“We Want To Be Free”
Photography Provided by
Angel Hernandez
Kevin B Jones
100kDai
Shafik
Archives Provided by
Los Angeles Public Library
Curated by
Meredith Lancaster
Abigail Lopez-Byrd
Sounds Of The City
This exhibition will explore themes of liberation and freedom from the Black and Brown woman gaze. This show will run between the months of June & July. A time where we are starting to celebrate the emancipation and true existence of formerly enslaved people, and celebrating American independence, a stark contrast to the lived experiences of oppressed Black and Brown communities.
Featured Artists Brittney S. Price, Rosalind McGary, Saidah Gray, and Tayllor Johnson
“You’re doing amazing, Down to your knees, But up on your feet, From the Battle scars you nurse in, the morning To the Sweet honey, you taste in the evening — You’ve done it all with so much grace”
- Tayllor Johnson
Visual Art Provided by
Riskie Forever
Vera Hughes
Anthony Lee Pittman
Yedidyah Butterfly
Photographer Provided by
Mike Miller
100kdai
Visual Art Provided by
Riskie Forever
Vera Hughes
Anthony Lee Pittman
Yedidyah Butterfly
Archives Provided by
Westside Boogie
Alonzo Williams
The Baka Boyz
Scenes of Liberation
Sons Like Me
by Anthony Lee Pittman
Sons Like Me" is a visual exploration of ways Black men are represented in American society and the conditions that create their relationships. Anthony examples how Black men build community with other Black men and the community at large, while critiquing notions of masculinity, love, and loss. Each art piece is grounded on a divine and holy visual element, such as a halo, to reference the role of religion and spirituality within the Black male identity. Inspired by catholic religious saint-like imagery, many men in the pieces are elevated to 'sainthood'. Together, these pieces engage in a dialogue of the condition and complicated identity of the Black man in America, brotherly love, and spirituality.
The Communicative Arts Academy
Compton has historically been a creative city and in the 1960's and 1970's, there was a collective of artists that led the community in art-making and city transformation. The Communicative Arts Academy (CAA) was a collective of local artists from Compton, Watts and South Central. These artist included Elliot Pinkney, Charles Dickson, Willie Ford, and Judson Powell to name a few.
Together, the CAA provided art workshops and programming grounded on the Black Los Angeles experience and became an artistic hub in the center of Compton. Long before N.W.A put Compton on the map, Compton was an emerging majority black-run city with aspiring artists and creatives. The CAA artists turned to their lived experiences, the city landscape, and the realities of the racial climate in America during the 60's and 70's to create an artistic community. Together they held numerous performances, art spaces, and painted over eight murals across Compton.
This movement and collective is a reminder of the creative roots in Compton, CA.
Compton Community Archiving Fellowship
The Compton Community Archiving Fellowship is a program by Color Compton, a local non-profit that works with youth to engage in critical conversations around stories, race and power. Youth are encouraged to reimagine what 'archiving' is and who can be an archivist. Through the fellowship they are guided in documenting and digitizing their own family archives by doing an in-depth analysis of the family photo album. In addition, youth are giving tools to document their current lived realities through film photography.
