Artist Statement:
The topic of how African Americans occupy a space has been aggressively questioned with protests and civil rights threats, making many of the African American community feel unwelcome in certain spaces. During the Month of February 2020, Ahmaud Arbery was jogging, when he was chased by armed residents of a South Georgia neighborhood & shot dead. This event along with countless others later that year led me to question what spaces are Black people allowed to occupy. How do I create a space for myself to occupy in society? A space to create and express myself. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Black musicians created their own art form, Jazz, as a way to allow improvisation within their music. Jazz musicians had to create a space where they could showcase their art and even though Jazz is celebrated today, it serves as a reminder of the oppression and restrictions on Black musicians. These creative safe spaces that black musicians occupied in the early 20th century is what I’m in search of today.
The work displayed is from 2022-2021
