Molly “Mayhem” Adams

Molly was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She received her BA in Sociology from The University of Texas at Austin in 2014. After completing a few semesters of a PhD program in Sociology, she left to pursue art. She obtained the nickname, “Molly Mayhem,” during grad school when she was an amateur boxer. Currently, she lives, works, and boxes in New Orleans.

Her background in Sociology informs her practice. Previously considering herself a painter, she’s moving away from 2-dimensional work and learning how to apply social practice in a variety of mediums.  

Currently, she’s working on an installation of collected syringes from the Upper Ninth Ward’s streets in New Orleans. Along with collecting, she is photographing and creating a map indicating heavy-use streets. As part of the exhibition, she uses journaling about the experiences walking through the neighborhood allowing viewers a first-hand experience of picking up needles along homeless camps and busy corners. The goal is to raise awareness about the drug problem and homelessness wrecking the neighborhood.

Molly’s work is about making social trauma visible to those who cannot see it. She did this with a previous sculpture on UNO campus titled, Heavy, where she used rocks and concrete to show the proportion of UNO students who will experience sexual assault at some point during their college careers.

Molly grapples with social issues through art, creating work that is digestible by all. She sees art as a way to make viewers feel the weight of trauma and believes art is the most effective method for this because it is aesthetic rather than direct confrontation. And this, she trusts, allows room for conversation, and hopefully change.

Molly’s art is inspired by the grittiness of life and human experience. Her goal is to harness the hardships, the grit, and create something beautiful yet honest. And maybe make some Mayhem in the meantime.