Christopher Statton

Christopher Statton is a Communication Studies graduate candidate at San Francisco State University. A Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholar, his research examines space, place, and acts of radical solidarity through public art. Using his body as a site of knowledge production, he interweaves autoethnography with performance theory and critical disability studies to explore how people can form deeper connections with one another. Christopher surveys his own experiences of creating public artwork in hopes of discovering opportunities for greater engagement between artist and community. Within these spaces of possibility resides the potential to strengthen the message and impact of the public artwork—possibilities that only emerge through the act of creating in relation to place, materials, and the individuals who make up the community. Through his work, he seeks to develop an understanding of how the performance of creation can inform and mobilize community-based projects to (a) resist reproducing neoliberal ideologies while challenging dominant narratives, (b) raise awareness by generating dialogue, (c) and produce spaces of public pedagogy for both the artist and audience. In 2023, Christopher graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Communication Studies.