black artists
-
A Noble Art: This Fine Photography Sale Helps Support Black Trans Lives and More
With all the time we’ve spent staring at the walls these past few months, it’s no wonder we’ve had art on the brain…not to mention it’s a welcome escape from what has felt like an unceasing stream of bad news. Call it art therapy, but the desire to beautify our lives is more than aesthetic—it’s…
-
An Artist Without 'Equals': Remembering Artist-Activist Emma Amos
Emma Amos may not have enjoyed the same level of name recognition of some of her contemporaries in the art world; but as an artist addressing sexism and racism in her work years before the term “intersectionality “ was coined, she was a pivotal figure in what she called “a man’s scene, black or white.”…
-
Safe Space: Black Imagination Offers a Necessary Respite From the Onslaught of Black Trauma
“A safe world, in my opinion, would be one where other humans are not an existential threat. Love and value would have to fall in line for such a world to exist.” — William Wallace III, Philadephia, Penn. text This is the sobering half-wish offered on page 57 of Black Imagination, an amalgamation of black…
-
Exclusive: A Cover Reveal of L.L. McKinney's Nubia: Real One—She's Much More Than Wonder Woman's Twin Sister
Nubia—say her name and make sure you never forget it. You may have heard her name in reference to being Wonder Woman’s long-lost twin sister and the “second Wonder Woman” within DC Comics lore. However, with L.L. McKinney’s new young adult (YA) graphic novel, Nubia: Real One, this powerful young black woman is front and…
-
Did the New Yorker Recently Feature Its First Black Female Cartoonist? (No, but She's Still a Big Deal)
Amid the global panic a global pandemic can inspire, it might be easy to forget that it’s still Women’s History Month—and the start of spring, but that’s likely cold comfort if you’re afraid to go outside. As we’ve tried to bright-side this socially isolating situation, we’ve increasingly been looking inward—literally. What joy can we find…
-
Keep Austin Weird, Keep Artists Paid: How the Cancellation of SXSW Affects Black Creators
I’ve been to SXSW as a patron. I’ve been to SXSW as a member of the press. I’ve always dreamed of going to SXSW with a project. In 2019, I personally witnessed the significance of this (and every) festival’s potential impact on a black creator when I reviewed Numa Perrier’s Jezebel, which has since been…
-
Erika Alexander Calls Out The Erasure of Black Art
Over the past couple weeks, we’ve seen the unlikely rekindling of the Friends vs Living Single beef. Things got started when Friends actor David Schwimmer was asked in an interview about a Friends reboot. He gave an answer saying he’d want to see an all-Asian or all-black reboot of the show. While well-meaning, it ignored the…
-
For Flyboys, Lil Mamas and Us: Hebru Brantley's Nevermore Park Imagines a Chicago Made for Dreamers
A pair of goggle-wearing kids from the South Side of Chicago may seem an unlikely set of superheroes, but artist Hebru Brantley’s “Fly Boy” and “Lil Mama” are exactly that. Chicagoans have become increasingly familiar with the comic-like duo in recent years as they’ve had a recurrent presence in Brantley’s art, which has appeared in…
-
In Yo’ Face Like a Can of Mace: Kehinde Wiley Unveils Black Male Monument in Times Square
Finally, something we can look up to—literally. A powerful image of a black man has been immortalized as a monument—in New York City’s Times Square, of all places. Acclaimed artist Kehinde Wiley unveiled his biggest work to date on Friday night, a massive bronze statue of a young black man in urban regalia sitting astride…