Drop us a note if you’ve used art therapy or you are an art therapist. Did you know that Georgette Seabrooke Powell was one of the earliest proponents of using art in therapy? According to Michelle Black Smith, “Troubled by the increasing homelessness seen on the streets of D.C. in the 70s and 80s due to shrinking mental health resources, and growing populations of war veterans and the unemployed, Georgette turned to her artwork to express her sympathy and outrage.”at-the-fee

Turnier is a Haitian artist who along with other artists affiliated with the Le Centre d’Arts in Haiti, including Albert Mangones, Gerald Bloncourt, Maurice Borno, Rigaud Benoit, Hector Hyppolite, Daniel Lafontant, formed the nexus of the Haitian Art Movement. The period between 1946 and 1950, encompassing the early years of Turnier's artistic work, is also called "The Haitian Renaissance."Unfortunately, during the age of McCarthyism in the 1940s-50s many works by Haiti’s mod

Do you want me to create a piece of art in the style of Aminah Robinson? Let me know in the comments. “She’s a magic maker, she’s an alchemist…” Joyce Scott (Artist) Her aesthetic resonates with my aesthetic. Sometimes it is hard to narrow down your creativity or limit it to one thing or one style, or even one medium. And I guess for artists and creatives, the saying "jack of all trades, but master of none" resonates in the psyche, which may keep one from being productive at

Comment if you know another artist that can produce fine art using crayons? Minnie Evans was notorious for drawing with anything on hand, including discarded window shades, book bindings, scrap paper. She also favored the use of Crayola crayons as she said “they are the best.” Come on @crayola ! Minnie Eva Evans was an African American artist who worked in the United States from the 1940s to the 1980s. Evans used different types of media in her work such as oils and graphite,

Rainey is an up and coming visual artist who’s state d mission is to “sell enough art to fund Black Liberation movements.” I love that she understands how the work that Black artists do is a collective, and important work for the culture. Artists are essential to Black culture. The artist statement: “By centering her work around social justice, specifically in regard to Black Americans, community becomes the key to liberation. Her artwork taps into aspects of the Black commu

Through her sculptures, artist Sandrine Plante retells the story of her ancestors. “My work shows the history of our ancestors and of slavery in particular,” she explains. “I portray the kings and queens of Africa, and the rituals and beliefs.” “It is our duty to remember, serving history so that we never forget…” Such is the ethos of Sandrine Plante-Rougeol, a militant figurative sculptor, who dedicates her art to the theme of slavery. Sandrine’s devotion to her ancestor’s h

Kara Walker Kara Walker is among the most complex and prolific American artists of her generation. Over the past decade, she has gained national and international recognition for her room-size tableaux depicting historical narratives haunted by sexuality, violence, and subjugation through the genteel 18th-century art of cut-paper silhouettes. Over the years the artist has used drawing, painting, light projections, writing, shadow puppetry, and, most recently, film animation t

The only words I have to describe Mildred Thompson is that she was truly a renaissance woman. She was every woman; multi-talented, and mastering multiple disciplines. Where Science, and music and art are one. “Thompson, influenced by the abstract paintings of the early modernists such as Wassily Kandinsky, consciously turned away from the creation of representational imagery to fully focus her craft on the abstract, choosing to artistically interpret scientific and musical th

In her words: “My work deals with the social, spiritual and cultural identity of people of African ancestry. Jamaican people and my memories of living there, served as a catalyst for this body of work. The intent of my work is for it to function as a voice for those ‘every day‘ folk who are overlooked and shunned because of their station in life.” “Inspired by and images of royalty of the Akan people of Ghana and other parts of West Africa; I decided to turn regular folk into

Gwendolyn Knight Did you know that Gwendolyn Knight was married to the famous artist, Jacob Lawrence? You can actually see some of her work in DC. The DC Moore Gallery is pleased to present Jacob Lawrence & Gwen Knight: Intersections, on view from February 16 – March 27, 2021. This focused exhibition offers viewers an opportunity to see rare examples of work by both artists, celebrating their life together over sixty years. Gwendolyn Knight was a humble and very talented arti

Do you know who Edmonia Lewis is? She studied in Italy and most of her work was done with marble. She was also of Haitian and American Indian lineage. To support her craft she sculpted medallion portraits featuring images of renowned abolitionists, including Garrison, John Brown and Wendell Phillips, an advocate for Native-Americans. According to Smithsonian Magazine, “sculptors of that time traditionally paid Roman stone crafters to produce their works in marble, and this l

We celebrate Charles White. Never underestimate the power of exposing children to art early in life. White’s mother took him to the @artinstitutechi Art Institute of Chicago early in life. She also gave him his first set of oil paints at the age of 7. Did you know that Charles White was the contemporary of many of the Black artists that we’ve covered so far? Some of his closest friends were Harry Belafonte, Jacob Lawrence, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, and W. E. B. DuBois.

I am full today. My spirit is restored and renewed by the wealth of beauty that my people possess. I knew that my journey of discovering Black artists would bring about a wealth of knowledge and more appreciation for beautiful art. However, I did not realize how emotional the trek will be. Many of the artists we have talked about so far saw themselves as human beings who had something to say about the world around them. These artists used the gifts to create pieces that force

Horace Pippin Horace Pippin was an African American WWI soldier from Pennsylvania. He served honorably in the 39th Infantry Regiment, a division of African American soldiers and was shot in the right shoulder. His battalion was all Black because white servicemen refused to serve with Black men. It would turn out to be only 1 of the 4 African American regiments that would see battle. HTTPS://philamuseum.org After serving, Mr. Pippin figured out a way to paint and created a las

We celebrate Aaron Douglas as the “Father of Black American Art” One of the many things that struck me about Douglas is his portrayal of Black women. Theartstory.com says: throughout his career, Douglas was interested in the representation of Black women. Douglas said “we are possessed with the idea that it is necessary to be white, to be beautiful. Nine times out of ten it is just the reverse...” According to Amy Kirschke, Douglas’s amazing success was greatly influenced by

Who could deny the powerfully elegant and majestic portrait of our First Lady, Michelle Obama @michelleobama? Sherald says, “I want my portraits to create a space where blackness can breathe." #blackgirlmagic #dopeblackart #blackartistspace #artwork #drawing #love #blackartmatters #blackartistry #blackartists#sketch#melanin#blackartcollectors#photography#artoftheday#art#blackartistsconnected#blackartist#artist#blackartwork#painting#blackart space #black#blackartistsmatter#ill

Basquiat's 1982 painting brought $110.5 million @sotherbys to become the 6th most expensive work ever sold at auction. His work was blatant, in your face, unashamed, focused and intuitive. Basquiat seemed to carry the weight of the crimes against humanity on his shoulders that would transfer to his paint brush. #blackgirlsillustrate #blackartists #artoftheday #digitalart #artist #contemporaryart #bythings #painting #creativewomen #blackartistspace #digitaldrawing #painter #