominantly black neighborhood.
What does this award from Arena Stage mean to you?
First of all, I’m just honored to be recognized for doing work that I love, and I’m excited that the spotlight is on the arts. Again, DC is never really thought of as a creative city or having a strong artistic community, and I think it’s time that narrative shifted. At a time when more arts programs are being pulled from schools and losing funding, it’s important that we have strong pillars in the community that focus on the arts and are engaged with the community … Arena Stage does that and I think it’s fantastic that the proceeds will support their productions and their community engagement programs.
This post was originally published in our May 2019 issue. Subscribe to the print magazine here.
