I J'st Growed (Topsy) Oil and Acrylic 16 x20in

My rendition of the character “Topsy” from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Topsy was a young “picaninny” girl, about age 8 who was supposed to be represented as a result of slavery in the novel but instead was used (like most characters in the original novel) as pro-slavery propaganda. In most adaptations of the novel, illustrations, or common minstrel shows, Topsy is shown in a bright red or brown scraggly burlap sack dress, pigeon-toed, with unruly hair in a bunch of pigtails and often portrayed with googly-eyed, goblin-like features. Contrary to the author's original intention, her character was depicted as “pure wickedness”, a bad influence, a liar, and a thief. She was often pictured next to her white companion, “Eva”, who was represented as the complete opposite of herself. Eva was blonde-haired, neatly presented, pure, and an "angelic soul". In the novel, during the introduction of her character, Topsy is bought from the "negromart" and given to her slave owner’s cousin as a “gift” to teach, merely to see if she can be taught in the first place. When the mistress asks Topsy if she knew God or who her parents were, Topsy responds with “I don’t know, I J’st growed.” While not malevolent to her directly, the mistress often found herself disgusted with Topsy, never wanted her to touch her and easily blamed her for any mishaps that occurred in the big house. She frequently accused Topsy of stealing things that Eva had given to her but Topsy would take the blame and beatings knowing that this was her fate as a young, black, slave child. I wanted to return some of the humanity that was stripped of her character. I have her more realistic features like her skin and hair reemerging from the descriptive stereotypes given to her cartoony, goblin-like look in the novel and minstrel shows her character was portrayed in. Topsy is a fictional character but her narrative was a very real fate of other slaves and slave children like her during that period.
In the novel, during introduction of her character, Topsy is bought and given to her slave owner’s cousin as a “gift” to teach, mearly to see if she can be taught in the first place. When the mistress asks Topsy if she knew God or who her parents were, Topsy responded with “I don’t know, I J’st growed.” While not malevolent to her, the mistress often found herself disgusted with the child and never wanted her to touch her and easily blamed her for any mishaps that occurred in the big house. She often accused Topsy of stealing things that Eva had given to her but Topsy would take the blame and beatings knowing that this was her fate for a young black slave child.

I wanted to give some of the humanity back that was stripped of her character. I have her more realistic features like skin and hair reemerging from the descriptive stereotypes given to her cartoony, globlin-like look in the novel and minstrel shows her character was portrayed in. Topsy is a fictional character but her narrative was very real and was most likely the fate for other slaves and slave children in that time period.

Of cotton & okra Mixed Media 36x48in

This piece is all about connection. During my research on foods that came from Africa, I found out that okra came from West African regions and is a staple in a lot of African and African American dishes today. We all know the complicated historical context of black people and cotton. I also discovered that okra and cotton are related botanically, they are cousin species! Even their blooming flowers look very similar. For me, It’s all connected with the black body: one plant was something we labored for, the other we ate. I wanted this piece to be abstract it’s arbitrary in its meaning, while still conveying a narrative. I started the project wanting to do only faces or half faces but eventually, it turned to involving many body parts from different angles. I was very happy in this direction as I realized that there could be meaning for these body parts depending on the viewer's thought process. For example, as I painted the torsoed arm, I thought of a young strong black man on the auction block in the slave market. The light-skinned buttock for the sexualization of young “mulatto” or fair-skinned enslaved women. And lastly the dark hanging foot and the eye that had to see and endure it all.

Chow Time Mixed Media 9x12in

Alligator hunting was a popular sport down South back in the slavery days at an inhumane cost. "Pickaninnies' ', what small black children were called (I believe between toddler and pre-adolescent ages), would be used as bait. They would allow the children to sit, play or eat watermelon near shallow swamps, most of them crying for their mothers, to lure alligators to the shores. Most times, the alligator only being shot after the babies were already in their jaws resulting in losing limbs and or losing their lives. Hunters would sometimes steal the children or pay their mothers $2 for the inconvenience. I set them in the scene of The Last Supper with an alligator pit below the dining table. A lot of the enslaved were converted to Christianity throughout generations to make them "more civilized." The Last Supper is not connected with the sport, I just happened to notice that in my research, Christianity would often be used to mask black pain and a taming tactic by white slave owners to persuade the enslaved that their doing was God’s will. Almost in a way to say "Hey it's ok you went through this because it's in God's plan." The controversy between Christianity and Black people is still a heavy subject talked about to this day so I’ll stay out of it. The most reasonable connection I could make of that is to connect the piece to The last supper since well, it would be the last one for the children but the first of many for the gators. A well-known story of purity and betrayal for white owners and innocent Black children.
The last supper is not connected with the sport but I noticed in a lot of readings or films that Christianity would often be used to mask black pain. Almost in a way to say "hey it's ok you went through this because God allowed it." A lot of the enslaved were converted to Christianity throughout generations to make them "more civilized." It would soon be used as a taming tactic by white slave owners to persuade the enslaved that their doing was God’s will. The controversy between christianity and Black people is still a heavy subject talked about to this day so I’ll stay out of it. The most reasonable connection I could make of that is to connect the piece to The last supper since well, it would be the last one for the children but the first of many for the gators. A well known story of purity and betrayal that I also see in this very dark past time for white owners and innocent children.

Shoe Box Lunch Mixed Media Sculpture/ Installation

This was a installation piece based on the “Shoe Box Lunch” black travelers would accomodate themselves with while traveling between north and southern states during the Jim Crow era. I sculpted all of the common foods found in these boxes that were more rational to travel with like cold fried chicken, fruit, eggs and a slice of cake or pie. The packing of these meals ensured safety and nourishment. Please read the text below (located in the picture frame or clickable link) for detailed information and backstory.

Strange Fruit at a Pic Nic Mixed Media 60x80in

This piece refers to the many lynchings and murders that skyrocketed after the 1920’s. There are rumors that the word “picnic” originally came from the phrase “pick-a-nig” or “pick-a-nigg*r”. Apparently, a black person was randomly "picked" and hanged for the entertainment of white folk. White patriotic patrons and their families ate from box lunches while enjoying the barbaric act of public murder. The origin of the word has seemed to be debunked but it is admitted that the setting of where these people were killed and hanged among an audience was definitely a celebratory picnic like event. Men would bring their wives and children to these public hangings often, posing with the deceased in photos, smiling, and selling the rope pieces or clothing of the deceased as souvenirs. If lucky, your lynching could be on the front page of the local newspaper. When working with this project i originally did research on several victims of lynchings between 1920 and now because I wanted to include their names somewhere in the project. The research was really heavy to bear as I read what was happening to these young black individuals, a lot of the time being over a misunderstanding. I never incorporated them in the project. The black painted fruit hanging in a noosed style refer to a song called Strange fruit by Billie Holiday, referring to the hanging bodies on trees and the tree branch hands who caused them.

Jim Crow Shows The Kids 9x6in

Exposing the depiction of racist stereotypes through media and performance in the past. Thomas Dartmouth Rice was the father of the “Jim Crow” caricature who catapulted the blackface and minstrel performance industry. Minstrel shows were theatrical performances of mainly white male actors dressed in black face and caricatured the singing and dancing of slaves. This was a very common thing to see and partake in for entertainment purposes and would go on to last for decades to come.

I portrayed the Crow character from the Disney movie Dumbo, performing in front of an audience. I chose this character because it was very obvious that the character was supposed to represent the likeness of black men, even his name is Jim, yep look it up. I also thought the Disney crow and the minstrel caricature’s stances were quite similar (Kind of cocked back and limbs flailing) so I wanted to capture that pose between them both. Though a beloved and nostalgic film, it did not age well.

I kept the original post card-like background but also centering him among an audience, hinting at the showing of how we (Black individuals) were portrayed in the media, especially in the film The Birth of a Nation, originally called The Clansman. A 1915 American silent epic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish that contained scenes of portraying “black” officials in power acting savagely and uncivilized in office, basically saying “this is what would happen if we let blacks be in charge.” Manners were part of being civilized. In the scenes you can see some of the “black” officials eating fried chicken, feet up on the tables, and loud badgering amongst the men. Fried chicken and watermelon are foods you eat with your hands and hand eating was considered dirty and uncivilized. Those two foods being very popular and accessible among black folks, made it very difficult to avoid the stereotype of Black folk “loving them some fried chicken” and stealing watermelons from plantation gardens.