 She’s back.
Fourteen years ago I created a painting that was a response to the inadequacies in women’s healthcare. Medea is named after my favorite ancient Greek play of the same name by Euripides. Known for its feminist and political themes, the tragedy was considered to be ahead of its time. The original painting is 30 x40 inches and is created with watercolor and colored pencil. Medea is split in two to depict the tension between grief and resilience and how these states can overlap. She is also covered in iconography that includes the Adinkra symbol for strength and endurance on her left arm, a tree at her womb to represent reproductive health and and the lightning bolt in her hand to reflect her powers as a sorceress. She is also decorated with various quotes taken directly from the play as well as the line “mule of the earth”, a reference to the quote from Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (“Black women are the mules of the earth.”) In response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, I’m recruiting Medea in the fight for reproductive justice. Starting today, I will be taking pre-orders for 11”x18” prints of this piece to raise money for the Center for Reproductive Rights. The Center is a global human rights organization of lawyers and advocates that fights to ensure that reproductive rights, including abortion, are protected as fundamental human rights.
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 I'm so happy and proud to say that Harlem for Flint was a success. We met our fundraising goal of $10,000 and there was an excellent turnout of so many people who wanted to support Flint, Michigan. As an artist, I was thrilled to be able to use my work to help spread the message of determination and hope. I met such incredible people in the process; all of the volunteers had such positive energy that it felt like a family get-together. There's nothing that compares to people coming together in the name of compassion. The performances were tremendous with each artist bringing such passion and beauty. The end of the evening culminated in a troupe of tap and African dance against a crescendo of song.  Artwork for the silent auction. My piece, The Ice Storm, pictured in the top left corner sold! Of course it was a tremendous thrill to have a video installation of my Inkscapes to serve as a backdrop for the whole night at the National Black Theatre. It added so much to the mood and so many of the spectators were really impressed by it. This is something I definitely want to do more of in the future because I love how the motion of the Inkscapes can create serenity and infuse tremendous energy at the same time.Please be sure to check out the Youtube video featuring Ali Bradley's rehearsal performance against my video installation (it was actually one of my favorite moments of Sunday afternoon). A big thank you to all those that attended and contributed! I'll be adding more video over the next few days so be sure to subscribe to my Youtube channel to see more.  I'm pleased to announce that I am working with the fundraiser Harlem For Flint which will present a one day event of artist performances, speakers, a silent auction and poetry readings to raise money for children adversely affected by the water crisis in Flint. Proceeds will be donated to the Flint Child Health & Development Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.
I'll be donating a print of my work to the art auction and my new videos of my Inkscapes will also be part of the event too. Harlem For Flint takes place on Sunday, March, 6 at the National Black Theater in Harlem. For more details, please visit the fundraiser's website at http://harlemforflint.com |