{"id":1313,"date":"2022-06-26T11:50:58","date_gmt":"2022-06-26T15:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yellowhouseart.org\/virtual\/?page_id=1313"},"modified":"2023-04-10T21:59:30","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T01:59:30","slug":"magic-mirth-and-mortality","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/yellowhouseart.org\/virtual\/magic-mirth-and-mortality\/","title":{"rendered":"Magic, Mirth, and Mortality Exhibit"},"content":{"rendered":"

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MAGIC, MIRTH, AND MORTALITY: Musings On Black Motherhood<\/h1>\n

Joy. Fear. Guilt. Generational connection. Grief. Deep love. These are only a few of the complex emotions experienced by all mothers. Magic, Mirth, and Mortality: Musings on Black Motherhood is an exhibition inspired by the lived experiences of writer, curator, community builder, wife, and mother Shawana Brooks<\/strong>. Centered in the exhibition are her \u2018motherhood musings\u2019 written and shared during her pregnancy, the premature birth of her son Roosevelt, and an extended stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The vulnerability, honesty, and courage expressed in this collection of writings allowed hundreds, if not thousands, of people, to witness…in real time…the experiences of Shawana, her husband Roosevelt Watson III, and their son.<\/p>\n

Brooks\u2019 words are shown alongside visual art by Tatiana Kitchen<\/strong>, Marsha Hatcher<\/strong>, and Cheryl McCain<\/strong>. Their paintings, drawings, and prints express the courage, delight, vulnerability, and fierce determination that mark their experiences as mothers and views of the universality of this role.<\/p>\n

The personal views expressed in the art become socially potent in light of the unique inequities and challenges faced by Black women from maternity to watching their children become adults. Statistics on mortality rates, inequity,, racism against Black women will add to the narratives of these four women and the women who came before them. This combination of memoir, visual art, and data is intended to create a space for healing, awareness building, sharing, and collective action. These intentions will be supported through a series of programs and experiences including spoken word events, artist talks, performances, and intimate conversations that will open opportunities for people to be seen and see one another.<\/p>\n

We are unapologetically lifting up the experiences of Black women. We do so not to exclude others, but because this is we are compelled to shine the brightest light. Yet, there are universal truths offered up at every turn. Whether you are a mother yourself or someone who knows about mothering, a grandparent, a father, or a caregiver the words and images presented here will likely resonate. And we are all someone\u2019s child….a child who entered this world carrying a history and set of realities as unique as we are.<\/p>\n

Yellow House aims to create a gracious and brave space not only for the artists, but also for you. There is an opportunity within the space for you to do a bit of your own musing. While we invite you to breathe in the works of Shawana, Tatiana, Marsha, and Cheryl, we also honor your journey in all its complexity.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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<\/span> Meet The Artists<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/h1><\/div>
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<\/i><\/i><\/span>SHAWANA BROOKS<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Shawana Brooks is an arts advocate, curator, and literary artist from Vallejo, California. She is a poet, public speaker, author, performer, and writer whose art revolves around the power of expression through the written and spoken word.<\/p>\n

Shawana is deeply interested in the comprehension of human emotion through the use of language and scribes moments from her traumatic personal experiences to create a means for social sharing. The Motherhood Musings in this exhibition are a powerful example of this process. These written reflections were created and shared through social media during Shawana\u2019s maternity journey, from the day she learned of her most recent pregnancy through the preterm birth of her son and 99 days in the Neonatal Unit at UF Health in Jacksonville. More than a document of her lived experience, these writings serve to create a dialogue on social justice issues focused on Black women.<\/p>\n

Shawana has had a significant impact on the cultural scene in Jacksonville in a variety of roles. She was recently awarded the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville\u2019s Robert Arleigh White Award for Artist Advocacy. She is a recipient of the Community Foundation of Northeast Florida Art Venture Individual Artist Grant, to further develop the work on display here. Following a successful career leading the launch of the Jax Makerspace, she has landed a role working for the non-profit Jacksonville Arts & Music School as the Development Director where she continues to advocate for artists of all ages, with a strong focus on supporting artists of color. She lives in Jacksonville with her husband, Roosevelt Watson III and their son, Roosevelt Watson IV.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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<\/i><\/i><\/span>TATIANA KITCHEN<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Tatiana Kitchen is a visual artist from Jacksonville and an alum of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. With acrylic paint being her medium of choice, she has developed a style emanating divine femininity, with the majority of her art being inspired by the life force of the universe, and the contributions and influence of humanity within that system. These images of transformation and seemingly other worldly beings are brought to life through a vibrant palette of colors and shapes that appear to shift right in front of us.<\/p>\n

“As people, we all have experienced pain of some sort. Physical pain, emotional pain, the pain of loss or the pain feeling as though we don’t belong amongst others. I take my pain and channel it into my art, turning it into joyful, colorful scenes full of life and energy.”<\/p>\n

Tatiana believes art to be her saving grace. As a person with a physical disability, she feels that through her artistic development, she is able to move through the world with a sense of optimism. Instead of allowing herself to be limited by her disability, she has chosen to immerse herself in all of the possibilities and opportunities that art brings to her life. As a result, she has allowed her passion and character to define who she is.<\/p>\n

Tatiana has exhibited art in Connecticut, Tallahassee, and Miami during Art Basel. Although most of Tatiana\u2019s works are on canvas, she is also a muralist. Most recently, she collaborated on a mural in the Wynwood district of Miami and a massively-scaled mural in the Arlington neighborhood in Jacksonville. In addition to the paintings created for this exhibition, you can see one of Tatiana\u2019s murals on the exterior of Yellow House along Phyllis Street.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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<\/i><\/i><\/span>MARSHA HATCHER<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Marsha Hatcher, born in south Georgia, now lives and creates art in Jacksonville for the past 25 years. As a military wife for many years, Marsha traveled around the world and most of her art captures these experiences and the people she has met. She is an artist who loves creating art and her artwork defines who she is and what she is passionate about. Her preferred medium is painting and people of color are her subject matter.<\/p>\n

As is evident in the works on view here, Marsha has often turned to the subject of motherhood. Images of protection, care, vulnerability, strength, and deep connection between mother and child vibrate with a life force that defies the limits of the canvas. Whether through a rich palette of color or the contrast of black and white, the works capture the gestures and symbols of the maternal figure.<\/p>\n

Marsha has exhibited regionally and nationally for more than 25 years. Locally, she is a regular contributor to the Through Our Eyes exhibition at the Ritz Theater and Museum, and has been featured at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens. Most recently, Marsha was selected to create a body of work as part of the Legacy of Lynching exhibition at the Museum of Science and History, which is part of a larger national effort by the Equal Justice Initiative to document, raise awareness, and heal from the history of racial terror lynching in America. Marsha received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Albany State University. She is a member of Hopewell, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., founding and current board member of Jacksonville Cultural Development Corporation formerly (JCAAA), and The Art Center Cooperative, Inc.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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<\/i><\/i><\/span>CHERYL McCAIN<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Cheryl McCain thoughtfully captures glimpses of both everyday life and the extraordinary moments that mark a woman\u2019s journey through motherhood. The threads of connection between mothers and their daughters are illuminated in scenes from maternity to babe in arms and from moments of being playfully present to the monumental rites of passage of weddings and graduations. They are each images of great intimacy, reflection, strength, and joy. Collectively, these works remind us of the brilliance, beauty, and resilience of Black mothers, a narrative often obscured by the very real challenges and trauma they face.<\/p>\n

Cheryl was born in Ocala, Florida, and is a retired Navy veteran, who served honorably for twenty years. Two years after retirement, she enrolled at The Art Institute of Jacksonville to study photography. After two years at The Art Institute, she left her studies to care for her ailing husband.<\/p>\n

Cheryl\u2019s work has been published in the Miami-based magazine Chellae and Jacksonville\u2019s Void Magazine.\u00a0In 2018, she was selected to exhibit in Jacksonville: A Tale of My City at the Jax Makerspace, and the Let\u2019s Go! exhibit at the Jacksonville International Airport\u2019s Haskell Gallery. She also was selected and competed in the 2019 Artfields Artist Competition located in Lake City, South Carolina. Most recently her work was displayed\u00a0in the Through Our Eyes exhibition at the Ritz Theater and Museum.<\/p>\n

Cheryl is married to Charles McCain and have four adult children: Antonio, Mia, Emanuel and Vivica.\u00a0Cheryl and her husband reside in Historic Springfield in Jacksonville.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Here we are. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared.<\/h1><\/div>
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read full musing<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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artwork : Formula for Life<\/em>\u00a0| artist : Tatiana Kitchen<\/h6>\n<\/div>