The Exhibition “Black Is..” was located in Dedo Maranville in the Fine Arts building in Valdosta State University from February 14th – March 4th 2022 which was curated by Julie Bowland. Featuring two African American artist named Samuel Dunson and Traci Mims representing different styles and approaches racism and sexism using Expressionism and Realism. They had an Artist Talk when the Exhibition opened up, explaining there reasonings and getting a better understanding of the artist. The Exhibition was formatted by the styles of the artwork. In the Exhibition Samuel Dunson had artwork that was representing a Euphoria world of his, as If he may be escaping a virtual dream or trapped in a paralysis for instance. The artist focused on expressionism and realism in the artwork to visually explain how he may be feeling.
The artworks focus on the Black identity and bringing awareness to recent trauma the African American’s experienced. While viewing the exhibition there was no order of how the artwork was shown.
Kind of blue/ Acrylic painting, 30 x 40 | 2022
The “Kind of Blue” painting was made by Traci Mims using acrylic paint on canvas for the artist medium, representing what is a self portrait of herself in different shades and variations of blue with a large earring that says “I Love Africa”, with clothing that correlates with the aesthetic of her head wrap, white blouse and shirt.
“My work is for the people that are a little eccentric,” said Gloria Townsend as she answered questions in preparation to show work in the Valdosta State Senior exhibition. Townsend is graduating from Valdosta State University in 2022. She, along with many other art students, have had the pressure of balancing school life and creating their art. When in a classroom Townsend works at her own pace and world. Often found to be quiet while working with her headphones on; she will still have a friendly conversation with anyone who approaches. Her slight awkwardness is endearing as she is asked what she is working on and asks back the same question with sincerity. Townsend may be shy in person but her art is not. Her interest in horror, fantasy and representation shine through. She identifies as a queer black artist and is inspired by stories, fiction, animation, and providing representation for people like her.
Jenifer Arellano – Mendoza is a student at Valdosta State University that is displaying her work at the In Situ exhibition. Starting her journey in life, the artist grew up in Brunswick, Georgia. The area that Arellano – Mendoza grew up in was not easy, which taught her how to be strong and independent. Growing up in this type of lifestyle made her want to connect more with others, especially minorities. With her parents being immigrants, Mendoza wanted to break the cycle of having things they usually did not have. Her first step in that was being the first person in her family to go to college. So, she used art to express herself and her feelings. Mendoza stated how she used photography as her words when she could not speak for herself. Before college, she was shy and did not know how to express her feelings when a loved one or friend passed, which also resulted in her not creating art. The artist felt as though she had no purpose to make art and no voice in art that helped with these issues. Attending VSU gave her that opportunity to learn more and process things she held back. The school gave her a fresh set of eyes and constructive criticism from her peers to improve as a person and artist.
Throughout the body of graduating seniors, their hometowns range from across the country to around the corner. Register is one of the students that did not have to venture far to find her way to Valdosta State University (VSU). While some students had to look far and wide to find the right art program, Register happened upon VSU while she was in high school in Echols County, Georgia, a mere forty-five-minute drive from Lowndes County. Being from a small town, she was brought up within a culture of traditional Southern views that were based firmly in the Christian (primarily Baptist) belief system.
Upon her arrival at VSU, Register’s work primarily consisted of illustrations in black and white. Through her time studying art and learning new media, Register now includes a wide variety of color schemes and cohesive elements that help draw viewers’ eyes around a composition. In the beginning, Register mentioned that the absence of color in her work came from a place of self-doubt and hesitancy in her own work; throughout her time in the art program, her classes have helped her to experiment with color and gain confidence in her compositional choices. She also now includes printmaking and typography as key elements in her work to help get her messages across more clearly. With her love for printmaking, she can experiment with color more and find which color schemes fit well with each piece.
The Senior Show contains three of Register’s pieces, Molding Me, Woman Enough?, and an illustrated booklet that shows Register’s journey through therapy. Woman Enough? is a textile based mixed media piece that contains many posters, draping fabrics, typography, and an original print. The center of the piece has the words, “AM I FEMININE ENOUGH?”, and the heading of the piece displays the single word, “femininity.” Register explained that each element displayed a different side of gender expression that needs to be talked about or explored. The prints were meant to display some of the biggest insecurities she had while growing up while being told that those things were the only characteristics that made her feminine. Her piece helps challenge the idea that body parts are not the only thing involved in expressing femininity. Although she did not speak about the fabric, they could possibly reference the fashion used by many to express their femininity or hide the body parts that are associated with the idea of being feminine.
The second work, Molding Me, is in the same style, but has a completely different meaning. In Molding Me, Register emphasizes the text and fabric rather than the illustrations. The focal point of the piece are the words, “Every time I see flowers, I think of you;” these words are meant to represent the inspirational figures in Register’s life that have had a huge hand in shaping who she is today: her mom and her grandmother. She chose the phrase “every time I see flowers, I think of you” because both these influential women are gardeners. The two quilts also symbolize the women’s love for sewing that they are currently instilling into Register. This piece normalizes honoring elders and expressing gratitude rather than making a postmodern statement.
Although there are many ways in which Register differs from her mom and grandmother, seeing that homage to her upbringing is still a refreshing take on childhood expression. Last, but certainly not least, is her smallest piece. This untitled piece is a book containing illustrations of her journey through therapy and healing her past trauma. Although small in stature, this work makes the largest statement. During recent times, many people have struggled with mental health issues; seeing someone document their struggles and recovery encourages viewers that have struggled with the same issues by creating a sense of familiarity. By making such a postmodern piece, she is helping to destigmatize the topic of mental health so that everyone will be able to seek help without shame or fear
Raegan Register, Woman Enough?, 2022, Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery, Mixed MediaRaegan Register, Molding Me, 2022, Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery, Mixed Media
The exhibition, “Black Is..”, was on display at Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery located in Valdosta State’s fine art center. This show featured the two artists, Samuel Dunson and Traci Mims; these artists were chosen to portray what black is in society and how African American artists portray their identity through their favored media. The timing of this exhibition was intentionally chosen to coincide with black history month (February).
The exhibition had a mostly open format that allowed viewers to walk around freely and fully experience all the pieces. Instead of keeping the work of both artists separate, their pieces complement each other throughout the exhibition. This organizational method helps maintain visual and contextual balance. While walking through the exhibition, there was a subtle gradation of color. Some of Mims’ pieces were done in charcoal or block printed (with black ink) and as the pieces progressed through the gallery, more and more color was in each piece. Due to some pieces just before these monochromatic block prints being extremely colorful, this gradient of monochrome to color seems like a coincidental organization. Other than this unintentional aesthetic organization, the only intentional organization was thematic. The exhibition was meant to exhibit the viewpoint of black artists in their everyday lives. This aspect of the exhibition was well rendered, and the intentions were easily understood and visually supported.
Because of the heavy social commentary, this show is nothing short of postmodern pluralistic in nature. Although Mims is more of a realist and Dunson tends to favor the abstract, both artists showcase important issues that are faced everyday by African Americans in a so-called free country. Dunson’s piece, Alienated, demonstrates the feelings of black Americans trying to live their lives. While the abstraction of this piece appears to devalue the message, the invisibility of the body and the word, alien, in the lip signifies the feelings of alienation and isolation that black Americans face.
Mims’ Beautiful wonderfully demonstrates the culture, community, and daily lives of black people. While this drawing seems like a piece that could be considered derivative, many are not done without racist undertones. Many times, when portraits of black men are presented, they are shown intentionally stone-faced while restraining the stereotypically aggressive Pitbull. This piece gives in insight into actual life rather than the perceived life of black people. By adding a smile and a dog not typically synonymous with people of color, Mims humanizes him to viewers. Although they may not be used to seeing positive depictions of black people, they should be represented as a group of actual people rather than an enemy.
Overall, this exhibition was one that favorably displayed the heritage and culture of black history for black history month. Instead of turning a race into a genre to propagate an illusion of acceptance, black artists were actually featured to share their voices and their art. Mims and Dunson also were able to depict issues precisely and easily without confusing viewers. Luckily, this exhibition is not reminiscent of the sad attempt the Whitney had at black representation. Instead of having white artists show what they thought was happening, this exhibition featured black artists to show what actually happens to their community. This tiny detail elevates this exhibition from appropriation, to one that deserves the highest reverence. The curator also successfully picked pieces by the artist that meshed well together and supported the overall message.
Samuel Dunson, Alienated, Dedo Maranvile Fine Arts Gallery, Mixed pigment and collage on canvasTraci Mims, Beautiful, Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery, Charcoal drawing
