Category: Film
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Artist a Day: Ruth E. Carter

I saw Black Panther today and just had to carve out some space here for stellar costume design. Ruth E. Carter’s career spans three decades with over 40 film credits under her belt including School Daze, Malcolm X, Crooklyn, What’s Love Got to Do With It and Selma. Her Afrofuturistic take on the regal, royal robes…
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Artist a Day Challenge (21): Kahlil Joseph, Shabazz Palaces and Kelsey Lu present, “Music is My Mistress”

The Kenzo team snuck around and dropped off this video, tip toeing away like it was a secret gift. It’s a visual stunner which comes as no surprise with Kahlil Joseph as director. Music is My Mistress is a short film featuring Jesse Williams as an Easy Rawlins style private eye who’s tracking down a man and his mistress for Tracee Ellis Ross; Kelsey Lu and…
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Ellis Island- 125 Years Later

I am not so blinded by my own history that I cannot see, appreciate or understand the complex journeys of others. What’s happening now was foreshadowed so very long ago but only now some have chosen to wake up. I know this realization doesn’t make today less hurtful, but I find myself wondering how and why the decisions…
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Why Are We Asking the Same Questions About Lemonade?
I promised myself I was not going to write about Lemonade, but here I am shaking my head. Why is everyone asking the same questions about Lemonade? Who is Becky? Did Jay really cheat? Is Beyoncé paying homage to Pipilotti Rist? Ok that 3rd one is pretty esoteric, but that’s what the art world is…
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Seeing Double at MOCA
Kahlil Joseph: Double Conscience It’s a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.” ~ W.E.B Du Bois For me, a great litmus test for a good piece of…
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Artist a Day Challenge No. 26: Mickalene Thomas
Mickalene Thomas has a unique style that is nothing short of bodacious. Her colorful, glitter infused portraiture work is commands your attention and invites you delve into a deeper understanding of the person that is being portrayed. Her use of interiors and recent pivot to abstract portraits were a mystery to me because I couldn’t connect the…
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Weekly Rewind Vol.2
Here’s my weekly recap of my favorite discoveries found online this week. Duro Olowu’s “More Material” I’ve been so preoccupied with work, life, drought-proofing our yard (we removed 2/3 of our lawn, *self-aggrandizing pat on back*), that I’m having gallery withdrawals. If I could transport myself to any show, here’s where I’d go right now. Designer Duro…
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The Art of Storytelling: Havana and the Wrinkles of the City
Storytelling plays such an essential role in our lives because they create a level of connectedness that’s achieved through relatable or shared experiences. Great stories provide the bridge between our imagination and reality in remarkable ways. When I have a strong emotional response to art it is usually associated with a story that I immediately attribute to a piece.…
