MAKE NOISE
There is Black Art in the Future
About the Exhibit
Black women too often are silenced in a world that depends on them. "There is Black Art in the Future" rejects that reality by providing a public space to amplify their voices. In this exhibition, seven Black female artists address the crises of our time by drawing on their experiences and communities for inspiration. They confront issues of racial injustice, inequality, Covid-19, climate change, repression and political polarization. They challenge the status quo and remind us that Black Lives Matter and Black Art Matters. To see their works in real life, visit the Pitt Building in downtown Pittsburgh at 211-213 Smithfield St., where they will be on display in the form of enormous murals.
The Great Together
The Great Together is a declaration of love, community, nostalgia and abundance. During a time of separation and uncertainty, The Great Together was created with the idea of memorializing moments, spaces and people. It's about the space we make for one another and the mystic presence our ancestors present within such spaces. With an overarching theme of community, this collage was crafted to nurture our warmest memories of sharing spaces and experiences with the ones closest to us.
The Silver Lining
This work was created with mixed media with the use of acrylic paint for the background, pencil sketching, and digital drawing/editing. The piece explores the unique challenges that we as individuals carry throughout the years. In some ways, it explores how much people have struggled and are struggling. In other ways it is expressing the challenge of surrender and shifting a person’s mindset in the midst of despair in order to move through the storm. The light around the woman praying acts as a reminder to hope.
I Am
I Am is a representation of black power, strength, and resilience. It not only represents Black women but Black people, who must continue to vibrate high despite the thoughts, opinions, and judgments of others who do align with who we are as a people.
Avalanche
This piece addresses the compound, layered challenges that local marginalized and under-resourced communities are facing during the pandemic, including COVID-19 complications globally, police brutality and social unrest on a national level, in addition to unhealthy environmental conditions when it comes to local water and air quality in Pittsburgh.
Avalanche is loaded with symbolism. The woman shown with her mask on, arms outstretched, tears rolling, represents Black people on the front lines and in everyday life who feel the emotion and weight of each compounded layer on her shoulders.
We Are Multifaceted
Paying homage to pop art and pop stars with a twist, Corrine Jasmin explores gender fluidity and expression, vibrancy, layers of queerness and joy. Through self portraiture, with a slight humorous undertone, Jasmin explores “characters” within herself and deconstructs the notion that Black people are a monolith. She aims to explore boundless expressions of Blackness. The images are also influenced by Jasmin’s love and knowledge of fashion which she’s held since her early youth.
Protect Our Future
"The revolution has always been in the hands of the young. The young always inherit the revolution." - Huey P. Newton. "Protect Our Future" places accountability on the viewer to recognize their own power in challenging the status quo, so that our youth do not have to pick up the pieces. Across history, and as we have seen in 2020, our youngest have been fighting for justice and call on us adults, and those in power, to protect their future.
New Beginnings
New Beginnings is a symbolic piece covering some of the intersectional experiences the artist, as a Black woman, in the United States has. Each component of this work represents something within the environment she lives in. The monochromatic rose stands as society, the black and white world that we are expected to stay within. The translucent primary colored petals represent challenges, many a result of systemic racism and sexism, falling as she overcomes them to achieve success. The butterfly represents the artist's emotions, colorful and unique, standing out against the bleakness society tries to force on us. Finally, the gold finish represents the magic that is within the world, that’s alway been there if willing to look for it, and is now beginning to be embraced as valuable.
To support Black artists in Pittsburgh, please contribute to Black arts organizations. Among them ...
August Wilson African American Cultural Center
BILL NUNN Theatre Outreach Project
Dreams of Hope: Queer Youth Artists
Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council