In 2017 director Matthew Cherry announced a Kickstarter campaign to produce a short film about a little girl’s natural hair journey. At the time, artist Vashti Harrison was garnering a large social media following for her beautiful illustrations that capture the magic that’s found in the simple joys of childhood. Her expressive characters could be … Continue reading Artist a Day: Vashti Harrison
On Juneteenth, I decided to take some time to reflect on why this day has not always been a celebratory one for me. I’ve always associated Juneteenth with picnics, barbecues, and family reunions, but I didn’t grow up learning, understanding or appreciating what Juneteenth is, and I know I’m not alone in this. I had … Continue reading Juneteenth: A Syllabus
For pop culture enthusiasts, there’s an unlimited number of conventions where you can connect with your tribe. There are gamer cons, comic cons, anime cons, dragon cons, quilt cons and even a con that celebrates inclusion. I love spaces where art and kitsch collide and for the past 10 years, DesignerCon has become one of … Continue reading Booths Without Borders at DesignerCon 2017
I mentioned in my first Artist a Day Challenge post how instrumental the Hammer’s digital catalog for Now Dig This! was in documenting many of the incredible artists that came out of the black arts movement between the 1960s’-1970’s. The curator for the show, Dr. Kellie Jones and her team uncovered some interesting themes, one of which was the … Continue reading Artist a Day Challenge (8): The Unknown Collective of Eleven Associated
The latest cover of the New Yorker features the work of artist/illustrator Kadir Nelson who pays homage to the artists, writers, performers and intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance. This piece also celebrates the Schomburg Research Center in Harlem. The Schomburg is a branch of the New York Public Library that is dedicated to the documentation, preservation … Continue reading Artist a Day Challenge 2016-20-21: Kadir Nelson & His Tribute to the Schomburg Center
Today is Langston Hughes’ 113 birthday, and Google has posted a beautiful doodle in tribute to the writer. I am smitten with the animation by doodler Katy Wu and how the illustration captures the vibrancy of the jazz age and the beautiful message in his poetry. Hughes deftly recognized our stark, painful realities while artistically transcending the pain … Continue reading Today’s Google Doodle: February 1, 2015
Culture Shock Art 