#nopolice

‘Cause both of them motherfuckers are black killers

Both of them motherfuckers attack niggas

Now they controlling us through our rap lyrics

Everything’s a program that’s programmed

They program the kids while selling their own brand

If we don’t band together they banning us from existence

But you stubborn niggas still show resistance, I’m keeping the distance

Prison-Locksmith

10/18/2020

FIST 308 PROJECT

The Harlem Renaissance is known for the explosion of African-American literature, music, and art during the 1920s-1930s. It gave artists pride in and control over how the black experience was represented in American culture and set the stage for the civil rights movement while also cultivating a path of opportunity for newcoming artist in the generations to come. 

Some artists desire to be referred to simply as "artists" others make their racial identity and the cultural experience the center of their practice.

One of my favorite artists is Basquiat. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 22, 1960. Basquiat had a Haitian-American father and a Puerto Rican mother. His diverse cultural heritage was one of the many sources of his inspiration. As a self-taught artist, Basquiat began drawing on sheets of paper his father brought home from work.

I’m not a black artist, I’m an artist. - Jean Michel Basquiat

Basquiat dropped out of school to follow his artistic dreams. In his earlier works, Basquiat was known for using a crown motif, which was his way of celebrating Black people as majestic royalty or deeming them as saints.

 His paintings soon came to be adored by an art public that would spend at least $50,000 for a Basquiat original. In 2017, a Japanese billionaire broke a record-buying Basquiat's “Untitled,” for $110.5 million.

Basquiat was an inspirational artist and leader choosing not to change his style for anyone else. He was able to repurpose his art into an inventive historical language that spoke to the world. 

This is where I'm inspired, everything I make I want it to include a visual representation of different cultures and identities. This is important when creating art because your audience can come from different parts of the world. Art should be both enjoyable and relatable.

Who am I?

My name as an artist has always been Ace, I am a senior at Lawrence University studying Cultural Anthropology while also engaging in self-taught art and graphic design. 

What draws me to art is the rage of freedom you get when creating your own art. Art and Anthropology have leveraged me to understand different cultural perspectives. I have studied East Asian cultures, African cultures, and Latin X cultures, each one has offered a unique insight on life.

Digitally on an IPad

Title: Frank’s Dream

An inspiration from Hokusai

Made in Chinese ink to replicate brush strokes.

Title: The Great Storm

In this article, I decided to discuss the conversations of African American artists since there is discussion if an artist should recognize oneself as a person of color. Basquet was one who wanted his art to speak for itself not being labeled as a black artist.