We are proud to announce that this exhibit was awarded the Dory Knoll University Art Museum Student Curation Award!

Black Imagination Patterns 

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Now imagine this…

 

Patterning is significant in preserving the transcendent arts of Black peoples. The endless plethora of imagination that crafts these intricate works translate through cultures and generations.

 

West African and Central African art such as the Kente cloth, Bamileke drum, masks, and Ibeji figures feature patterns of spirituality and rememory, with each piece embodying cultural signifiers such as bold color, and Black identity. The significance of patterning is evident in the finely detailed Ghanian Asante art, as each color in the Kente cloth symbolizes an important part of life. Gold represents social status and serenity, yellow represents fertility, green represents renewal, blue represents pure spirit/harmony, red symbolizes passion, and black represents union with ancestors/spiritual awareness. The Cameroonian Bamileke drum is both a musical instrument and a sculpture which is utilized in many ceremonial functions, including dance, rituals, and story-telling. The Nigerian Ibeji figurines serve as memorialized bodies of powerful twin spirits, capable of bestowing protection and blessings upon those who honor them. African art styles may vary, but the cultural purpose that spirits and ancestors play in the development of their descendants is undeniable.

 

The connectivity of the Black radical tradition with the art of re-imagining is stunningly represented in Larry Fink’s 1964 photographic series Harlem Youth. Separated from the African objects by time and place, Harlem Youth portrays Black Americans during a time of great civil unrest. With many Black Americans descending from enslaved or colonized peoples, counter-culture is an avenue to regain lost identity and consciousness. Instead of drums alerting war, activists speaking and writing propaganda are the rally cries. Rather than wooden masks, the hardened shell acquired from social strife is evident on the subjects’ faces. The Kente cloth has retained its significance; the Kente cloth stole has become a staple in Western Black graduation ceremonies. Harlem has been noted as a historically Black borough since the 1920s, and the infamous and revolutionary Harlem race riots of 1964 are undoubtedly integral to the spirit of the people captured in these photographs. Through Black subjects, activists, and the power of Black collectivity, a clear visual and narrative pattern is constructed. This narrative is about Black artists creating space and transcendence in times of life, death, joy, and war.

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It is the legacy of Black imagination to pattern and innovate through all time, space, and culture. In preserving this imaginative creativity, we honor what was, and all that is to come.

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Knowing all of this….

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Give power to your imagination.

 

Curated by Kendra Gourgue (kehn-druh goohg), ‘22, Intersectionality and Art Studies major, Africana Studies minor. Advised by Professor Patricia G. Lespinasse, Department of Africana Studies.