by: Blake Wise
What does it take to get people to listen when all of their backs are turned?
Mirakal Jackson answers that question unapologetically and loud. What we as an audience are being told to listen to is immediately clear once we finally spot her work at a moment’s glance within the senior show at Valdosta State University. Jackson is a very bright and outspoken student from Springfield Massachusetts. Her talents don’t reach just into the creative field, she is earning minors in psychology, entrepreneurship and aerospace studies. Among her studies in the university, Jackson is also seen around the campus as an active speaker for many events and represents the school as a role model for public speaking. Her large paintings are impossible to skip over in this exhibition, and it’s made abundantly clear what the topic for discussion will be around the paintings, regardless of what the viewer might bring to the table. In her own words, Jackson’s describes the objective of her paintings and other works as:
“Conversations about cyclical, racial, and socio-economic issues that minorities face within the judicial and social justice systems of America.”
Right off the bat, the viewer is met with impressive compositions that represent the trials and tribulations of the Black community dealing with the oppressive nature of our government and justice systems. These themes have absolutely nowhere to hide especially with Jackson’s use of historical assets within her mixed media pieces, including imagery and articles of these racial injustices from newspapers, archived documents, photographs, and magazines from many eras, focusing intensely on segregation in the states in our all-too-recent history. We can see examples of this in Jackson’s pieces entitled Torn Truths in a short series. Most of her work is made with mixed media as a clear focus, along with connecting media such as acrylic paint and fabric. Every bit of information in her works are important. In Jackson’s artist statement, she talks about the historical uses of paint during these eras of suffering. Down to the stretching of the canvases, most of them are actually painted confederate flags. With her work and the exhibition taking place in an extremely conservative environment in the deep south, Jackson knows that her work is going to receive attention and possibly backlash. Especially with recent coverage on the flag itself. For her, this is only another notch in the belt to prove a long-fought argument. It’s time we started listening.
Among other pieces in Jackson’s work for the show, she presents a large noose titled Knot My Type of Pride Pt. 1. Parts one and two of the series are available to see in the show, and the nooses are large ropes that hang from the ceiling right in the path of her viewing area surrounded by her paintings. With the rope featuring the same colors and stars as the confederate flags, the audience can understand the severity of these voices within the paintings going unheard. Jackson speaks more about this in her statement, declaring the hopes of which these voices should be heard for:
“Black people have been unlawfully killed, excessively convicted, and imprisoned with minimal justified reasons for decades. The historical and current oppression of people of color suffocates and frustrates me. As a black woman, I feel it is my duty to speak up about things that negatively impact my gender and race.”
With Jackson’s words in mind it doesn’t take long before the audience has understood her narratives and the intense drive behind her paintings, and hopefully desire for more. Not only more paintings but for more change, more voices. Young and intelligent artists like Jackson should not go un-watched. It doesn’t take much for an outspoken artist to become a great leader. All you have to do is listen.