Save the date: "Fracture" opening
Next week, I’m looking forward to seeing how other artists define a “fracture.”
You might remember I dented a few eggshells to create “They Don’t Really Feel Pain.” My assemblage sculpture was accepted into “Fracture,” the latest exhibit at the Kirkland Arts Center. The curators wrap up their interpretation of the word like this:
“Some fractures can heal and knit, mending what was sundered, bridging the gap. Or, they can be places weakened forever: landscape altered beyond recognition. Whatever the cause, and whether or not it is welcome, a fracture is a shock–and a sign that nothing will ever be quite the same.”
I also appreciate the curators making space for my work in an impressive grouping of artists:
Savannah Reynolds
Dana Len
E. Valentine DeWald II
Shelby Cook
Seth Sexton
Before you get caught up in the rush of summer activities, would you make space on your calendar for the opening reception? It’s next Friday, June 28th, at 6pm. Hope to see you soon.
In my studio: Black history, black futures
Dear America:
I’m gonna need you to up your history game to include the stories of all our people, and not just in history books. (But really: you need to do better with schoolchildren’s history books. Those things are awful.) You don’t even have to look far for material. For example: Did you even know you owned this photo, America?
Children at a White House Easter egg roll, 1923. Credit: Library of Congress
It’s in the Library of Congress, that big ol’ hoard of your favorite images and documents. I laughed out loud when I first discovered the image — I mean, that’s some EPIC (probably unintentional) side-eye!
And then I sighed. This photo and its original title — “A study in black and white snaped [sic] at the White House today” — say everything and nothing at all about America in 1923. Like a lot of American history and culture. A wink-wink-nudge-nudge title that implies racial tension, and almost no explanation for why that might be so.
During Black History/Black Futures Month, I’m going to assign my own interpretation of what’s going on in this photo. I think the gaps in our stories are directly responsible for the way we treat each other. Realistically, I know those gaping holes will continue to exist for… God only knows how long. But if anyone else is trying to fill the holes and make things right, well, the collages I plan to make are for you.
New work: "Rare & Exquisite"
I'm not usually a huge fan of butterflies; maybe I've seen too many of them printed in pink and slapped on products for girls. Also, they're flying bugs. But I am fascinated by some of the associations and cultural baggage they carry.
Some time ago, I heard a local radio story about how a military base also provides a refuge for endangered animals, including butterflies.
Credit: Sentinel Landscape program (USDA, Dept. of Defense, Dept. of Interior)
Environmental protection -- yay! -- but the irony of the program was even better. I was intrigued by the idea that a native species was safer among soldiers and artillery.
Soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (photo credit: US Dept. of Defense)
Native, local and vulnerable... hmm. As an artist, I explored the vulnerability of black bodies in my recent solo museum exhibit. And I've heard so many conversations calling black people 'an endangered species' since the 1980s. So I fused the two ideas in these collages.
I combined images from my family photo archive with photos of endangered butterflies from four regions of the United States.
As a kid, I remembered being mildly curious about the Victorian hobby of "collecting" butterflies. Then I learned the brutal reality. So as I sketched out my collage idea, I drew on that violent history.
The result is four large, dimensional collages I've titled "Rare & Exquisite." When you see them hung in a grid, they'll measure roughly six feet high by eight feet wide at the "Locally Sourced" exhibit. Want to hear more? Please join us at the reception on May 19th, at the Columbia City Gallery.