Whites Only is an art exhibition dedicated to showcasing the white experience through the eyes of a woman of color. The images below make up less than a fraction of the exhibit please join me for more this November.
Why Whites Only?
This show intended to highlight how Black and Brown creators never have the luxury of creating art for art’s sake. As a black woman, I cannot simply draw a flower without it representing the torment endured by my ancestors. I initially planned to draw flowers, faces, and landscapes. Nevertheless, my existence in society is a statement, so I wanted to optimize the impact I can create with the platform God gave me. God blessed me by making me a Black woman and knew what she was doing when she made me an angry Black bitch. If I’m going to be considered political by default, then I will be heard even though it requires an attentive listener to comprehend it.
I grew up in Abington, Pennsylvania. Our school mascot was a klansman referred to as The “Galloping Ghost.” I’ve always made art and wanted my art to say something. Every sketchbook page had to be perfect because people would hold it under a critical microscope.
“Why do you only draw black people?”
“Why don’t you draw ‘skinny girls?’”
“Why is your art so sexual?”
Answer # 1: Why do you always draw white people?
Answer #2: Why do you only draw skinny girls?
Answer #3: None of you would love me. Maybe I can fantasize about someone wanting to fuck me.
In my senior year of high school, my AP Art concentration - shown in the gallery - was titled “The Daily Life of Black People.” At the time, I didn’t understand what I was doing or who I was creating for, but my former audience didn’t understand it. I spent my days looking up images of Emmett Till, and people did not know who he was. We had a cultural fair at my school, and kids laughed at the story of Sarah Bartman as I told them. Therefore, I speak for the Black girls like me who didn’t know they were the victim of .
This show isn’t for my hometown. It’s for you, Chad, Rebecca, Brittany, and overall a homage to the Black experience in predominantly White communities. There’s a difference between knowing White people and dealing with White people as it requires more than just code-switching. The question is, are you going to listen?
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