By: Lindsay Sebastian
The summer of 2020 had been the moment society witnessed with their own eyes the injustice of police brutality faced by the Black community, which would ignite civil unrest and protests that are still ongoing. Even when the summer of 2020 had come and gone, it marked the start of transforming the age-old discussion of what could be done to end the injustice into protests for immediate changes within the police departments. When speaking with Nalla Roberts, one of the twenty featured artists in this year’s senior exhibition “Living in Color” on VSU’s Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery webpage, as well as looking through her works featured within the exhibition, it was made clear that the fight for justice and equality was not and would not be over for her. Growing up between the northern states of Maryland and Virginia and the southern state of Georgia, Roberts was taught to love herself as a Black woman. In my interview with Roberts, she stated, “I make work inspired by Black people because Black people are legally discriminated against for a large part of their identity and self-care”.
GF, Digital Illustration, 8 x 8 inches, 2021.
As such, one can see within her artworks above, which consist of digital illustration and jewelry, Roberts specializes in projecting ideas to her audience such as defunding the police, repeating the names of victims of police brutality, and showcasing natural hairstyles of Black women. I wanted to know why half of her work was made digitally and the other half consisted of hand-made mediums when the messages behind them were similar. For Roberts, her experience as a Black woman in America would greatly influence her works featured in the exhibition, including her choice in medium. When questioning Roberts about this, she stated, “I wanted to educate with my infographic, it’s digital because it can spread easily, and people will take the time to read it with much of our screen-based media today. I wanted to display natural hair jewelry because I see it as having an intimate relationship with oneself, as adornment.” She finds a way to bring social issues to a bigger audience while also empowering self-worth as a Black woman in her jewelry, presenting it in an intimate way to appreciate oneself.
In an era that finds itself drawn to digital screens more often, her artworks can certainly find their place as names such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tanisha Anderson are repeated in three separate digital artworks dedicated to each of them, reminding the audience that the summer of 2020 will never be forgotten. For Roberts, she stated in a tone etched with fierceness, “The names of the victims are repeated to vent my frustration and evoke the ‘say their names’ chants of Black Lives Matter Protests. I’m sure I’ll display this as a projection or scarves to be worn.” Although her work deals in reminding the audience of the injustice that we have seen in 2020 and exposing the age-old corruption that had existed even before then, Roberts uses her art as a means to pave a new and better future. When I asked about what else she had wanted her artworks to also do, she stated, “There is work where I feel a responsibility to make change, and work where I just take the time to relish in my identity.” From what I have seen of her artworks in the exhibition, I believe that Roberts will continue her fight for change in the names of those that were taken so soon. As a Black artist graduating this year and embarking into the art world outside of VSU’s humble art classrooms, Roberts’ identity within her artworks will be one of the many stepping stones needed for positive change for the rest of society.
Nalla Roberts is a senior at Valdosta State University where she has focused her creative talents in the areas of graphic design, sculpture, and jewelry making. Post-graduation Roberts plans on pursuing graphic design and eventually owning a small hair jewelry business.