Jerome Chester (he/him), who also is known by his artistic moniker “TheGroovyVandal” is a visual artist and multidisciplinary creative from Baltimore, Maryland.
A proud West Baltimore native, Jerome makes a point to remind the world of his origin through his work. He says “I always love for Bawduhmore (Baltimore) to show up in my work—it’s a character, a culture, a lifestyle that I take a lot of pride and joy in. This plays an integral part in my upbringing and inspiration in my work.”
From discovering his artistic self at a young age until now, Jerome has found himself to be a creative of many trades. Quilting and textiles, graphic design, street art and more, art has no limits when it’s in the hands of this artist.
When it comes to finding his way as an artist, Chester attributes it to his experience in Baltimore City’s public school system. “I went to a very underfunded liberal arts high school where I had 2 teachers who believed in me and tried to hone my artistry to the best of their ability. Introducing to me a world that I didn’t know existed, it felt as if I fell into a rabbit hole and I’ve been tumbling
deeper and deeper ever since. That was the introduction of my art life and it’s been a very colorful one.”
Since then, Jerome has made his mark on Baltimore’s art scene through solo and group exhibitions, as a mentor to the city’s next generation of artists, as a muralist beautifying Baltimore’s neighborhoods, and so much more.
Why I, Jerome Chester, created this work
I am proud to share this body of work with the world as a formal introduction to who I am as”TheGroovyVandal”, a moniker that I had no choice but to accept after my peers and supporters of the brand regularly refer to me as such.
Within this body of work, I’ve experimented with various styles including pop art, graffiti, abstract, calligraphy, and my take on a fusion of cubism and neo-traditional tattoo style. The merging of the styles is explored though a diverse collection of subjects I experienced first hand: mental health, fatherhood and family, fat phobia, racism, Bawduhmore, intimacy and the nuances of the Black male identity.
The Alchemy of Art is a local contemporary gallery focusing on but not limited to local up and coming artist. The building itself is a unique space as it is a converted convent and the gallery is on the entry level and one of the two rooms is the old chapel room with beautiful arched ceilings. Along with the gallery there is a boutique which carries locally made art and goods. The gallery hours are by appointment only. The gallery most recently won Baltimore Style Magazines Viewer Choice award for Best Gallery of 2018. To keep posted on hours of operation and events follow us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/
