JESSICA HAMMOND

Brutal Doodles (Jessica Hammond) is an artist, musician, and community organizer from Sioux City, Iowa. From large scale murals, to intricate illustrations, to live painting performances, her work depicts fantastical characters, magical adventures, and other worldly scenery.

Jessica serves on the board of directors for Vangarde Arts, a non-profit art and music venue in Sioux City, IA, and the Community Built Association, a nationwide organization of artists and creatives engaging in community-based work. She is also on the planning committees for some of Sioux City’s biggest yearly events, including the Alley Art Festival, Saturday in the Park, and the Gallery in the Skywalk Art Festival.

Along with planning and organizing those big, annual events, you can find Jessica hosting a monthly event, alongside co-founder Kitty Hart, called Gathering Seeds Creative Hangout. This event, aimed at cultivating a creative community in Siouxland, takes place on the last Sunday of every month at Hardline Coffee, and has been running since January, 2022. 

Background

Jessica studied Audio Engineering at Western Iowa Tech Community College and graduated with an Associate of Applied Science degree in 2017. She worked as a stagehand and live sound engineer until 2019, while playing in bands, honing her art skills, running sound at local shows, and networking with creatives across the Midwest. 

The first ever Brutal Doodles art show took place in January, 2019 at Vangarde Arts in Sioux City, Iowa. Later that year, Jessica painted her first mural ever, in collaboration with Kitty Kitty Bang Bang (Kitty Hart) for the first annual Alley Art Festival in Downtown Sioux City. She joined the Alley Art Festival planning committee in 2020, and since then, she’s been involved with planning various art, music, and community events around Siouxland.