Carey Fountain has had a strong passion for art since his earliest memories, and from these beginning moments to the present day, he’s wanted his work to leave a positive, thought-provoking impact on those who interact with it. His talent and his art have not only led to some beautiful creations, but have propelled Carey into a position with the Birmingham Museum of Art where he can now highlight other creatives in the city.
His role as Director of Public Programs for the museum comes after years of hard work pursuing his passions and connecting with others in the Birmingham art community. Writing poetry and songs came first. Carey began writing in elementary school and continued to push his creative abilities as he got older. In high school, he began learning to make beats while expanding his knowledge on various forms of music. College is when the artistic endeavors really began to expand beyond the audio realm.
Working with new software and equipment introduced Carey to other forms of experimental art, and his friend Mychal Richardson gave the aspiring artist a much-needed motivational boost when he asked Carey to present his sketch back in an art show after someone else dropped out. After this initial show, Carey dove into digital art and eventually began painting after Moses Pressnell, a skilled muralist who was renting an extra room from Fountain to use as a studio, told him the secret to becoming a great painter was to simply start painting. He then gifted Carey some supplies to begin his own painting journey.
Every new person Carey meets and experiences sends him further into the ever-expanding world of unlocking his creative potential. “I just continue to stimulate my curiosity and always remind myself that you’re infinite and you can always learn things. You should always try to learn from every situation.” states Carey on his approach to life.
This philosophy is immediately apparent when looking at Carey’s entrepreneurial past. One of his first projects was Live Grind Love (Live Free Grind Hard Love Life), a fashion endeavor with two friends who all looked different and enjoyed getting into constant debates and conversations about various topics. DoReMe Movement, which started as a three-person music collective with Carey’s friends Kudoz and Austin Jones in Tuscaloosa, was another early project. Eventually the group switched to individual projects, but Carey kept the name and decided to make a website where people earned points for engaging in thoughtful discussions online - much like he had with his friends at Live Grind Love.
Carey soon learned that explaining the website’s concept was tough in a digital world, and events were the quickest way to bridge this information gap. Entertaining concepts like the Lit House series and Vibes & Virtues, (which features thought-provoking games, interactive puzzles, and loads of Birmingham art) became the method of doing this. The Vibes & Virtues series became such a hit that it ended up overtaking the DoReMe website on Carey’s list of priorities. Hopefully we can return to an in-person event again soon!
While Carey spends much of his energy hosting events and uplifting others, he is also consistently putting out an ever-growing collection of high-quality music and videos for his fanbase. One recent example is “AYE LYK WOO” video which offers an artistic interpretation of the many harsh realities of 2020. When discussing the creative concepts behind this video and other visuals, Carey stated that he starts with the message he’s trying to communicate then often brings in other creatives to help plan out the best way to convey it. “Thinking things out thoroughly but also not overthinking. Being okay with change” is the approach taken to find the best method of translating his important words into visual viewpoints.
While fashion, art shows, hip-hop, and directing museum programs may sound like completely different factions of the artistic mindset, they all come from the same inspiration for Carey. It has always been about making the world a better, more positive place through his work and collaborations. “It was always important to me to have a message in everything that I do and make sure that it’s bigger than me” says Carey.
We’re thankful to have such a community-centered person working at the BMA and collaborating throughout the Magic City, and we look forward to enjoying the many future projects that come from this creative mind!
Cover Photo: J.C. Swoopes
