Chloe Dukes, also known as Mac Clout is an Indiana born artist, inspired by and whose work is based in the city of Detroit, Michigan. Focusing on bright, colorful and pop-art inspired graphic prints, Mac Clout draws awareness to social justice issues such as inequalities based off race, gender, and socio-economic standing.

With the use of bold, geometric blocks of color and expressive figures Clout aims to fill each composition in a manner that captivates viewers and encourages them to think about what it is they are looking at. Mac Clout creates eye-catching, playful, and meaningful work by combining abstract, deconstructed forms inspired by African and Indigenous art and the striking, cleans, colorful aesthetic of the Modern and Pop-art era. The biggest inspiration comes from cartoons, comics, and graphic novels.

The idea that impactful story telling could be told through simple, colorful pictures always interested the midwestern illustrator. Self-expression and storytelling have been a major part of the artist’s professional career, prior to focusing on her own art making, Mac Clout worked as an art teacher in K-12 schools both in her hometown of South Bend, IN and in Detroit, MI. Pushing young people to express themselves in art class was important work, and during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the civil unrest of this past summer, Mac Clout had found the time and inspiration to do the same. Moving towards large scale paintings is nothing new for Clout, throughout her art career, Dukes worked in theater management, painting backdrops and props for plays and musicals.

MACCLOUT SHOP BUY PRINTS

Project Statement

Black Lives Matter. More than a movement, a group, a political conversation. It is a factual statement that needs to be repeated over and over again in the face of white supremacy and recurring racial injustice, not only in America but around the world. In this space it is my aim to celebrate and showcase the beauty in blackness and in black life. We often focus on black death at the hands of police brutality and overreach, environmental violence, and hate crimes. While these conversations are very necessary, I feel it just as necessary to put the lens on life and the protection of black bodies. We can do that through art. We will do that through art.

March Artist Chloe Dukes - aka. MacClout