Welcome to Our Exhibition
- A mask from Ms. Grant-Cooper's inspired by the artist's autobiographical lecture. She assigned the mask projects with instructions to use only things around the house (recycle instead of discard, save our planet, reduce excess waste)
- A meaningful photo that speaks of our individual identities in relation to our work, families and school, inspired by Sarah Bracey White's memoir Primary Lessons and her autobiographical presentation.
- A meditation on who we are based on where we come from, our taste, our friends, etc. These were questions posed by E. Patrick Hankin during his workshop "Building Community in the Arts through Diversity."
I did my mask on March 6th, which is Ghana's Independence Day. My mask is made out of cardboard and a kente cloth. Ghana is known for its kente cloth, so I decided to use that to symbolize Ghana. I also colored the cardboard box gold (yellow) because Ghana is known as the Gold Coast. It is very rich in gold. For the eyes, I used the Ghana flag. Red represents the blood of those who died in the struggle for independence. The gold represents Ghana's mineral wealth, such as gold and cocoa. The green represents Ghana's rich forest. The black star stands for the lodestar of African freedom. I did this mask to represent Ghana's 64th Independence Day.
Traveling is the best time to learn
Getting to know about different lifestyles is astonishing
When traveling a person gets to encounter many different lifestyles
As a traveler life is different and extraordinary
Getting to know about different lifestyles is astonishing
How people live their lives
As a traveler life is different and extraordinary
Some may party all day or all night
How people live their lives
Chasing the bag… Getting that bread
Some may party all day or all night
You would be surprised about how similar your life can be to others
Chasing the bag… Getting that bread
When traveling a person gets to encounter many different lifestyles
You would be surprised about how similar your life can be to others
Traveling is the best time to learn
I wrote this poem about traveling a while back because I am a traveler. I decided to use this poem because I am currently on vacation. It describes my life at this moment.
Research project: Faith Ringgold
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The materials I used to make my mask were cardboard as a base and party confetti in disc shape, which were affixed to the base with rubber cement. I chose the confetti colors based on the richness they contain and the jewel like resemblance. Many of the earth's riches are found in Africa and have been extracted from the ground using Black labor. The natural beauty that Africans exude was embellished with the gold and silver discs, making my mask one used in celebrations.
Good Shepherd
If people could be a sheep?
Everything would be different,
And beautiful
In this world without
Rancor,
Racism,
But, you know what?
I will be the difference!
No race, color exist in my eyes and heart
You and I are one
We are part of the same world
No difference between us
God created us as his image!
I choose to write a poem because I want to inspired others.
Research project: Henry Ossawa Tanner
I have these flowers in my yard that always bloom around spring. I took this photo when we went into lockdown last year. Coming out of a very challenging season, I see that the flowers are out along with the sun. They were too pretty not to pick and take a picture of.
Every year these flowers serve as a reminder that life goes on and you can continue to grow no matter the circumstance. That if you are going through a rough patch you can persevere; you just have to be willing to embrace change.
Research project: Rose Piper
I speak with voice but no one perceives
I exit but people are too blind to know
It’s invisibility that deceives
It’s detestation in my bitter soul
Every time I walk in I am ignored
And left out in my luminescent hole
The only black person in town and bored
I've stayed underground for my entire life
I am not free, how can I be happy?
The society has made black a strife
Am just something they want to make snappy
They caused cruelty upon me with distaste
My hope and passion have all gone to waste.
I wrote this poem to express the racism and hate African Americans have gone through in the past and are still experiencing until this day. This poem shows how by being black in society, many people just perceive you as a dangerous person. From how the police are treating African Americans to the inequality in our justice system. Even though the poem may sound like there is no hope, I believe that with hard work and fighting for our rights we will bring back justice that everyone deserves.
I tried to make a mask that illustrates myself in the present. I tried to keep the mask simple and meaningful. As you can see my mask has dried out contact lens as the eyes. It is a reflection because I was not feeling well for the past couple of days due to personal reasons which led to crying, which caused dry eyes. When I saw this case with dried contact lenses I felt an instant connection with my current situation. I had to make sure my mask had hair because my hair is a very important part of my personality. I used gold on the cheeks, to represent the gold undertones of my Indian/Pakistani skin. The lips are specifically gold because I have learned to speak kind words no matter how much anyone has hurt me.
I open the windows to see
I open the windows to breathe
To open the windows is to open the eyes
To possibilities and opportunities that may arise
But it takes courage to be wise
And I choose to close my eyes.
I wrote this poem for this image I came across which reminded me of girls back home in my country Pakistan. Although the world and society have progressed, girls in some rural areas and villages in my country still lack freedom and are limited to their houses. I live in the United States, but still sometimes can relate to these girls when my parents get to decide what's best for me or what I should or should not be allowed to do. My heart goes out to all these girls with dreams, and ambitions who see the world just from the windows of their houses.
Research project: Betye Saar
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Since I was a kid, I have had a tendency to collect trinkets and junk. Most of the junk is meaningless. I collected and kept these items because I enjoyed looking at them. In other words, these items inspired such an intense feeling of joy that I secured and stored them. I can't tell you why these pieces invoked such feelings in me. Explaining that phenomena is similar to describing why your favorite color is orange. For instance, my favorite color is blue. When I look at a nice shade of blue, it invigorates positive feelings. No other color, no matter how beautiful, makes me react the same way blue colors do. Again, I am not sure why. Therefore, I believe these items represent an inexplicable part of myself; this mask of trinkets illustrates a part of me that I can't explain. When you look at my mask, please have fun identifying some of the items I have kept throughout the years. I hope you can learn a little about me and the colors, textures, and objects that catch my eye.
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I took this picture during a trip to visit my family in Panamá in 2018. I myself am not Panamanian. My grandmother and her brother were Americans who grew up in the Canal Zone, which was an American territory within Panamá. After getting married to an American soldier posted in Panamá, my grandmother returned to the states. However, her brother stayed and married a Panamanian women. As a result, I have a lot of uncles, cousins, and aunts in Panamá.
I had the opportunity to visit my family Panamá in 2018 with my grandmother. Although I loved meeting my family, I had mixed feelings about the trip. Most of my family resides in a wealthy, gated community in Panamá. In short, they accumulated wealth and privilege in this country as a result of their involvement with the Panamá Canal (during America’s control of the canal). The Panamanians despised the existence of the Canal Zone and protested America’s presence in their country until 1979, when America finally abolished the zone. In addition, Panamá also fought hard to regain control of the Panamá Canal from America. Overall, my family’s wealthy and lavish lifestyle in Panamá reflected the wealth America gained from the exploitation of Panamá. I was dismayed to know that my family had profited off of American imperialism.
At one point during the trip, we drove through the former Canal Zone so that my grandmother could see the area where she grew up. After returning the territory to Panamá, the zone underwent some physical changes. The erasure of American presence in the former Canal Zone, my grandmas home town, greatly saddened her. Her despair contrasted with the joy the Panamanians felt when they regained their territory.
This trip forced me to grapple with my family’s history and their involvement in the America’s occupation of Panamá. Likewise, I acknowledged that my family’s privilege and wealth was accumulated by the exploitation of others. Therefore, I am determined to use my own privilege and wealth to re-empower and fight for the people that my family, along with other white Americans, have exploited through slavery, occupation/imperialism, and immigrant labor. Rather than wallowing in shame and guilt, or denying responsibility, we should own up to our histories and take concrete action for justice.
The picture I posted shows the old town Casco Viejo in Panamá. In the backdrop, you can see a couple shiny skyscrapers. I felt as though the contrast of these two building structures represented the clash of commercial investments (often backed by American companies) with the traditional culture of Panamá, and the ongoing gentrification that threatens to overtake Casco Viejo. This contrast between Americanism and Panamanian culture also lives in my family, who are both American and Panamanian.
Research project: Emory Douglas
I made this mask out of a box of gloves as you can see and I didn't want to paint over it because this mask represents for me saying goodbye to Covid-19. When the pandemic started, my family and I always wore gloves. It was like a rule in our house. So the collection of glove boxes, of masks, of alcohol bottles and wipes is pretty big in our house and slowly we are throwing it away. I wanted to make a mask out of the box of gloves representing that I made my peace and memory with Covid. The mask represents a symbol of making something so you can let it go the best that you can. Like if you were making a collage of old photos that you want to forget and then throwing it away.
This is a photo of my dog. She's a schnauzer. She's two years old and my favorite moment is when she comes home from grooming because I say to her she is the model of the house when she looks like this. This photograph was when she came home from her grooming and she looked like a dog princess to me. This photo has a lot of meaning for me because I couldn't see her grow up when I was away in college. So when the pandemic started I dedicated myself to photographing her every single time I found her cute, beautiful, silly, or just annoying. Her name is Bella, like Bella from Twilight.
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Life is like a turning table, it goes around
just like the sun. The only difference is that
the sun doesn't stop. We do.
Life doesn't stop, life goes on.
Just like the waves of the ocean
and the rays of the sun.
Life is one, like the stars and galaxies.
The difference is that they know how special they are,
but life doesn't know.
Life is past, present and future.
Like the moon and planets.
Life is one
and we need to learn how to live on.
I wrote this poem with the purpose of saying that, basically, whatever obstacles you have, life is one and it's a precious thing. We just have to push through it and move on.
Your Galaxy
In which I wish to reach:
The stars,
The planets,
The galaxy,
To be free.
In my grasp:
My dreams,
A little self-esteem,
My future,
The ability to maneuver.
What we can do:
Anything we put our minds to.
Everybody is their own galaxy,
Only in darkness can you see the stars.
Just paint your galaxy,
And there they are.
Let your dreams be bigger than your fears,
Your actions louder than your words,
And be who you are.
I wrote this poem in order to express that everyone is finding their own path towards the future.
Research project: Wilfredo Lam
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One thing I always look forward to in the spring are the flowers. They bring joy, beauty, color, and pleasure to our daily lives. It gives me a sense of a new fresh beginning. Flowers represent the cycle of creation. A flower can have different purposes which can represent love, console in sorrow, congratulations, or celebrations. They come in different shapes and colors. This shows that no matter how different we are, we are all beautiful in our own ways. These flowers are in my backyard. I enjoy going outside, looking at the view of these beautiful flowers. I see perfection in every bit of this picture.
Research project: Ernie Barnes
This is a picture of my grandpa and I. We are very close and he is like a father to me. This photo was taken almost a year ago on his 88th birthday! I pray to God that I spend many more birthdays with him. He is my rock. Whenever I am having a bad day, he always knows how to cheer me up. He has done so much for me and I am very grateful to have him in my life.
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