Kingsbridge native and multidisciplinary artist Tiffany McPherson, known as Tiff McFierce, will open her first art exhibition, “You CAN Sit Here,” at the Casita Maria Gallery on March 20.
The show is a collection of objects and works meant to evoke the all-important family living room that was a source of pride for her Jamaican immigrant parents. But unlike that room, which was off-limits to all but the best-behaved children and adults, the show features a space she created to be imperfect, comfortable and touched by many hands.
Though McFierce was not known as a gallery artist, she has played many roles in other artistic disciplines. She was the first female in-house DJ for the Knicks and Liberty at Madison Square Garden, has a wellness brand called Look IN and has written for health publications such as WebMD.
“You CAN Sit Here,” which McFierce said was 10 years in the making, is based on her experience with the family living room, which was a “see but not sit” area, she told the Bronx Times in an interview.
As the eldest daughter, McFierce said she took on a policing role with others in the sacred living room. She was sometimes allowed in — “because I was proper” — but she monitored everyone else’s neatness and use of coasters.
“I was taught not to take up too much space,” she said.
“You CAN Sit Here” is her way of letting go of the restrictions of that room, which was entangled in rigid standards of beauty and perfection, she said.
For the show, McFierce spent a year and a half amassing a collection of familiar household objects — journals, music, books, mirrors, framed photos and writing, and of course, chairs and sofas that people are meant to sit on.
She carefully chose everything in the space, down to the paint on the walls, to give it the feel of “a well-traveled friend’s home” — “like you’re coming to the crib,” McFierce said.
As the show remains up until mid-August, visitors can leave their mark by taking photos with the cameras provided, writing affirmations and more.
In a borough where many neighborhoods lack welcoming community spaces, McFierce said she hopes the environment she created will inspire people to connect with others and explore “what it means to stretch” — our bodies, dreams, ideas and connections to others.
McFierce, who did not attend art school, had to learn concepts of interior design and gallery installation that were not at all familiar. But as she started letting go of the ingrained oldest-child perfectionism, not knowing how to do something became a reason to keep going, not a reason to stop, she said.
Creating the exhibition “broke me open to so many things,” said McFierce.
The show will remain up at Casita Maria through August 16. For the opening reception on March 20, McFierce is planning a party with a DJ set.
With “You CAN Sit Here,” she hopes to give visitors a sense of empowerment and help them let go of internalized beliefs holding them back, she said. “What did it take to sit here? It took knowing that I could.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
