Preview of the series "Can't we stick together?"

Last semester I started this series of Untitled drawings called"Can't we stick together?" I started this project with just the drawings, and I sort of put it to the side for a while so that I could focus on the Yellowbone piece and the other works. This semester I re-visited them and found so much in each drawing that I hadn't seen before. I found a way to express how I was feelings about the colorism issue in a way that felt right to me, using flesh tone color pencils( There is a funny story of my buying all of these different flesh tone pencils at my local art supply store. The black guy at the register inquired as to what type of project was requiring me to buy so many "black skin tones." I replied by saying I was working on a colorism project, he smiled while saying "hmmm... that's sounds interesting") Originally,  when I was making these drawings I had a different mindset about what they were suppose to mean. They were suppose to be the "answer" to the problem. Then as I began to do so much extensive research on the subject, I felt overwhelmed by the complexity of everything. I realized how deeply embedded this concept has been implanted within our culture, nearly 400  years ago!! So I felt this sense of reality of how huge this issue really was. I imagined the fact that so many black people of darker complexion have died believing a lie, that because of their complexion they weren't beautiful or capable of succeeding. I really hated the fact that our society has almost built an extensive concept around  this to keep their false idea into existence. I mourned the fact that so many people deal with these issues, even me! So I started drawing these "answer" pieces to show how we could reverse the curse. As niave (this is the word my old mentor Jane Marsching used when I talked about this with her) as this concept may sound, I really have a passion for all black people to love how God created them no matter how culture has tried to polute us. It's just that serious to me. I realize that friendships have ended, families have been broken, and people have lived in depression over skin tone because of the lie of colorism. So if I seem obsessed with this concept it's because it's real.

 Sunanda Sunyal, one of our MFA faculty, made a statement about my work at the last residency about colorism being a internal issue (inside the black community), and he questioned why I'd want to talk about it. Now given please believe that I respect Sunanda, but I felt that question was so disconnected from the stories that I put together in the colorism spread. Anyone who read that piece would understand the necessity to discuss this type of topic, regards of how much people don't like to talk about it because it's painful. But I had a lot of trouble dealing with that statement, because to me it was an excuse to not say what you feel. I don't think we can afford in this day in age to not say and speak our hearts( in love of course), and I've made up in my mind that I'm going to continue to discuss the issues that require us to step into righteousness. 

I recently finished reading a book called Cane River by Lalita Tademy( it was on Oprah's Book club list some years ago). It was a really good read to me because the author Lalita, had done extensive research on her family history and wrote a fiction novel based on her research findings. This was a creative approach to me, and I actually started some years ago doing something similar though I had no idea about Ms. Tademy. Maybe you'll see it published one of these days. But anyway, it was a great projection of this idea that "light is better,"stemming back to the time of slavery. The women in her family made significant decisions in the story to have relationships with white French men in Lousiana, and produce in some cases a dozen mulatto children from their extended relationships. They seemed to do this to gain wealth and access to priviledge, only to be betrayed when the same men would deny those same children as being reasonable heirs to their inheritance. It was a tragedy to see these women believe that they would have a better chance in life( in which some of them did though bitterly), and to find out tradegically that they were still black no matter how light they were. It was also interesting to see some of their offspring choose to pass because of this frustration. All in all the book was a engaging read, and I found it to be helpful to look at the history of colorism in America. The story also caused me to think of a film I saw some years ago called  "A Feast of All Saints"(2001) which even intersects with references of the creole of color on Cane River. There are other films I could name as well, but it's all very interesting. Well, I'll be sure to pause here for the moment and we will continue on later. Stay tuned to some new upcoming images...on the next blog post.

Black Womanhood Symposium

The Davis Museum and Cultural Center is currently showing Black Womanhood: Images, Icons, and Ideologies of the African Body  until December 14, 2008. I had the privilege to go to the Black Womanhood Symposium this past weekend. It was an awesome and  overwhelming experience to see so many black scholars in one venue. It's a rarity and yet at times one doesn't know how to handle that much "black power" at one time. I was so encouraged  that my husband also decided to tag along with me, as I know it's not one of his favorite subjects. I think it would be a challenge for me too if I were a man entering into the room with all of these black women talking on the issues and challenges of being a black woman in society. 

To my surprise my husband and I came to agreement about two particular people who presented at the symposium, that was scholor Dr. Abena P.A. Busia and artist Renee Cox. Obviously, we had missed the whole set of presenters in the first session, and we were only able to catch the second half. But we were taken by the boldness of Renee, and the passion and intellect that Dr. Abena shared with everyone. Dr. Busia did a very extensive talk on Saar Bartman and it was so compelling. For me the mention of Saar Bartman was a first since I've been in grad school. NO where else have I heard a name mentioned so much, in terms of black art. This is because before I entered grad school I wasn't aware of the separate genre of black art and works from Africa that are beyond African masks and primitiveness. So I found Dr. Busia's talk so insightful for my study because she talked about so many issues in the exhibiting of Saar Bartman in London, and the tragedy of her death as well. She also brought up some interesting points in regards to how black women are portrayed in art by non-black artists. And how that has caused even some black critics to accept certain ideas on black women. There was one particular image that struck me in her presentation. It was an image of a white women on the left, two light-skinned Algerian women in the center, and a image of a dark-skinned black woman at the far right. I wasn't able to catch the name of that painting, but Dr. Busia said something so profound about that image. It had to deal with a comment that was made about the painting that totally silenced the darker complexioned woman on the right. It made me think about a lot of the issues that I'm dealing with my current work, and I thought "Wow that's so interesting."  I did manage to speak with her after the session was over so I'm hoping that I might be able to inquire about the name of this image. She also seemed to be well versed in African, African diaspora films so that's another thing I'd love to ask her. 

I was also able to speak with Renee Cox which I thoroughly enjoyed. She had some really good insight as well, and unconsciously pin pointed a major issue that I'm dealing with in my most recent works, the brown paper bag test. I was asking her advice or asking about her challenges with studying and making art with the minimum amount of writings on black art in her day. We were speaking about issues that she faced in people not understanding her work, and she was so free in expressing the need for new people to step up to the plate and write about art. She particularly expressed the need for black people to write about art because in her eyes we need to be more vocal in the arts community. I really felt that so strongly as I've been thinking a lot about that lately. But, she went on to talk about her reasonings for choosing to date outside of her race. I don't exactly remember how the conversation went in that direction but I found her reasons very intriguing. She talked about not wanting black men to make her feel inferior because she wasn't lighter than a brown paper bag. I thought to myself  "Wow!" I say this because looking at her I don't see her as being dark, so I wasn't expecting her to actually reference the "brown paper bag" itself. I think it stuck with me because I've been doing a lot of work with brown paper bag so I thought it was amazing to hear her reference that. Unfortunately,  we weren't able to finish that convo as I began to tell her that I was dealing with those particular issues in my work. But I walked away thinking "Hmmm...If Renee Cox has experienced anxiety and rejection in regards to colorism than what I'm talking about isn't silly at all." I felt quite compelled to write more about black art after talking to her, though I have been contemplating it more often anyway. I felt that the symposium really left me with alot to think about, and really gave allowed me to see how right my presumptions had been about the way black issues are perceived.

After the sessions there was a presentation by the Wellesley African Student Association that my husband and I did not like at all. There seemed to be an overwhelmingly anti-Christian rhetoric going on which was really quite uncalled for. It seemed to me that these women had a negative connotation for Christianity because of the influence of colonalism on their country. I really felt bad for these ladies, as I can definitely understand how this type of deceptive concept could be misinterpreted. I think it's quite sad that because there were white people  who used Christanity as a means to rationalize their motives of trying to take control and dominate other countries, has caused some Africans and other cultures to dismiss Christanity all together. It's just like all the hypocracy within some people in ministry has created difficulty for some non-believers to come to Christ. All of this shouldn't be, because man's sinfulness shouldn't be looked upon as if God wants to see people in pain. This issue is a  different blog entry though,  but ultimately they brought up some intense issues such as ploygamy, female circumcision, and sexual education in African countries. 

And to close out there were performances by Boston-based artist Magadelena Campos-Pons and another artist Dineo from South Africa, who caused some confusion for some of the viewers because she didn't originally come out. However, the presenter did give us a disclaimer that the performance would begin in one place and end down stairs. I guess we weren't listening. On another note, it was a pleasure to speak with the exhibition curator Barabara Thompson, who has now moved on to Stanford University. She has become a truly helpful, and insightful friend since I've met her. It was great to be there to celebrate her hard work, and see how deep being a black woman can be. 

Colorism and then some

This has been a challenging and great time all at once. I'm really enjoying the ability to dig into research because I feel that it is giving me additional ideas for what I'm doing. Right now I'm reading a book called Cane River by Lalita Tademy, that is about "old Louisiana" and the relationship between the French whites(Creole), the gens de couleur libres( the free people of color), and blacks slaves there. Believe it or not but this book was on Oprah's Book Club list! I've been really enjoying it because it gives a very vivid account of the challenges of slave living. In fact this is probably the first book that I've read that details slave life. This is a sad thing I know but it's true. I think sometimes black people feel it's enough to feel the physical pains of slavery and the persecutions of being black every day. But nevertheless, I've been enjoying it because it helps to give more of a picture of how these hardships that you heard from your grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles played out in this story. What is interesting about Lalita Tademy is that this is actually the story of her family, and how they came to be what they are today. It's heartbreaking and interesting all at the same time, but I'm not quite finished!! I am probably like half done with it. There are many situations that occur in this story that relate heavily with my topic of colorism. Often there were some of her characters that exhibit the behavior, that I've always been told about in the black community. The uppity black folk. In my life people have attempted to put that label on me  for whatever reason. I don't understand. Anywho, the main characters are black house slaves who are privileged to live in less harsh conditions than the other field hands. I've been told this story many times growing up about the phenomenon of the "House slaves" and "Field slaves" and how this created division in the black community even then. Particularly, this story shows how some slaves tried to use certain advantages as power because of their closer connections with their masters, in some cases their lighter skin. One of the mulatto children in the story was even instructed to never be in the sun, because she was going to be the one who brought their family out into a better situation. They even told her and each other that she was "better than anyone else". This is quite alarming to me, because it was like all of the stereotypes of the light-skinned slave put into one.  But all the less, I'm enjoying the story. It's our history.

As far as my work, I am really enjoying all the exploring I've been doing. It's somewhat scary yet good at the same time. My mentor Ceci, has been really encouraging the investigating in my work as it's becoming more rich. Right now, I'm at a point of looking at how all of my mediums can work together. It will be interes

ting to see how

 that happens. These images are examples of me looking 

at arrangement and surfaces that can create meaning. In the top image I started to work with flesh tones and it's arrangement, playing with the idea of hierachies of skin tone( which is colorism). My investigation of d

ifferent arrangements were used to question the idea of hierachy in that sense. 

The second image is an arrangement of some of the images that I took from the piece that I brought to the last residency, and I arranged

 it with text that associates with the flesh tones. Oscar had pointed out a similar connection 

at the residency. I plan to do more studies like this with the other spectrums of the colorism system: yellow and red.

The third image is an experiment with painting on tracing paper. I started painting 

with flesh tone colors, and had the idea of arranging these papers in order from light to dark to illustrate the typical hierachies of skin tone. It is often thought that in terms of opportunities whether it be career, economical, or socially 

lighter skin is considered to come before others of darker skin tone, as was proved in Race, Gender, and the Politics of Skin Tone by Margaret Hunter. So this was an more abstract exploration of this idea. 

The fourth image was one that I've contemplated for quite a while, as I began to study the history of colorism. In that study I learned about the various ways that class and priviledge is determined or identified.  For example, here I'm investigating the creation priviledged groups such as the Blue Vein Society and procedures like the brown paper bag test. The three images look at the visibility and color of veins which have functioned to determine class in the history of black "high" society, as well as the brown paper bag. Using these two tools together in one composition, I attempted to question the empasis on judgement and comparision in our community. To me it's so crazy that things like the presence of visible blue veins and being lighter than a brown paper bag  were used to judge class, but it shows how desperate people have gotten. After much of my study, it seems that colori-

sm has more to do with the oppression from whites than anything else. The psychological damage of slavery and how it affected the way people of African decent began to think of themselves because of their physical and verbal abuse. Colorism during the time of slavery had more to do with survival in the African American community than anything else. It became evident to some that the more connected they were to the white culture the more free or powerful you could become. Meaning you were able to have more opportunities for freedom or to stay connected to your family, which were aspects of life that the typical slave did not have. In Cane River, the house slaves had a better opportunity to stay together because some of them spoke French like their masters because they grew up in the house. If they had mulatto children they were able to negotiate better living arrangements for their families, in addition to opportunities for education and a higher standard of living.

What this has done to the black community as a whole as produced much low self-esteem and bitterness because of the "advantages" of lighter skin. Now in this day in age there are many who compare themselves because of their skin. This brings us onto the last images here. 

I've used these to images in my colorism spread because I felt they were the best illustrations of the extreme ideas of this issue. The first image compares the same person in three different skin tones. Here I'm looking at how skin tones are compared, particularly in inner turmoil of one who struggles with the notion "if I was lighter" or "if I was darker." As silly as that sounds there are people who actually feel that way, and this shouldn't be taken lightly. When I was younger I used to think if I was a little darker my black friends wouldn't be so skeptical of me. I wouldn't have to deal with the "light-skin girl is a gold-digger" or "light-skin thinks their better" perception. I saw the way some of my friends who were around the same color interacted with each other. I've noticed that many of them have close relationships with them today. Disagreements between them didn't have the same outcome that my disagreements had. For me I had one strike and I was out. My judgement was much more harsh. My friends who are similar skin tone or lighter ,ironically, I still have associations with regardless of disagreements. This has been a interesting phenomenon to me. The exception of that for me have been friends of mine that I was able to reconcile through Christ, which means that through Christ each party found it within ourselves to forgive and move forward. Those friendships I'm thankful for.  It seems to me that in Christ, is where people are truly able to come to grips with these types of issues as it should be.   

My reflections from research

I've been working on the Colorism spread that I brought to the last residency. I've thought a lot about Adam McEwen's comments as well as John Kramer's about making it look more like a magazine spread. So here you have it. It was really great to pull this piece together. I used the same stories that I received from the previous version that I designed. As you might notice, I also worked on some images that I manipulated to display alterations in skin tone. I enjoyed doing this piece a lot, however I know that the next step will be to beyond the stories that I've received. I believe in this series I'll begin to look at various different ways I can comment on issues of "blackness" and colorism in other types of spreads that I've seen in other magazines as well.  Aside from this piece I've been working on some other work that is commenting on some of my reading about colorism and the black upper class. This has been a topic of great interest to me, because colorism in general has to do with class. So it's interesting to look at why people think this or that way about skin color because they think they will jeopardize their position in society. So far I've read three books that were very good. "Our Kind of people" by  Lawrence Graham which gives a detailed account about the inside world of America's Black Upper Class. It was very interesting as I found there were many parallels in the lives that he described to my own. I've never considered myself to be apart or resemble anything related to being "black elite," but it was interesting to see him outline some of my own activities and accomplishments, such as being a Delta debutant, invited to participate in Jack and Jill, and going to certain churches. All of these things were eye opening for me and helped me to see certain things that I hadn't noticed before. Yet, it was amazing that even then I had no true interest in participating in some of these things better yet not having any idea of what they represented in culture. Many were things I felt were just apart of my growing up process or tradition. I wonder if I had known them if I would have thought differently. As I look at the stories that I complied for this piece I'm reminded that some of them may consider themselves to be outside of the black elite. I wonder how the responses to colorism would be to people who are privileged?My previous studio mentor, Jane Marshing, had suggested that I ask white people about colorism and see what type of response I'd get. I could imagine that it would be a lot like the white people who attended the screening of Black Women On: The Light Dark Thang  at the Hood Museum of Art in Hanover, NH, and there was much disbelief and confusion as to why such a system would exist. For some reason there is a denial of what years of negative images illustrating black life could have a emotional psychological effect on a race of people. I feel the reason why colorism is so prominent is because black people haven't been justifiably been able to voice their pain ENOUGH about slavery AND all of the other demeaning acts against our culture. Colorism in essence is the residue of this unfinished injustice and the identity crisis it left upon so many people. Imagine if one message, Black is ugly, disgraceful, and represents savagery, was hammered in your head for over 400 years! This would do a whole lot of damage to people. I think what many people didn't expect is how this damage has passed down constantly over generations of people. One thing I discovered through the stories that I compiled is that these mindsets are often passed down by ourselves. Grandparents, parents, family, friends, are reproducing and reintroducing these ideas in very subtle yet hurtful ways. I know that it's not self-consciously but it's the pain that is being carried. I see it like this: I someone is wounded it doesn't matter how much they want to be healed they are going to squirm when that wound is touched. And what seems to be prominent is the squirming going on in the black community, it is evident that even though slavery is long gone people are still suffering, still bitter, and still self-hating. What will it take to put this all to rest? I'm not sure. But, for me working on these pieces puts me steps closer to understand my own struggle and why I was treated the way I was by my own people. I looked at the book The Blacker the Berry, which was a book I truly enjoyed reading. I feel like I hadn't read this style of book in quite  a long time, so it was refreshing. But it appeared to be such a true account of some of the personal inner thoughts that go on in many peoples heads in terms of skin tone. The sad part was to hear the hurtful things that was said about the main character, Emma Lou, who escaped the ridicule of her family to only constantly find more pain everywhere else. The most intriguing read was Margaret Hunter's Race, Gender, and the Politics of Skin Tone which was an extensive study that proved that lighter skin did in fact grant priviledge in the African American community. The most alarming point that she outlined was that the suffering of darker-skinned African American women was in fact greater than those suffered by lighter-skinned African American women. She came to this conclusion from data taken from National Survey of Black Americans, and individual interviews from black women of various different skin tones. She found that not only do darker-skinned African American women suffer from ridicule within their race, they lose out on a significant increase in income, and marriage opportunities. This caused me to look at my own accomplishments and I wonder how things would have been if I were shades darker. Although  I've seen many women of darker skin tone who have accomplish many outstanding achievements, I'm not sure if the ratio or percentage is equal. So as you can see there has been much research going on as was suggested at the last residency, and I do feel it's been very helpful. My main hope is that all of this knowledge will produce results.

New stuff

My life is quite busy right now. I have many things on my plate but they are all very good things.

I'm excited about a number of different

 opportunities that have opened up that have the  potential to make a positive impact on my career. But aside from that I'm still making work as usual, but you'll notice in this post a number of 

different types of work. It's not because I'm going crazy it's just that I'm taking in so much information that there is no "one" way for me to process it all. I felt very confident by a suggestion Stuart Steck made to me about just "trying" things out. Especially because I'm talking about issues within and upon the African American community, all of the research can be very overwhelming. Who would have thought

 that something that your really interested in would overwhelm you so much? I didn't. But oh well...I figure that the more that I absorb all of this reading and researching the more that I'll get through this seemingly "lack" of information problem. It's not that I don't appreciate research, it's just that I don't think people realize how emotionally draining it can be. Particularly in my case, because I'm researching various issues of "blackness" that's really painful to dig into. Yet, at the same time I'm enjoying every minute of it. It's a very complex relationship. Nevertheless, here are my processed thoughts that may or may not make sense to you but still please give feedback.

"BlackWomanhood" exhibition at the Hood Museum of Art

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I drove out to Hanover, NH, about 2.5 hours from Boston, to see the Black Womanhood exhibition that was being shown at the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College. Not only was it a beautiful drive from the city, but it was well worth the trip. Being the first time that we'd traveled out to New Hampshire together, it was a memorable experience. So what had me driving to Hanover, NH on a Wednesday afternoon? Yes, you guessed it(probably not),not only would I have the opportunity to take a look at this highly anticipated show, but they were also having a Black Womanhood Film Festival. This event would be featuring  three films highlighting the issues like colorism and identity within black women, each coming from different perspectives, particularly geographical prospectives differing between black women from Africa, America, and other extensions of the African diaspora. The film that I came to see was Black Women On: The Light Dark Thang by Celeste Crenshaw and Paula Caffey. Never have I seen a documentary that I felt like crying so hard over, like the other two films("Fantacoca" from Africa, Africas by Agnes Ndibi and Perfect Image by Maureen Blackwood) this film expressed the identity struggles of skin tone amongst the African diaspora. There were various different points of views, shades, and representations of Black women sharing their experiences. I felt in so many ways that I shared some of the same experiences they did. I wondered constantly while watching these women, why black women don't talk about these issues more often. It became clear as the film was coming to a close, as the stories were intensifying, the reason why it's not a popular subject amongst most sisters, the pain. With tears one of the women confessed her frustration with the representation of dark-skinned women in black films, the emphasis on this type of woman being considered ugly and the love interest being a lighter-skinned woman. It pained me to see how she identified with this representation, yet it frustrated her so deeply at the same time.

These are similar expressions that the artists upstairs in the main exhibit shared, as they were juxtaposed next to each other as if they were performing an open forum on the intense struggle of being a black woman not just in America, but everywhere. I felt the intensity of each piece as the artist shared their views, their objections, and their conclusions. Some artists were familiar to me, such as artists like Kara Walker,Carrie Mae Weems, Alison Saar, Carla Williams,Renee Cox, Joyce Scott, and Magdalena Campos-Pons. However, there were a great majority of artists who weren't, mostly because some were not African American artists, such as Maud Sulter(whom I was intensely impressed with), Penny Siopis, Malick Sidibe, Berni Searle, Etiye Dimma Poulsen, Ingrid Mwangi/Robert Hutter, Hassan Musa, Wangechi Mutu, Zanele Muholi,Lalla Essaydi, and many others. I felt so engulfed in this mass space of representations that included traditional African art mixed with the new interpretations of contemporary artists. Overall I found the exhibition very helpful for me, and it gave me such a peace to see all of these wonderful black women recognized in one space for their artistic talents. I felt grateful that I was able to see the show up-close-and-personal instead of just looking through an exhibition catalogue(which you know I had to get, thanks to my wonderful husband for adding another wonderful book to my collection!). 

Although each of these women and men brought wonderful work to my attention that was so needed for my growth as an artist, I felt most compelled by the works of artists Maud Sulter(Scottish) and Berni Searle. To me their aesthetic decisions were very suggesting to my own style, and things I'd like to accomplish in my work. Particularly with Berni Searle (South African)and her piece Traces(1999, above image), and her use of red, yellow, and brown spices to represent the color texture of skin tones reminded me of images that I did after my first residency that was for me a digital sketch of the divisions of colorism(image below). It reminded me of a flag in some ways, but my intent was to use photo transfers to then make diffentiations between what is considered red, yellow, and brown toned.

When I look at Searle's Traces I see the same divison that I created, and I felt that was so interesting to me that we both orchestrated these color expressions in the same order,( l to r) red, yellow, and black. I wondered what that could have possibly meant(if anything at all), and more importantly I'm interested with how we seemed to see this order so similarly. This makes me think of apartheid, and the divisions that existed there when in it's prominent era. I felt that we were both in a way communicating this systematic structure that seems to remain present even as we try effortlessly to push it away. I also found it interesting that Searle also has a series of works that include images with text, or use text on it's own, which I felt was even more  related to my work as well.

With Maud Sulter's Terpsichore(1989, below) I was interested in the staging within her photographs, which was part of a series where she had black women artists posing as muses. I'm intrigued by the idea of digital performance and the presence of movement within my images. I see a relation as the performance artist Della Street in the image is posed as a aristocratic woman, which represents for me a sense of movement physicologically as you feel that you've caught her in the midst of playful suggestions. You know that this is not her normal attire or hair, therefore suggesting the movement that took place to create this mask of identity. 

So in a nutshell there was a lot that I gained from the show, in addition to the fact that I met exhibition curator Barbara Thompson, whom I had the opportunity to speak with prior to the last film in the festival. She was extremely knowledgeable about the subject of black women, and it was impressive to see someone with so much passion about the works of these artists. It was inspiring, and I'm glad that I had the chance to converse with her, because she added much insight on how to approach such a broad subject like "Black womanhood." She expressed her concern with the tendency that is placed on the generalized notion of being a "black woman" in society, when there are a number of different expressions that exist. In the case of this exhibit, it proved to show a significant element of geographical difference.

After so much to absorb out of that experience, I walked away not with a totally full impression on what black womanhood was about, but definitely a more well-rounded one. The breakdown of our various different experiences and roles in society, how they affect us, and the representation of ourselves in imagery was what stuck out to me the most. I could really literally go on and on, but I feel empowered by what these women artists have presented. Not just because they are black, but because for the first time in a long time I've been able to engage in art that speaks to my own personal story, experiences, and points of view. So I say great job to these ladies! Maybe one day I'll be joining you to share my perspective.

AIB Residency Summary

This AIB residency, presented a vast variety of questions concerning my current work. A mass majority would have agreed that the work that I brought to this second residency was completely different from the work I brought to my first residency. This could have been purposely, but justly there were issues that I wanted to confront in my work that I had not received the opportunity to address before this point. It was clear from the last residency that I was perceived as a young artist with much potential, yet lacking focus. Whether I agree with this viewpoint, is another essay but evidently the combination of research and critical theory had an affect on my work.

One of the first comments that I received as I was installing my work within my assigned space was the transformation from my predominately-Christian based work to work addressing issues of identity politics and race. Some thought this was a great move considering the current awkwardness to many discourses on Christianity or religion. It opened my work up to a broader scope, where to my surprise people were readily embracing it. The biggest question was "why colorism?" of all the issues within African-American culture why did I choose to highlight "black upon black" discrimination?

My first critique with Oscar Palacio questioned the "literalness" of my work. To him every thing seemed very much educational and informative, lacking the needed layering and depth to really create a more challenging read. He liked the idea that I was going back into culture to reference class, and suggested that I take a look at the racism studies on bone structure that took place at the International Center of Photography in New York. He saw my work as tapping into a use and need of research that could easily lead me into visual research and art making research based projects. He saw this as an important thread that should be made more evident within my work, and felt that the lack of evidence or presence of research represented in my work caused it to become "didactic." Some of the artists that he suggested where artists like David Levanthol, Laurie Simms, and Ellen Gallagher. He suggested that I read "The Invisible Man"(Ralph Ellison), research "black face minstrels," and watch the film "A Birth of a Nation." Oscar felt that I should continue to collect words that explore notions of class, race, and the consequences of how a larger culture, affects the smaller culture.

This was somewhat contrasting to what my former advisor, Adam McEwen felt. He felt the foundation of my works was very strong and stimulating, however, he felt that there were aesthetic values that I needed to perfect. Particularly he was interested in the huge magazine spread, that he felt was more resembling to a poster. His ernest suggestion was that I tweak the design, research, make the piece look more like an actual People magazine spread. Although my effort was not to make it identical to an actual spread, he felt this accuracy was needed for the piece to be read correctly. Then, it would allow me to tap into what that magazine represents and how it contrasts or relates to the stories I supplied. He also felt that my colors should have been more about skin tones since I was talking about colorism. His overall complaint was that although he felt much of the work was strong, he'd like to see more. He felt that I should push out as many tries as possible and do editing later.

I was encouraged to hear that Jane Avigkos was pleased with the developments in my work, and that I was seeming to take a step in the right direction. My critique with Sunanda Sunyal was very productive and as I expected he had much to say about my current work, which wasn't surprising due to his extensive expertise in African and African American art. Although, it seemed that he was more concerned with the fact that I didn't continue to sit-in on his African American artists history class at AIB this past semester. He didn't attempt to read the work, he spent most of the time demanding that I do more research. He faced me the entire time and only before I mentioned it's neglect did he really attempt to read the work at all. His argument was that the only way I would be able to tackle such topics was with extensive research, which is a point that I well respect. He also felt that it was odd for me to deal with issues of colorism, because in his opinion this was an internal issue. His suggestion was that he would have felt more comfortable if I was dealing with issues of "blackness." He did mention a number of documentaries that were a "must-see" for me, such as "Ethnic Notions," Race the power of an illusion," Family Name," and" A birth of a Nation." Books that he recommended were "The Invisible Man"(Ralph Ellison), "Black Skin/White Mask," "Wretched of the Earth," and novels dealing with racial issues. He hinted that the idea of "lighter is better" comes from a survival instinct, and wasn't an issue that was only prone to African Americans. He spoke of it's existence in other cultures such as India and other Asian cultures. He felt slightly fearful of my discussion of an internalized topic because of the critical attacks that have been directed towards Kara Walker by other blacks in the arts community, in response to the way she represents African American women. He felt this was something I should be aware of, and consider its implications within the African American community.

After speaking with Sunanda later, I had an interesting conversation about my possible interest in connecting the quilt-making that my great grandmother did into my work somehow. He felt that this could be a good thesis project to discover, and felt that I should gather as much information about her as possible. This gathering of information wouldn't require a biographical representation of my great-grandmothers life. He felt it would be more interesting to create a fictional story that used her life as a way of commenting on the historical aspects of the time. He agreed to work with me again this semester to help me to balance my work with the lack of African American art history that is covered in typical art history and critical theory courses.

One of the most helpful critiques was one by John Kramer, whose expertise in design helped me to consider aesthetically how presentation affects the way a work is read. He opted to change my bone piece that originally read: "What is a yellowbone?" to just simply "yellowbone." He also felt that it's proper place shouldn't be lying onto of a tarp on the ground. Even though my analogy of digging up bones had some weight, he felt that the piece should take precedence leaning against the wall. There the piece transformed from looking incomplete to being sculptural. From that point on the piece was read completely different and more affectively without forming a literal question. It also took some of the heavy literal sense from the piece and allowed it to be a questionable thought. He also gave suggestions about the placement of my works, and assisted me to shift things around which made a major difference. One of his most critical takes was upon the magazine spread, as he agreed with Adam that it should have a more professional and crisp aesthetic comparable to an actual magazine. The presence of the title " People Magazine" wasn't enough, and needed the signature look that could be easily recognized as being a spread in People Magazine. His suggestion was that I also do multiple versions of each piece to have more variety.

Then, after meeting with Oscar Palacio again, who was my selected advisor for this semester, we were able to discuss my work in greater depth. He felt that my work needed to show evidence that I had looked closely at other African American women artists like Carrie Mae Weems,Deborah Willis, Renee Cox, and Lorna Simpson. It needed to show exploration with how they approached their work, and critical writings about their work. Just like Adam he felt that researching other African American artists would give me clarity about how I could be more successful. He also felt I should look at the work of Jenny Holtzer, Nancy Sparrow, and Barbara Kruger because of their use of text in their work.

To conclude, evidently there are many avenues that I can direct my work. Over of the course of this semester I've had the opportunity to choose amongst many ideas that are very interesting to me. This may entitle me to compile information on my great-grandmother history to begin a possible journey towards my thesis. Using her life as a doorway into the discourse of the realities and struggles of African American life during her generation. There are also plenty of other opportunities for me to expand the use of text in my work, and determine what may be affective ways of representing text within imagery. Looking at the works of other African American male and female artists I might find myself evaluating their method of communication as a point of reference in my work, such as how Renee Cox used the historic images of black female bodies and stereotypes within the representation of African American women in her work. Another option would involve me picking up where I left off, perfecting the work that I've already done, and creating a larger variety of viewpoints that I can stem from. Research seems to be the ever defining thread between all of these suggestions, and after completing this residency I've learned again, the wealth of information that lies before me. Information that has limitless possibilities and great potential. The task that I face now is staying motivated, and not being overwhelmed by the enormous amount of information that I seem to continuously uncover. As Stuart Steck suggested in our critique, I have to find a way to "spill out my thoughts" from all the endless information that is dumped in my path, and use it as a dumping ground for conceptual thought.

Get ready! Get ready! Get ready!

So here are the images that I promised. These are pretty raw to me, as I'm investigating the use of text to discuss identity politics. Particularly looking at the works of Lorna Simpson, Barbara Kruger, and Carrie Mae Weems. There is much more to come so be ready!

Let's get it started

Since the AIB residency I have been making a tremendous effort so far to research, research, research. That was sort of the "word" from most of my faculty that I needed to do more studying and more work. I also needed to look more closely at the works of other African American women artists like myself to understand more specifically why they made certain decisions.

It's becoming more clear to me now, how 'unliberal" it can feel being a black female artist. Because there is so much pressure to do this and not do that. If I'm too literal and too open about the stereotypes I might be outcasted by my own, much like how many in the Black community have viewed Kara Walker's work. If I'm not literal enough there isn't much impact at all. So I find myself caught in between a rock in a hard place. There is a huge battle to either just be myself or else no one including myself will get anything out of this.

Recently, I've been watching various videos on Lorna Simpson and  Faith Ringgold and it's very interesting to see how different, yet similar they present their art. And somehow I believe the difference in their generation has a great influence. Lorna Simpson using photography, film, installation, and text; Faith Ringgold using painting, quilts, and text. Particularly, I was impressed by them both in how they articulated their process, and which steps in the process are most important for them than others. 

For Lorna Simpson while producing the "Public Sex" series it wasn't the image making that is most tasking, it was the printing process; the tediousness, perfectionist process of silkscreen printing her photographic images on felt. I also enjoyed watching her work with the printer to push out all of her images in time for her exhibition. While Faith Ringgold on the other hand shared the harsh realities of being a black female art student in a all-white art school, which sounded all too similar to my own experiences. She had a painting or drawing teacher who told her that she "couldn't" be an artist, and it was at that point that she fought harder to be one. The cleverness in which she choose her medium, quilts, to make it easier, convenient, and economical to be shown in galleries. I took all of that in and it put so many things into perspective for me.

Also, I've  been studying about these criticism behind their work and it's mind boggling  the depth that can be read behind their images. Oscar called my work "didactic" and too literal, where it didn't allow for multiple readings. When I look at my work I don't know if I see that ,but I can understand why he would say that. I conclude that I worked really hard to make sure that people were able to understand my intent that I didn't leave any space in between. I began to feel that no matter what I did, my work would be interpreted differently and labeled as simply work from a black female artist. I don't believe when I started doing art that I felt it would be that way. I believe I felt that art was this sort of "liberal" and "expressive" world that was down for whatever I  had to say. I never imagined that I would be discriminated against, that I would have dealt with the issues I have. Issues of how people preceive the " black female body." I think of some of my early black & white images of black women in dark situations, with one lighting source and I wonder how people w0uld read them. Then, I had no knowledge of the issues dealing with "blackness" in art. Now it seems that my earlier work was more loaded then I thought. Even in my "Covered" series I'm starting to see the implications that I didn't realize were there.

So as I continue on I've purposed to take as much out of these experiences and information as possible. I've started to work on some new images using typography that I will be uploading soon, which will be my attempt to "vomit" some of this information that I've had to take in. It's been a process, and I do believe that I'll be taking many more photographs and designs. I plan to continue on with the bone pieces as well,  but there is so much depth there that I want to explore. So everybody get ready.

Black Heritage:Quilting in the Family

Image:Presenting Grandma Malinda's Quilt at the Wade/Johnson Family Reunion. One of the things that I recall from Sunanda's African-American Artist History class is the tradition of quilting and furniture making in African-American culture. I also having being reading a book entitled African-American women artists, and quilting was a traditional format of creative expression for female slaves that has carried out to the current culture of African-American women. What I didn't know is that my great-grandmother Malinda Harper was a well-known quilter(And I wonder why I like to work with my hands). So I've posted a image my mom recently sent me of a quilt that my great-grandmother had done which was presented at our recent family reunion. I was totally blown away. I always knew that my family had a very artistic background, but it is interesting to know to what degree. I also discovered that she  used to make the communion bread at her local church(somehow this explains a lot for me too). So I believe going towards the next residency I would like to use the idea of quilting as a inspiration. Perhaps using the pattern formality of quilting to reference and speak about social issues within the African American culture. I still would like to address colorism because I feel like there was so much that I wanted to do this past semester but didn't because of time constraints so I feel I'm going to lay it all out this semester. I actually did take quite a few photographs this semester for a side piece that I was working on, and I will hopefully bring some of the images to the residency if I can. But for now things are going to get interesting. I have a crit with Sunanda tomorrow and I really don't know what to expect from him. We'll just have to see... I'll let you know what happens:)

The Big Layout on Colorism

To all that contributed their stories to my colorism project, I just wanted to show you all what I was able to put together with all your wonderful text. Looking at this image it's hard to define the scale but it's a 40x60 magazine spread on the affects of colorism. After I put together this piece, I found a recent article in Bookforum entitled Voices Carry by writer Lawrence Hill that pretty much sums up the relevance  of this approach.He quotes Henry Louis Gates in his review of Andrew Ward's The Slave's War: The Civil War in the Words of Former Slaves. He quotes Gates' theory that "life stories" are the most important statement a black author can make to illustrate the African-American experience, and the tradition of story-telling in the African-American community. Magazines are ways inwhich ideas are communicated, and shared. So in this piece I choose to display the stories that were contributed as a artistic approach of publishing the need of voices to speak and expose the pain that the issues of colorism has caused. I was very amazed and blown away by all of the stories, particularly because most of the people here have a close connection to me whether a childhood friend or family member. It was amazing that eventhough we all held close relationships we never were able to communicate this sort of inner turmoil, yet at the same time coming to grips and loving ourselves all at the same time. It's truly remarkable. I believe that this piece also address the idea of publishing as a platform where people feel either comfortable or uncomfortable about expressing their opinions and thoughts. Please let me know what you think.

Delayed but not Denied

Images: Top, AIB residency space. Second,   Being Black1,93 mixed media illustrations

on index cards, 2008. Third, What is a yellowbone?installation, artificial bone,clay, and glue on painter's linen.2008

So I know that these images are long overdue, but I attribute it too my perfectionism with images and the way they are displayed. Anywho, here are images from the colorism piece that I've been working on. They are images taken while here at the AIB residency, but I figure it's better late than never. Some of my group mates complained about the lack of images on my blog so here ya go! I'll be sure to overwhelm everyone next time with images. 

So far I've received one crit at the residency and to my surprise it was mentioned that the work is too "literal." An opposite to what I received last residency, but I was told it was attributed to the religious notions in my previous works. I'm not sure how I perceive that entirely, but I do think it's interesting. I've always wanted to use text in my work, however I knew I would receive a lot of flack for not using any photography like I did last residency. I definitely would like to combine the too, but I think it was definitely necessary to go to this extreme so that I can strip away.Because as my studio mentor told me, I had enough content but just needed to express the content. I'm glad that Oscar Palacio is going to be my faculty advisor this semester.He deals with issues of race in his work, and I know he enjoys this type of work. The tricky part will be to find a studio mentor that will be able to work with me this semester. There have been plenty of suggestions, but we will have to see.Well enjoy and until next time...

Soon and very soon

It has been a terribly long time since I've posted an entry, however, this doesn't mean I haven't been busy getting things together. I can't believe its almost that time again. It's almost residency time. It's a weird feeling because the first residency wasn't the best experience to me, but I'm hoping that this one will be better the second time around.

A lot has transpired during the past months. I've been doing quite a bit of reading and researching on the topic of colorism. In addition, I've been learning a wealth of information concerning black art history. This is a interesting term because it isn't used very much in your typical art history class. However, I find this information very useful to help me sort through the fact that many black artists nor their art are not included in many mainstream art history writings. 

More contemporary art historians have commented of their existence but I've learned much more through studying the writings of popular African-American art historians like Sharon Patton and Richard Powell. I have to be honest when I say that these two writers have inspired me greatly through this process. I sat in Sunanda's African-American artists course for the first couple of months, yet found myself not feeling inspired only sadden at the fact that it was the first time I had ever heard of many of these African-American artists. It just seems pitiful that their names are hardly recognized or mentioned in the big scheme of things.

One thing that I pondered while  in Sunanda's class was whether people really care to hear the experiences and input of artists of African descent. It's alarming to see how many artists were never recognized for their skill-level. Though this  clearly shows the grim times they lived in. I say this not implying that things are so perfect now. I do feel that progress has been made through the years. It seems like our voices are more readily heard in Europe and some parts of this country, depending on the curatorial schedules of many museums. As long as the contemporary art world continues to be experimental in nature and open to various different points of view, I believe there will always be a place where everyone of every culture or gender can be heard. At least that is the hope.

This thought has transferred into my recent works, in that I hoped to put together a number of different thoughts that speak on a central idea. I am happy that I've been able to accomplish all that I have so far. Just a little longer to go! Jane Marshing has been great and the best mentor I could have picked in this first semester. Adam McEwen has also been great. You can also tell when something is going to be good, because the beginning starts off rocky. He has been very helpful in keeping my thoughts in order, and I'm glad that he is excited about my idea.

What am I working on? I'm putting the finishing touches on the yellow bone piece. I initially thought of  having this piece on the wall, but then decided that the context fit better at a lower point of view. I've used artificial bones to proclaim a question in regards to the way terminology is used in the African-American culture. Using self-drying clay and glue I've been able to create a archaic feeling of discovering something from of old that is being brought to the light. I still have some additional photographs that I would like to take this week, and I just finished compiling all of the stories and experiences from family members, friends, and associates on the affects of colorism. I decided months ago that I wanted to use their stories to put together a very special piece incorporating their written words. I've done something similar with the Covered series, but this time its not including photography to explain them. This time I've decided to let the words speak for themselves. Sometimes its best to keep it simple. This is very important to me because I've always wanted to incorporate the lives of people that I encounter and their experiences in my work. I'm a person who really finds joy in seeing how people overcome various issues in their lives, and in my on artsy way I want to be able to share those same stories to others so that they might be encouraged as well. Well I think that was a good enough update for now. Until next time!

All is well

So far so good... I had a productive meeting with my studio mentor, Jane Marsching, this week and I have a lot to work on. It's very motivating, especially now that my studio is all ready to go.  Jane felt that it would be good to focus on one thing at a time for now, because it would help me to be more productive. And obviously the best thing is to do is more readings. She felt it was good that I am sitting in Sunanda Sanyal's African American Artists class. Unfortunately, I had to miss it this week because of work, but I'm blessed to find a art history student in class that is willing to fill me in.

One thing that we talked awhile about was the existence of colorism in fashion advertisements. I know this is something that is commented within many columns about the subject. I find it very interesting that there are a lot of articles talking about colorism in African-American magazines. It seems to hint on what I"m trying to discuss within my work. Its altogether fascinating and amazing that events are in sync with my project. I have to be honest... It doesn't get any better than that. Better yet, Spike Lee's School Daze, the movie that was highly request in my academic research was highlighted in Vibe magazine's Feb 08 issue (Back in the Daze by Keith Murphy). There was an extensive interview on Spike Lee and the rest of the cast about the movie and how it was such a huge statement during the late eighties. So of course this is going to be my next assignment. I'm going to be looking at it in reference to my project. Another interesting article was in Ebony magazine's Feb 08 issue Two Sides: Do Light-Skinned Black people Have an Advantage?. This was a very interesting article because it gave perspectives of a light-skinned journalist and that of a dark-skinned journalist. Both of these two women brought very powerful point of views. If anyone is interested in this subject you should check it out. Well... as I said again there is much I need to do so I'll update more later.

Next week

I'm so excited because next week will be my first meeting with my studio mentor, Jane Marsching. You can check out her website at www.janemarsching.com. I really believe she is going to be great for me this semester, I'm sure I'll have lots to report after my meeting with her.

Residency Summary

The MFA in Visual Arts low residency was full of colorful suggestions. Most suggestions came after my point of focus was established. During the following semester issues of colorism in African-American culture will be addressed, and confirms that its affects produce division. During the residency there were many suggestions that provided a basis of conversation for future works.

At the residency most of the works presented vocalized a variety of different statements, which caused much confusion and questioning of my focus for future works. Considerate suggestions were made about how to arrange and rearrange works for future residencies. Display is an important element for the accessibility of art, so one strategy for this semester will require sensitivity in this area.

The abstract painterly quality in the Seven Sisters series was admired by many critique group members. Out of all of the works shown it was one of the strongest pieces suggested. Though the series was done through photographic medium, many felt this style could suggest success with actually pursuing painting. Another suggestion was to take photographs and paint over the images. Other good points were to study the spiritual in abstract art, or studying the street photography of German photographers. Many also suggested that the images show more detail, it was argued that the images could have taken place anywhere. The next concept to think about is creating images that show more characteristics of the area. Adam McEwen was the only one at the residency who identified the subject of the images being from England. However, he also felt that it seemed more like an exercise than a conceptual piece.

The Covered series was more unclear to most people at the residency, and it was suggested that the concepts within the piece be broken down into more simpler, identifiable forms. As a conceptual piece it deemed more important that the ideas be more visual than symbolic, and that the works be presented more accessible to everyday people. The Christian themes within the piece, as well as other pieces, were seen as a barrier to some. Discreet, non-suggestive titles were suggested to allow the images to be more accessible to those who aren’t Christian.

Jan Avgikos felt it was interesting that the models in the Covered series looked so similar to the artist. As a black woman in the program, she felt that there were concepts that I could contribute to examine diversity issues in the art world. She felt that there were subliminal messages that were speaking through this series. Messages that weren’t relative to the original intent and concept of the piece. She also felt that the digital paintings, Spiritual Warfare, were the strongest pieces. There seemed to be an opportunity to expound on this particular medium to facilitate ideas. Also, it appeared that digital art and video would allow me the use of a variety of skill sets. Such a project would give opportunities to build a set, sculpt certain objects, and merge them within one piece. This was determined to be an effective way to communicate narrative themes that my work has covered.

At the conclusion of the residency numerous suggestions in regards to African-American artists were made in reference to my independent study plan. Majority of those suggested were African American women who have dealt with similar issues of race and skin tone in their works. Among them were Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems, Adrian Piper, Lorna Simpson, David Hammons, Mona Hatoum, Byron Kim, Faith Ringhold, Maureen Fleming, Bell Hooks, and Ellen Gallagher. It was also suggested that I sit in on Sunanda Sanyal’s course on campus called, “African American Artists: The Harlem Renaissance through the Civil Rights Movement.”

Recommended Readings:

Location of culture / Homi K. Bhadha.

Orientalism / Edward W. Said.

David Hammons by Kellie Jones, Interview

Film: School Daze by Spike Lee

Progressing Along

I finally feel as though things are starting to push off... Now the next step is to get going. Right now I'm feeling very inspired and can sense that this is the best time to start sketching, and get all of my ideas on paper. I've very excited that I may have found a studio mentor, Jane Marsching, who actually is in the area. After talking with her I know more ideas will start to flow. I also think its perfect that she is familiar with my MFA program, which I feel will be a great benefit for me.

Everyone knows I'm working on something, because I started to ask alot of my family and friends about the topic of my piece. Its a normal practice that I do when I'm getting ready to work on a project. I've started to ask everyone around me what they think about the affects of colorism or their personal experiences. My mom has even started to forward links that would be helpful, thats when you know you have a support system. I don't know how many families are that supportive of artists in their families, but I'm blessed. I've gotten such great response from everyone, and I didn't realize how the subject of colorism would hit home for some many people around me. Originally it seemed like it would be impactful but I'm starting to realize how important it is. Having everyone's participation is very wholesome for me because it helps me to stay grounded, and I feel alot more confident and connected to what I'm doing. There are many layers that I feel I'm uncovering and there is so much that I can say. Now I'm just choosing my words wisely.

Here we go now

I have to say that things are starting to heat up quickly. After the residency I made a decision about where I wanted to go for the the rest of the semester. But even better... the rest of the program. But I will just give a hint of what's to come. No need to overwhelm everyone with all of my ideas. I definitely will start with one thing at a time. Though I do find myself inspired by the littlest things.

I will be dealing with discrimination within the African-American culture through colorism. Some may not be familiar with the word, but it deals with discrimination within a particular culture or race of people because of skin tones. It's a subject that hits me quite personally, and I'm sure that there are many other people of color who have experienced the same. The goal is to look at the African-American culture more specifically because it's what I personally know, but the bigger picture is to question what colorism does to culture. It is also important to address how discrimination still raises its ugly head in many ways. I'm really excited about this project and how found its been very life changing for me already.

As a african-american woman I've found myself caught between the fire of colorism since a young girl. To address these hidden issues have not only been healing for me, but very mind provoking. I am aware that people "perish" for lack of knowledge. I soon became aware that by not addressing affects of colorism in my own life that I wasn't truly allowing myself to be me. To tell a story that relates to me but is not about me.  So this semester will highlight this heavy research. I don't see it as a self-expression piece. I realize that there are many people within my culture that can identify with what I want to say, and I think its wise to communicate something that is understandable to me as well as others.

It was suggested that I take a class on African- American artist history this semester, which by the way is a miracle!! I have to be honest in saying that I'm impressed with AIB for its inclusion of cultural arts. There really are not many classes with that title, at least in my experience at art schools.  A friend and I almost protested this issue at our art school in Texas, but both found ourselves studying in Europe. Which ironically many black artists evidently did according to my african american artist class . How scary!!! I knew that I felt more comfortable studying in Europe (mostly because I didn't have to answer questions about why my subject was a black person) but I didn't realize how many other artists in history had experienced this same abuse in similar ways. Nevertheless, it has been by far the most captivating art history class I've ever had. There are mainly many artists that I have never heard of (at this point) that look and speak (visually and artistically) very similiarly to me. I was almost mad that this type of course is only offered every 2 years. But then I looked around the classroom and noticed that many of the other students weren't as interested in the subject as much as I was. Perhaps because I find it liberating to see work produced by people within my own culture( which doesn't happen very often), and to others it just didn't relate. That could be another essay all by itself. But in other words, I have discovered  more layers that certainly can be addressed. Honestly,  I'm excited to be talking about it. 

A new start

What can I say... Its alittle weird to be publishing my thoughts on the web. I'm very use to the art of journaling yet this is definitely the start of something new. But I'm definitely looking forward to using this blog as a tool to help me communicate to others. My advisor, Adam McEwen says that I communicate more clearly through my writing than when I speak. I don't know if thats a complement or if I should feel iffy about that.lol. But anyway its great to be back to normal after spending 10 days at the Art Institute of Boston's low residency MFA program in Visual Arts. It definitely took alot out of me, and was extremely frustrating. I believe most of it was because I didn't know what to expect nor what was expected of me. You live and you learn.

I am very excited about this semester because I'm working on a project that is very close to my heart. I'm looking forward to the next residency and showing what I'm truly made of.