Corita Kent is an inspiration to me both in terms of printmaking and who she was as a person. Both as a teacher and an activist, Corita was influential in a quiet, powerful way. I was so excited that the Crocker Museum showed Power Up: Corita Kent's Heavenly Pop; I managed to sneak out to the show a couple of times even with a then three-year-old. Her silk screens are so joyful and profound.
Corita Kent's website
An anti-racist print resource
This is an awesome resource going around on social media that includes Black owned and/or operated shops; print fundraisers; printers offering to print materials at cost or free; print exchanges; lectures; books, essays and texts; historical archives, DIY videos, etc.
Anti-racist Print & Printmaking Resources
There’s some beautiful prints from @blackwomenofprint and @dugoodpress on Instagram as well!
Inspiration: Freedom, a Fable: A Curious Interpretation of the Wit of a Negress in Troubled Times, with Illustrations
Something That Inspires Me
I first saw this book in Washington DC at The Book as Art artist's book show at the National Museum for Women in the Arts. Paper cuts and pop ups are dear to me as a book artist. Walker is using ideas of silhouettes, minstrel shows, and the artwork of the 18th and 19th century to tell a tale of a woman slave who is freed but still faces discrimination based on her race and gender, showing the stereotypes and ongoing racial conflicts. So truly, the woman's freedom was a fable; something that is so relevant to this time in history.
Freedom, a Fable: A Curious Interpretation of the Wit of a Negress in Troubled Times, with Illustrations
Inspiration: Kara Walker
Someone Who Inspires Me
Kara Walker came to my attention with her book, Freedom, a Fable, which was in a show at the National Museum for Women in the Arts. I love her work, especially the way it draws on her rich knowledge of art history and African-American history. Her work says something whether you know about art history or African-American history. Her work draws on historical artifacts in squirm-ily uncomfortable ways, but in a way that gets you (at least me) thinking about the world.