So this piece of art was born out of going through family photos and different things within our garage. I stumbled upon a bunch of class photos that my aunt and uncle were in during the 60s as very small children. I took note that the majority of the class were African-American children and the adults who govern them were all white, from the principal to the teacher’s aid.
While staring at these images, I felt like there was something there to express, but wasn’t really sure what. I scanned the group photos as high as I could and started to experiment with them. While experimenting, I started to feel the project take shape and its message: from my own memories as a child within all white and white governing environments with the silencing, the villianization when I did something wrong, and the marginalization I felt for my carefree spirit. I wanted to express that feel and put a juxtaposition of what black children really are against when what is expected of and trained of them. And thus, “Mouthpiece” was born. It really takes the whole “children are seen, not heard” adage to another level, especially when we are dealing with the emotions and development of black children.
