LOOKING w/ Intention & Thoughtful Attention

 Michael Pantaleon

3 Small Projects:

Here to Stay, sharpie, 03 micron, and highlighters, 2023.

Rift, digital illustration, 2020.

Eye Am I, sharpie and 03 micron, 2023.

bell hooks' Black Looks:  Race and Representation; Ch. 7 - Oppositional Gaze QUOTES:

1. "Many black women do not "see differently" precisely because their perceptions of reality are so profoundly colonized, shaped by dominant ways of knowing" (128).

2. "Opening up a space for the assertion of a critical black female spectatorship, they do not simply offer diverse representations, they imagine new transgressive possibilities for the formulation of identity" (130). 

For those who are a double minority when identifying as both a woman and of color, societal outlook is negatively received immediately. It created an environment where the urge to resist and rebel was bound to be explored, and rightfully so.

Poppy Noor w/ The Guardian: Teens are making historical events go viral on TikTok QUOTES:

1. "[Izzy] Jones explains that the personification of countries in historical events is helpful in understanding intention and gives a boring textbook subject some personality."

Short attention spans are more common than ever nowadays, ironically thanks to TikTok. The fast-paced consumption of content rots your brain, yet can also be useful if done correctly. I have come across a fair share of informal videos on my feed and many of them are creative, straight to the point, and humorous, all while putting the topic in relative terms that are easily digestible for anyone, if the comments haven't already done so.

2. "But as long as we understand that the videos are just a snapshot of a moment in time, they are effective."

As the article suggests, these interpretations are accurate despite their limited duration. If anything, the short summation of a historical event, academically or in pop culture, sparks curiosity in the viewer, allowing them to search up more details to get a good grasp of what the video provided. 

Looking with Intention & Thoughtful Attention

 

Sunflower 'Chocolate Cherry' 2023. digital painting and photo collage.

This work requires the viewer to look with thoughtful attention to find the deeper meaning behind the visual. It's more about the viewer 'looking' rather than trying to figure out what the woman in the portrait is seeing. When we think about sunflowers, most of us think of or picture a tall golden sunflower. Some people might not even know that there are darker sunflowers. I didn't know this until my mother bought them. The sunflower in this piece is called the Chocolate Cherry Sunflower and is one of the darkest sunflowers, aside from the Chianti sunflower.  

Looking Past What You See 2023, digital painting.

Looking Past What You See is asking the viewer to do exactly that. When first looking at this, the eyes may pop out, and this would probably be the element in this portrait that a viewer will draw an interpretation from, wondering why the emerald-green eyes. But really this portrait is about looking past the eyes and seeing something else. 

Black Female Gaze 2023, digital painting.

This is a reference to a quote from the Bell Hooks reading about a scene from Passion of Remembrance: (1) "Dressing to go to a party, Louise and Maggies claim the gaze. Looking at one another, staring in mirrors. they appear completely focused on their encounter with black femaleness...Disturbing conventional racist and sexist stereotypical representations of black female bodies, these scenes invite the audience to look differently."

Bell Hooks Quotes: 

    1. "Dressing to go to a party, Louise and Maggies claim the gaze. Looking at one another, staring in mirrors. they appear completely focused on their encounter with black femaleness...Disturbing conventional racist and sexist stereotypical representations of black female bodies, these scenes invite the audience to look differently." pg. 130

    2. "Critical black female spectatorship emerges as a site of resistance only when individual black women actively resist the imposition of dominant ways of knowing and looking." pg. 128

Teens are Making Historical Events go Viral:

    1. "...the personification of countries in historical events is helpful in understanding intention...Crucially, these videos are providing an interpretation of the past." 

I've seen a few videos of teens playing everyday individuals who are affected by social issues in the past, but not much about personifying countries in historical events. In a sense, it is very similar. The videos I've seen are very clear interpretations of what teens have learned and they also provide a perspective from individuals who MAY HAVE experienced those events. 

    2. "...the videos are largely historically accurate, but even if they weren't they work as a useful historical tool..."

These videos can help in learning about historical events and the past because they sort of simplify the lesson into these quick and easy-to-understand videos. True, they may not be "complete" but these videos could be used as tools for understanding how an event happened when coupled with a lesson in classes.

Looking: 3 Memorable Images + Quotes

 

Siblings 2021
                                                          

The Last Game 2021

 

Home 2019

                                  

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    As I search through my digital photo albums, I stumbled upon these photos and despite the simplicity of them, I reflected a lot on what I have been missing. 

Siblings showcases two cats that ultimately became a huge portion of my happiness. My father decided to rescue these cats from his job as a terrible storm began to roll in. My mother agreed to bringing them in for the night but did not want us to keep them.. almost two years later and the cats are still around. My brother moved to Florida and decided to take the cats with him but as a family, we continue to check on the cats and shower them with love. Chamo, the cat on the left, and Speck, the cat on the right, became my world; My brother and I created a nighttime routine when he still lived in New Jersey. Though Speck is independent and less affectionate than Chamo, it felt comforting to have her sleeping in my room every single night. It is something that I miss, as well as their sudden bursts of energy and watching them sunbathe. 

The Last Game is a photograph of a golf course in Southern New Jersey, but to me it is the last official golf tournament that I was able to participate in. I began to play golf in 2018 during my junior year of high school and I continued to play when I transitioned into NJCU. Though I wasn't great and I was new to the sport, walking on the course, playing at the driving range, and taking in the views brought me a sense of peace. Sadly in May of 2021, I suffered a shoulder injury and though I was still capable of moving around, I experienced pain while doing certain movements or when massive amounts of pressure was placed on it. While participating in a tournament in September of 2021, the pain became unbearable and I could no longer play for the team. I still cannot play and the pain is still present so I stray away from playing golf in my spare time. 

Home presents a beautiful photograph of my loving parents who I see as my home. I was blessed to grow up with parents that truly cared about me and my well-being, along with my siblings as well. My parents are very selfless, comedic, and welcoming. Despite the troubles that many families typically experience, my parents have become one of my best friends and I will forever appreciate the sacrifices they made to give my siblings and I the life that we have. Despite the smiles in the photo, I do miss the moments I had with my parents on the weekend. I miss going out with them on random adventures to simply get out of the house, I miss the long conversations I would have with them as they coached my brother and I about life. Growing up has robbed us of the time we can have with our loved ones but it teaches us to soak up the short moments we share with them. 

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Quotes __________________

Bell Hooks: 

"...We are afraid to talk about ourselves as spectators because we have been so abused by the gaze" (125) 

"Without providing "realistic" positive representations that emerge only as a response to the totalizing nature of existing narratives, they offer points of radical departure..." (130)

-   Women of color fear expressing themselves at times as society, specifically males, have judged them for their actions and appearance.They are surrounded by negative opinions and responses as they navigate through the world. 

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Teens are Making History Events Go Viral on TikTok: 

"Not the whole story -- but I thought it was a good summation of what happened..." 

"Everything written after an event -- whether it's five minutes after or 500 years -- it's an interpretation." 

-    Though there have been some negative aspects when indulging in social media, there have been some informational videos posted. I personally enjoy watching documentaries, true crime, and educational videos so the history videos on TikTok have been intriguing. I hope people will take the time to research the rest of the story to truly understand the full event and to learn the smaller details. 

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Kinfolk Essay

Madeline Herrera

Doris Colin 

Studio Research 

16, February, 2023

             Danielle Scott: kinfolk

When looking at the artwork of Danielle Scott from last week , I felt like I stepped into someone’s mind as well as a whole generation of life and culture. When she spoke about her work speaking to her I was a bit confused as to what she meant when she explained what she meant. Looking around the gallery I made the observation that there was a theme of using Paper, and Wood.The wood for the framing of her work to make it feel more organic, as well as the paper that is used as a part of her pieces. Adding on to the themes are the usage of detailed cutouts as well as using objects like fabrics, jewelry, and cotton  to give her work more life. When I entered there were two pieces in particular that caught my attention. One was to the right of the gallery, and another to the left. I was drawn to these pieces the most to the point where I just kept staring at them so I could look at the details further, and I wasn't paying much attention to anything else.The work on the right, was called “Hatwell,Gray, Bernaby and Eugene” which was done in the year 2020. What attracted me most was the use of patterns and colors. There are four  little boys looking out to the cameraman/viewer. The photo is in black and white with newspapers behind them with names of men, women, and children with their name, age, and other basic information. The children have cutouts on top of their clothing which I presume are just plain clothing. The cutouts are adorned with different patterns that are particular fabrics and fashion worn  mostly known in African culture. These patterns contain bright colors and they stick out against the cutout of the boys due to the photo of them being in black and white. How I perceived this was that this gives the boys a sense of who they are and what their culture is. The cutouts are cut in a way that the children are actually wearing these fabrics. When looking closely at the photo these boys look grim, and look very reserved with one of them having their hands over their mouths. They’re huddled together while looking straight at the camera, it's a possibility that they may not like the photographer who's taking the picture of them.  Other aspects of this piece that intrigues me is this red-orange fabric that is on the bottom of the piece. My first thought when seeing that was “This must represent fire since these colors are associated with fire”. However this was particularly placed underneath the newspapers of the list of names and some parts of the fabric even covered the paper. Almost as if it was purposely covering these names, like how society is trying to erase  black history as if it doesn't exist. Burning it so that no one finds any evidence of the horrors of history.  Just like the cut out the patterns there are only small bits  but you can still see the clothing that the boys are wearing. “Queen of Angels' (also done in 2020) was on the left side of the exhibit , and it stands out due to the fact that the main base that was used was a Iron board. At the top of the iron board was a golden water faucet . My first thought was water obviously but also the incident of Flint, Michigan for some reason.  This piece has a more textured look than the other piece that was mentioned before. A cut out woman in black and white is in the middle of the board. She’s surrounded by a golden crown of flowers, and the shape is circular. It reminds me of how in Christianity , People who are deemed holy have a yellow circle around their head. It gives the woman a certain glow around her. The theme of paper is also used in this piece as well, with the woman walking on top of them , however they’re words of encouragement. I believe this as well as the cutouts of the different people on the woman’s shirt symbolizes a symbol of hope. This piece also has some beautiful color combinations of blue, purple, and pink, which makes the woman standout more due to the fact that the piece has so much color around her even though she is in black and white.

“Hatwell,Gray, Bernaby and Eugene” 2020

“Queen of Angels' 2020

Kinfolk Review

 Daniel Guiller

Professor Cacoilo

Studio research 1

16 February 2023

Kinfolk Review

The piece I selected was “Queen of Angels, 2020.” The artwork is a three-dimensional mixed-media collage featuring fabric, photographs, and gold leaf. This artwork caught my attention because of its irregular shape. The piece was created on a vintage scrap ironing board, that the artist, Danielle Scott, used explicitly to show that artwork is not restricted to canvas or paper. The artist then went on to explain that “Queen of Angels” is actually a tribute to another artist; the one who mentored Scott in the past. The significance of the crown of sunflowers is meant to represent a connection to her mentor. What makes this piece exceptional from the rest in this gallery is that this is the only piece that is not coated in resin, because the artist was still undecided if her series would be coated in resin. One could easily see the different layers of materials that Scott stacked in the creation of the artwork. I analyzed the artwork like a photograph because it looks like a portrait of someone, and I think the composition works well in both photography terms and mixed media. 

The second piece I chose was “Peter Thorough” 2022,” another piece crafted on an ironing board. This piece is similar to the other ironing board artwork, but it is coated in acrylic resin instead of being left uncoated. The piece was also crowned, like the previous and the crown signifies sunflowers which the artist is connected to. The materials used are textiles, book paper, gold leaf, wood, and resin. I enjoyed this artwork the most because it was composed like a traditional portrait. The image was a man looking down with a tan background which is actually text from a book or newspaper article. I also viewed this like a photograph and it makes a good connection to the other irregularly shaped ironing board piece. I believe the artwork is meant to represent and depict Scott's ancestors and or loved ones. 

My interpretation is that these works by Scott depict the history and ancestry that she comes from and tells stories about the people in the artworks. It's a way to connect to your ancestors through art. The artwork helped the artist connect to their identity, and the historical significance of her art is present when she speaks about her ancestors. Her research further backs the artwork when you find out she is related to a lot of the people in the images. I believe her combination of research and informative background really helps make her art significant. 

These are three quotes from “The Beauty In Struggle” that I agreed with. “But those shacks squat on the unfree territory. Signs of poverty, disempowerment, and injustice are everywhere in Scott’s work.” This quote is true because the ugliness of history is confronted within the artwork. “The gold-colored sheets, shells, and pearl jewelry affixed by resin all gleam, but the frames are invariably made from the same rough-hewn wood that might have propped up slave quarters.” I agreed with this quote because all of Scott's artwork has excellent unity.  “Scott isn’t merely entertaining or even enlightening us with history. She expects us to be present to the monstrous act of violence that severed a people from their heritage.” Without a doubt, Scott and her artwork confront history and try to expose it for how truly monstrous it was. Her artwork offers us a unique perspective for us to look through history.

The Image of me is a self-portrait I took recently on a photo walk. It is how I see myself so I think it is accurate. It reminds me of Scott's work because I look like a cutout like the ones in the artwork. 

                                                                    Works Cited

McCall, T. (2023, January 11). 'The beauty in struggle': Danielle Scott's 'ancestral call,' at gallery AFERRO, is full of radiant images. NJArts.net. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://www.njarts.net/the-beauty-in-struggle-danielle-scotts-ancestral-call-at-gallery-aferro-is-full-of-radiant-images/

Kinfolk Gallery Response Essay - Sarah Ferreira

 

"We did not Enslave Ourselves" 2022

            Kinfolk is truly a heavy gallery experience if you ever witness these works in person as the room seeps and oozes with a deep history filled with love and pain. I was lucky enough to help with the gallery label set up due to my visit to the gallery with Professor. Yoshimoto who helped curate this gallery and piece it together–It also was quite unfortunate that the next class period I would miss a talk by the artist herself: Danielle Scott. Scott created these pieces as she was on leave for sabbatical (a difficult feat!) and integrated collaging as well as gold leaf and resin. Her use of resin was quite interesting mostly due to how she poured them out into layers giving each artwork a sense of depth. Despite all this, I would have to say that my favorite pieces within the collection would be the two tie-in pieces titled, “ We did not Enslave Ourselves” and “Griff (the offspring of someone labeled “Negro”). I felt that those two pieces not only were visually striking but were emotionally impactful as both featured elements that are well known to the African American community and its deep rooted history with slavery. Due to being unable to speak to the artist directly at her Artist Talk; I was left with alot of questions that I wish I could’ve brought up but luckily enough, a week beforehand, Professor. Cacoilo was able to answer some of the burning questions I had originally wanted to ask the artist. I was informed that not only were the pieces just generally connected to each other narratively but that they were also made in unison. The aluminum noose featured in the work was actually casted in the sand of the second piece in order to make an imprint, (and even for the imprint alone, Scott created a nose out of rope herself to form the cast.) Not only that but there were small elements of cotton throughout her work and these two pieces brought even more interest due to the fact that the cotton plant that was laid out was cotton that the artist herself picked with her own hands from an old New Jersey plantation. The amount of historical and emotional layers on just those two pieces alone is fascinating as the rest of the artworks that were created throughout the show also feature that same historical heaviness that is in fact a reality that many still do face on a daily basis.

"Griff (the offspring of someone labeled "Negro")" 2022

            In relation to our previous blog readings I find an interesting connection between Susan Sontag’s views on photography as a medium and how it is used to capture reality in the same way as Danielle Scott uses images of people to spill out a history that is attempting to be erased. It’s often a struggle within education and society that we are told to never forget history as “history repeats itself” But within our respective countries history is being erased at an alarming rate in order to paint a false picture of what reality was. Black history within America has always been sugar coated and glazed over, only seen as the past and that all the wrongs were fixed when in fact it was quite recently that segregation was abolished within American history. Many people within America often don't realize that slaves built this country and that the backbone of our society was carried by slaves–yet, in our schools we only glaze over Martin Luther Kings “I Have a Dream” speech and call it a day. The true horrors of what the slaves faced as a reality is beyond any other nightmare you can dream of. Black Lives Matter is a movement solely dedicated to the preservation of black lives and its history because without it we are doomed to forget and repeat our past sins, we must never forget. With each face that you happen to glance at within this gallery you are able to witness a reality that is attempting to be erased by our very eyes. It’s some really powerful work.

            I wasn’t attempting to preach, but I truly felt something powerful as soon as I step foot into the Lemmerman Gallery. It felt like all the faces within that room began staring at me stating, “Come closer and see.” It is so incredibly important to support black queer artists like Danielle Scott as artists have always been the first people in history to create a movement of change. With the support from the public and the support of other local marginalized groups we can see a flourishment of various works that tell a history that's often forgotten or silenced. This gallery installment should be a helpful reminder to the general public that we mustn't forget our flags, our homelands,and our history–as we are doomed to repeat it.

Gallery response

    Attending Danielle Scott’s exhibition was a difficult one to look at but also very educational. I really appreciate how invested Scott was in this project. When Ms.Danielle shared that she flew out to pick out the cotton on her birthday, I thought that was insane. At the same time, this experience was very insightful, she put herself in other shoes and got to experience a glimpse of what slaves had to go through. She could have easily found a book or done some research on Google, but Ms.Dannielle pushed the extra mile and I really do appreciate that. This really showed me that I have to put a little more effort into doing research and get a bit more cultivated when creating a project. When it comes to the work itself, all the art pieces were awesome! All of the work on the wall consisted of found objects and I think the work is aesthetically pleasing but it doesn’t sugarcoat or change the narrative of the slave stories. 

King Constance

mixed medium assemblage and resin

                  

    One of my favorite pieces was King Constance, Which is a mixed medium assemblage and resin. This piece is a portrait of a family. To the left, there’s a child wrapped around with some gold fabric. To the right, there’s a mom with another child, and in the back, there’s a silhouette of two missing people. When I first looked at this piece I didn’t understand why there were two people missing. After Ms.Danielle shared that it was done intentionally, this piece became the saddest to look at in my opinion. Ms. Danielle shared that the reason why there were 2 people missing was that families were separated and torn apart when they were being bought. It’s horrible to think a mother might never see her child again. I'm guessing that’s why the mother in the portrait is crowned, because she’s probably the one who went through the most physical and emotional pain, and she had to push through that.

Griff, 2022

    A second piece that caught my attention was Griff.  It is a sculpture that uses a piece of a log as its base. As I look at the piece going up, there’s a bunch of small hands that are positioned as if someone is trying to hold on to something from above. Then there’s a big wooden cross with a noose hanging from the cross. At first glance, I interpreted this piece as a cry for help. I’m very aware that slaves were brutally treated, and the hands below the cross could symbolize them asking for Christ to help them escape from that life. When I was looking at this piece, I felt a shift in energy. On another note, another reason why I gravitated to this piece was because of how realistic the hands look and the whole piece in general. It was slightly more engaging just because it was 3D.

Danielle : Kinfolk

Danielle did such a great job implementing the found objects into her pieces. Combining the historic photography with these beautiful hand laid patterns make for visually interesting pieces. Everything about the pieces look historic. As if they were carefully transported from the times they were made to our current day.  

The combination of found objects with mixed media makes for historic looking pieces. I truly appreciate the use of these vibrant patterns to elevate the persons in the photograph. 

Danielle was able to make every single of these pieces pop with the addition of objects and paper patterns. 

I see themes of royalty and confidence. Normally when the subjects are depicted it’s usually a sad theme of powerlessness and pain. In this case Danielle gave the subjects power by dressing them in royal garbs. Beautiful clothes that are bright and beautiful just like the souls of every human. Ever if at the time they weren’t deemed as humans worthy of freedom and respect Danielle gave them back their birth given right by creating a setting and placing them in it. 

5 Inspirational Artists

Who were the 5 +artists you chose videos about?

1)     The five artists I chose from Art21 are Barry McGee, Jeff Wall, Do Ho Suh, Hiwa K, and Leonardo Drew.

What were 5+ of the themes the artists addressed about making work?

2)     Barry McGee is the forever rebel, hiding in the crevasses of train tracks preying on it's walls and unleashing his graffiti gear. The thrill of risk combined with the adolescent desire of recognition is a feeling not just reserved for a graffiti writer, but found in daydreaming youths from all generations. Jeff Wall believes that the circumstances surrounding a picture come second to the actual moment it is taken. Sometimes, we tend to live so focused on the future that that we forget to live in the present and the same can be said about photography. A picture is worth a thousand words, so there is no bet on them being words related to it's conception. Do Ho Suh's rubbing installation is a reconstruction of space and how our memories meld into it's shape. Hiwa K's resourcefulness couldn't be a more perfect example of my own passion to take control of your environment and create from any and all scraps. And finally, Leonardo Drew gives us a glimpse into what it means to respect and carry in the footsteps of masters and role models. 

What were 5+ challenges the artists faced in making their work?

3)     Barry took inspiration of his "on the run" days as a tagger and translated them into installations depicting those memories. The struggles he faced were how to recreate the feelings of engaging in these covert activities. Jeff Wall struggled to capture meaningful moments that appear to be mysteriously abstract to the viewer. The situations that lead up to his pictures were spontaneous and the end result needed to have an aire of mystery, intrigue and confusion. Do Ho Suh was faced with painstakingly "molding" and "recasting" his interior space installations. Meticulously pressing against every square inch and centimeter, his struggle was to communicate the creating process of binding memories with touch and recognition. 

What were 5+ inspirations you drew from the artists?

4)    Most of the inspiration I took from these videos were to embrace my surroundings and memories with the same level of delicateness as I would my own art making process. The first would be practicing recollection to help with improvisation. Don't spoon-feed ideas, but rather let them create discussions. Take existing ideas from artists I look up to and try to see what they saw but in my own work. Re-ignite a fearless, risk-taking attitude. And finally, find ways to utilize and re-interpret the mundane.

What were 5+ things you would like to Incorporate into your own work after watching these videos?

5)    I will be incorporating the following in my own work moving forward. Rendering scenes from imagination, using different tools that may not be art-specific, studying the masters in my field, doing less to say more, and experimenting with alternative outcomes from past experiences.

Danielle Scott Exhibit

 Danielle Scott: Kinfolk

    This gallery really grabbed me and listening to and meeting with Danielle Scott added so many layers of context that made me that much more appreciative of the entire experience. The exercise of pulling the seeds from a wad of cotton created an immersive experience that presented a new perspective for me on the experience of slavery. The sensation reminded me of when I was 18 folding t-shirts in a factory. I remembered how raw my hands would get during a regulated shift for minimum wage. I cant imagine what it was like for enslaved people in far hotter heat, sun, and for nothing more than survival. But, the experience really made me think about the horror of it all.

    Each piece in the gallery spoke strongly for itself. And each piece was loaded with implications and context. The exhibit had me looking in to more of Scotts body of work and it is highly impressive all around. Below I will highlight two pieces that stuck out to me the most in our current gallery.

First Piece:Danielle Scott Celestine, 2022, mixed medium assemblage and resin

                                                            

This piece stood out to met for a few reasons. Once I really looked it definitely grabbed me more than any other. I believe this is because Ive been working with pre school aged children and these girls remind me of a few of them. Each of their individual personalities stand out so much. They present in a timeless fashion and send a message to me about how with time humans, and especially children are so consistent. The triple crown feels like an amalgamation of their energies radiating outward. Teheir purity in the face of very hard times shines through to me and this collage makes me feel like ive met them and want to meet them all at the same time. As well as learn about who they grew up to become.

Second piece: Danielle Scott King Constance , 2022, mixed medium assemblage and resin

This piece was in my opinion was one of the heaviest and hardest hitting of the entire exhibits . The empty golden silhouettes are such overt tragic symbolism for the people lost to chattel slavery. The fact that they are children is ever more difficult for the viewer to process. The baby wrapped in gold also seems to me to symbolize purity and hope. A child not yet traumatized or fully aware of the trauma that surrounds them. The distance between the older children and the baby dressed in gold also stands out to me. This image is visually beautiful and emotionally difficult at the same time.

EXHIBITION + QUOTES

 Upon viewing this exhibition, I feel as though I was filled with so many stories I will carry on with me forever. Not only has Danielle Scott provided viewers and spectators with a very informative body of works- these works are perhaps one chapter in the book she is continuing to tell through her art and journey. I especially appreciated the lovely arrangement of the pieces and how they slowly transitioned as you moved throughout the room. Listening to Danielle tell her about her journey to these plantations was one of my favorite parts of the artist talk. She did not just collect photographs with the intention of showing them off- she consciously ruffled through hundreds of pages of collections through bookstores all around the country. Each piece of fabrics in these works have been carefully handpicked to fit the story of the person or persons in these compositions. Together all of these small elements create a bigger picture. They are reinventing the lives of those lost, and putting back together the futures of the souls who once also had dreams of living out the royalty they deserved. 

The first photo which caught my immediate attention was Ruth Afontaine Family, 2022 mixed medium assemblage and resin. The first word that came to mind when viewing this piece was family. Personally, it is a big part of myself. And I really wanted to know everything about this family. Each person held a different look, some straightforward, some smiling. They are all piling out of this house, that does not have a prestige structure, onto a land that is owned by someone else. They are forced to live out their lives at that moment. That moment of constant fear and question- among the fire that lies beneath their feet. Danielle uses a collection of labels- those written of freed slaves at the time with the identity of who and what they do. Gabriel Griff, 26, steamboating. Born New Orleans, LA. I was left with so much wonder, no only for Gabriel, but every single person in the background of this composition. The inside of the house is boldly peaking out of the front door. Holding its many secrets- almost saying come on in. Let me tell you about who we really are. 

The second piece of work I found great attachment to is Celia and Bazile’s Churchill, 2022 mixed medium assemblage and resin. This piece is standing in its power. The background in this piece also has a collection of other names piling one by one behind the two people in the frame. The background is much darker. Almost like flames from the dark frame, wood has entered the picture, and slowly faded away before they touch Celia and Bazile. Nothing can touch these two. They are draped in Royal fabric consumed by lace and gold.  The halos on their heads are layered. One with gold and black, the other with lace and pearl-like beads. There is a dove on the shoulder of the woman. To me this represents the love between them. No matter what, that is strong here. 

3 quotes:

“We see our history as counter memory, using it as a way to know the present and invent the future.” - The Oppositional Gaze, Bell Hooks

“They are bruised, weathered and mistreated, but she has made sure they have names.” - The Beauty in Struggle: Danielle Scott’s ‘Ancestral Call’, Tris McCall 

“Photographs furnish evidence” Excerpt from On Photography, Susan Sontag

SELFIE, 2022

Renee's Danielle Scott's Kinfolk exhibition reaction

True Love Galennie, 2022

 

Ruth Afontaine Family, 2022

Danielle Scott’s: Kinfolk is a culmination of work based on a year of research and self-reflection as the artist traveled to multiple plantations and spiritually connected with the subjects in her work. The gallery features impoverished African Americans collaged with embroidered fabrics and lace to decorate their pixelated ghostly bodies. Atop their heads are golden halos, heightening their status as catholic saints within the compositions. In the background, the viewer can see remnants of slave cabins, with a registry of names from the Freed People of Color Database, ranging between the 1850s-1860s. By creating multilayered assemblages, Scott is developing an intervention by making the viewer internalize questions about her work and think about the history of slavery in America. She addresses heritage and identity by including freed people of color's names and decorates archival photographs with colorful fabric prints reminiscent of African clothing. While the people in the pictures were disempowered by their oppressors, Scott can reclaim their power by allowing them to take up space in galleries and tell their narratives within the composition.

The collection of work was originally named Ancestral Call. The name highlighted the spiritual call from the past, beckoning the artist and viewers to return to their ancestral roots and uncover layers of history that have been buried and forgotten. Her research began within the archives of bookstores before she sought out her own experiences. She walked in the footsteps of the former enslaved, exposed herself to the harsh conditions of the cotton fields, and delved into the darkest parts of America’s history. While the research was taxing physically and mentally, the work conveys a multilayered exploration of historical narratives. Scott incorporates her modern photographs to juxtapose the archival cutouts in her work. Susan Sontag’s quote, “Photographs really are experiences captured, and the camera is the ideal arm of consciousness in its acquisitive mood” (Sontag), applies to Danielle’s research as photography is the base of her assemblages. Scott finds the beauty in the struggle of the former enslaved by integrating her own photographs of slave cabins she took during her journey and displaying cotton she picked herself, embedded in resin, displayed atop aluminum molds, and in jars for people to handle. As stated by Scott, the ritual of picking cotton is to allow viewers the experience of contemplating the desolate conditions of enslaved people. Imagine picking seeds out of a single cotton ball; now imagine doing that for seventy hours a week in the hot sun. The interaction between the viewer and the cotton installation is one of many interventions Scott brings to Kinfolk. 

True Love Galennie, 2022, features a maternal figure surrounded by children and crowed with a decorated halo. The children huddle around her for the photo, dressed in ornate prints and fabrics like royalty. However, the regality of the composition is interrupted by the presence of the slave cabin interior. Upon closer inspection, it appears she assembled multiple slave cabin photographs to build her own for the family in the composition. The subjects in this assemblage are pixelated and ghost-like, while the modern-day photographs juxtapose against their figures. Tris Mccall states in their article, “ Certain details are in sharp focus while others fade into the background. The natural world is often a rush of evocative and near-formless shapes. At the same time, individual interiors are rendered with precision, right down to the crockery on the table of the gut-punch family scene” (Mccall). Danielle Scott sourced the family photograph from a textbook; the act of taking the photo and blowing it up causes the image to be blurry, giving the desired effect that this photograph is from the past, while the slave cabin imagery is from the modern-day. The multilayers of history provide a historical narrative while celebrating the figures in the composition. 

Ruth Afontaine Family, 2022, is based on a photograph of a family or a group of people attending a church or schoolhouse. The building is reminiscent of an old slave church, taken apart and rebuilt with strips of photographs, covered in black and gold paint, and adorned with gold fabric to accent the roof and windows. Some figures are dressed in a combination of vibrant materials, the same fabrics used in other compositions in the gallery. At the top of the stairs, the viewer can see the saint standing at the doorway while the rest of the family trails down the path toward the viewer. In the background of the piece, the names of freed people take up space, filling the sky and the cracks in the church building. Ruth Afontaine Family, 2022, shows a gathering of a united family, with all of their family members accounted for. Scott states that the name of the pieces comes from her research during the work’s creation; therefore, the Ruth Afontaine family must have been able to remain together like the people in the photograph. The viewer can only interpret this, and further research would need to be done to confirm one’s interpretation. By doing personal deep dives into her artwork, the viewer fulfills the project's purpose by asking questions and critically thinking about the individuals within the archival photographs. The historical narratives Danielle Scott presents to the gallery inspire people to research and learn more about the history of slavery in America.

Danielle Scott’s work in Kinfolk is inherently activist as she stages an intervention about race, power, gender, and injustice in America while uplifting the former enslaved as saints and monarchs. Scott aims to confront viewers with historical narratives and expose the history of slavery in America that is being pushed out of the curriculum. Overall, she presents individual stories about the people featured in her artwork, supplementing this with the research table that people can handle and read. For example, in Bell Hooks’ essay, “The Oppositional Gaze,” she states, “ The politics of slavery, of racialized power relations, were such that the slaves were denied their right to gaze” (Hooks, 115). All the individuals in the photographs have their power back, gazing at the viewer, crowned and decorated with signs of affluence. With artists like Danielle Scott working to conserve history and uplift historical narratives, African American history will remain in the minds of the American public. 

Me in 2018

For my selfie, I picked an older photograph of myself from 2018. This was the last year I visited Puerto Rico while my grandmother was alive, and as part of my research, I wanted to find places that I remembered most about my visits to my family's home on the island. In my assemblage, I added my old church, some traditional tiles on my shawl, an image of a famous cliff, and a monument in Cabo Rojo. I started my research by "going home" on google maps in search of landmarks in Boquerón. From there, I wanted to see if I could find my way to my grandparent's house purely from memory by tracing out the highways and roads. After following the highways, I remembered the monument of Dr. Ramón Emeterio Betances, a surgeon who led an insurrection against the Spanish occupation and an abolitionist movement in Puerto Rico. From this monument, I could find my way home without trouble. By making this virtual journey without an address and blurry satellite imagery, I encountered landmarks I remembered from my childhood. While I struggle with my Hispanic identity, it does not take away from the fact that my entire heritage is based on the island of Puerto Rico.