We asked each artist in Cohort 3 a series of questions about how they navigate the world and express themselves through their practice. Here’s what Angela had to say: 

Good: When did you first realize that making art was essential to how you move through the world?
Angela: I realized “making” in general was essential when I noticed how much it impacted my mood and my sense of self. When I’m not creating, I feel disconnected from who I am. Making grounds me.

Good:What parts of yourself do you feel most seen in through your work?
Angela: I feel most seen in my work when I express the parts of myself that are not noticed initially—like my tenderness, my respect for knowledge, and my complexity as a person who still holds space for others. Through my prints, I make space for introspection, ease, and care. My work gives those parts a home.

Good: How has your understanding of your identity shaped the way you create?
Angela: I'm drawn to printmaking as a way to create because its process of layering, discovery, and unpredictability reflects my own journey of self-exploration, growth and unfolding in my practice.

Good: What story do you think your younger self needed to see in art—and are you telling that story now?
Angela: My younger self needed to see art that reflected my humanity and complexity as a person,  a narrative shaped by my unique observations and experiences and the subjects in it. Now, through my work, I’m creating space to honor the parts of myself I needed to see mirrored.

Good: How do you navigate the tension between visibility and vulnerability in your work?
Angela: I’m all about finding a space where I can be honest without feeling exposed. I use my art to show parts of myself and others that feel deeply personal, like the parts that shape my thought, but I also maintain boundaries by making sure the work feels more like an offering, inviting connection without demanding it.

Good: What is a misconception people have about your practice—or you—that your art helps correct?
Angela: A misconception about my practice is that the softness in my materials is purely aesthetic but it's a conceptual choice. I use softness in material and color sometimes to hold weight, serving to create a duality where softness and whimsy contrast with deeper, more complex themes.

Good: How do your surroundings—physical, cultural, emotional—show up in your work?
Angela: My surroundings show up in the calm, inquisitive, and experimental place I’m in mentally—a state of play. Physically, I’m in a bustling city, yet I often depict moments of ease and introspection. My relationships feel explorative and welcoming, and my connection to the community shows up in the care I take to guide and give back, especially to the next generation.

Good: If this chapter of your life had a title, what would it be—and how is that reflected in your current work?
Angela: I’d title this chapter ‘Pace’ because I’m learning to trust the rhythm and intention of my own process, giving myself time to build layers, both in composition and in life. Trusting that things will fall together in time even if it seems uncertain.

Good: What truth have you been circling in your work but haven’t said out loud yet?
Angela: A truth is that I’m still healing and expanding at the same time—growing into wholeness in a way that feels gentle, real, and grounded.

Good: If you had to strip everything back—materials, audience, career—what would remain at the center of your practice?
Angela: At the center of my practice is a deep love to connect—with myself, the world, with people and those I love, and with the questions that keep me tender. Even without materials, audience, or career, I’d still be drawn to making as a way to process and to stay in conversation with what matters most.

About Angela: 

Angela Pilgrim (b. 1991, New Jersey) is an artist whose work explores Black subjectivity through the Black female gaze using portraiture, printmaking, pattern making, and mixed media. Her work examines themes of beauty, spirituality, identity, and emotional complexity within the Black diaspora while centering the body as both subject and storyteller. Angela’s work has been exhibited widely and is included in notable collections such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art, and the Newark Public Library. She has received several grants and awards and currently serves as a board member of Frontline Arts in Branchburg, New Jersey.