Foundations in Art: Jonathan Lyndon Chase

Jonathan Lyndon Chase is an interdisciplinary, Philadelphia-based artist who works in painting, video, sound and sculpture to depict queer Black love and community amid the backdrop of urban and domestic spaces. They are also a proud graduate of Community College of Philadelphia. On Oct. 16, Chase came back to campus for an artist talk event where they shared some of their artwork and experiences working as an artist with our students, faculty and staff.

“I was unsure about going to college at first,” Chase said. “It was just where I was at in my life. But I was like, if I'm going to go to school, I'm going to do it for something that I really was passionate about. So, I enrolled into CCP.” Since Chase came from a family of artists, they were interested in art from a young age. After high school, they completed a summer oil painting program at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), which led them to enroll in the Art program at CCP.

After graduating from CCP, Chase went on to study at University of the Arts, where they really started developing their own artistic style and identity. "I felt really, really, really prepared,” Chase said about the academic foundation they gained at CCP. “[I was able] be really consistent and start developing what a practice looks like.” During this time in their education, Chase embraced using unconventional canvases, such as bedsheets, trash and cardboard. “I was really experimental, and a lot of that stuff didn't survive,” they said.

Now a renowned artist in Philadelphia and around the world, Chase remembers their roots at CCP. They remember the ways in which their time here taught them foundational skills like time management, which has allowed them to thrive as an artist and a person overall. You can learn more about Chase and their artwork on their website, www.jonathanlyndonchase.com.