Welcome to the third full week of Black History Month! I have more inspiring visual and literary artists to share. Let’s talk about:

Jonathan Harris

I think of Jonathan Harris as an artist who’s clearing space for other stories to be told, and ensuring the ones we have don’t get lost. In 2021, his painting “Critical Race Theory” went viral because of its clear-cut opposition to the erasure of Black history. Its fame and relevance has only grown since then. Some reasons to anticipate more from this artist:

• His insistence on drawing a bright line between the past and the present

• The directness of his work’s messaging, in spite of trolls who (still) try to redefine Critical Race Theory as proof of the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory

• His use of symbols reminds me of official head-of-state oil portraits that contain objects hinting at the person’s status or personality.

And it doesn’t hurt that Beyoncé — in the midst of winning the most Grammy Awards ever — is spreading the word about his talent. If you’re in the Detroit area, you have [looks at watch] five more days to visit “Critical Condition.” If that means you have to stop reading and get a plane ticket, don’t let me distract you: you can always catch up on my blog post series tomorrow.