I’ve seen a few interesting art developments connected to the idea of freedom, this Juneteenth. And though I hadn’t realized it until now, I’ve also been making small works about freedom and its absence.
These collages all have something to do with walls, most of the pieces featuring an enslaved person. Coincidentally, another enslaved person — Aunt Jemima — is finally free. After 131 years, Quaker Oats is retiring the syrup logo and the brand. This is especially great news to one of my favorite artists, Betye Saar, who’s best known for recasting Aunt Jemima as a revolutionary warrior.
Once you’ve liberated yourself, though… then what? Maybe you spend some time recovering from your trauma. Today Black artists are staging a “black out” of the CHOP [Capitol Hill Occupied Protest]. They’re offering a day of art and healing activities specifically for other Black people.
More importantly, these actions are meant to refocus attention on the Black Lives Matter movement. The art drawing people’s attention is still valid and restorative on its own. But this weekend is a reminder the art is also a means to the end: freeing people from constant assault on our existence.
