Moments
Each of these moments prompts us to consider how we connect across time and geography to those who lived in the past and who make our present possible.
This exhibition is undeniably connected to moments in time: Moments that define us as a nation, moments that highlight the pursuit of freedom, and moments that showcase the creativity and resistance of Black people creating art in a world determined to deny them permanent legacies. The ceremonial chair from the University of the South represents a moment in which a university reckoned with its troubled past. Robell Awake’s ladderback chair represents a moment in which a contemporary Black craftsperson sought to connect with Black craftspeople of the past by recreating their works, using their construction techniques, and teaching others the same building methods, thus lifting up Black craftspeople of the past to new generations. Each of these moments prompts us to consider how we connect across time and geography to those who lived in the past and make our present possible.
Craft can be a radical pedagogy telling alternate histories that aren’t being told by the dominant culture.”
Robell Awake – Chairmaker, teacher, and researcher
