The Urban Student

Back on view after a successful run at the Storm art King Center, Wangechi Mutu is on view in a new exhibition at the New Museum spanning 25 years of her career, drawing in crowds to SoHo and to another world entirely its own.

Back on view after a successful run at the Storm art King Center, Wangechi Mutu is on view in a new exhibition at the New Museum spanning 25 years of her career, drawing in crowds to SoHo and to another world entirely its own. @theurbnsloth | visited 03.02.2023 Skydeck at New Museum for Wangechi Mutu: Intertwined, 2023Credit B. Lin @theurbnsloth We call it world mapping, but there is a…

What I'm Hoping Ceramics Can Teach Me This Year #theurbnsloth #ceramics #sculpture #clay #experimentation #community #technique #body #vessel #space #form #blog #newpost #graduatestudent #thesis #writing #reflection #newyear

It is no surprise that my ceramics thesis makes me want to hop on a wheel, throw a slab down, and carve a bit. At the bottom of this article, I am seeking practicing artists in the New York Area to connect with and perform studio visits, thinking about the Black female subject, but any expertise in the medium is more than welcome! It’s now 2023, and rather than resolutions, I’m picking up where…

My summer was anything but what I had planned. It was better than some, but still a challenge for good reasons. #theurbnsloth #internship #curate #curatorial #catalog #research #portrait #art #barkleyhendricks #blackart #art #oldmasters #frickcollection

My summer was anything but what I had planned. It was better than some, but still a challenge for good reasons. As I announce my new ventures at the bottom of this article, I am still chasing side hustles to stay sharp and keep it moving through thesis research ahead of graduation. As it’s been a few weeks since the conclusion of the internship, I thought I’d start here as I get more into…

2022 is the year we get paid because there has to be something better than wondering when the next paycheck will come in. In 2022, we're leveling up and taking the leap- Who's with me?✋🏾

So I’m sort of in a pickle between wanting a career and wanting to retire in my 20s. It would work out if I worked on Wall Street or the sciences because I can find funding as a Black woman in STEM but not so much in Humanities as a graduate student. I’m making it in the art world so young and immediately see the challenges many of us in the liberal arts face, and several have overcome before me-…

Dedicating time to these five areas will make you a well-rounded person while diversifying your interests. I hope this helps other Black girls trying to have it all, and rest should be a part of that refocus to protect peace in work and fun.

My body quit on me more than a week ago, and I was dizzy and sick to my stomach, and my eyes have been sensitive since. Even now, as I’m managing symptoms through food, I am pushing through weakness to find strength, energy, and consistency- until I’m back at 100%. I needed to take two and a half days off work for the first time. I hadn’t rested my body, so it did for me in the form of a…

Black Curators have taught me so much, I often think about how many voices I have in my bibliography for Black Art. #art #theurbnslothwrites #nyc #graduatestudent #contemporaryart #career #

I was so excited to start my next chapter- COVID permitting that chapter to be in-person. And to see the startling headline that Black curators are being hired as quickly as they are leaving institutions makes me wonder about the politics, the workplace environments, and the flexibility to study and envision a world that isn’t so Eurocentric. (Link to news.artnet Op-ed) My first question was…

A little over a year ago, I was sitting at my laptop typing what I will again- the job market is overly competitive, and wow, standing out can be hard when you know you can do the work. Getting Seen, Heard, and Connected

A little over a year ago, I was sitting at my laptop typing what I will again- the job market is overly competitive, and wow, standing out can be hard when you know you can do the work. Currently: Looking for non-profit/ community engagment work in Manhattan to continue serving underserved communities through public programming and arts education~ 08.25.2021 A year ago, I graduated with my BA…

In reading the article Critical Condition, a perspective piece written by Mary Louise Schumacher in the Winter 2020 ArtNews magazine, I began thinking about what it means to be a storyteller in today's age. #journalism #writing #art #criticism #blogging

In reading the article Critical Condition, a perspective piece written by Mary Louise Schumacher in the Winter 2020 ArtNews magazine, I began thinking about what it means to be a storyteller in today’s age. While earning my bachelor’s degree, I learned how to formally write a proper culture review as I completed my minor. It opened my eyes to the possibilities of the theurbnsloth brand I have…

Centralizing the Black Narrative

The Palo Alto Arts Center has the artwork of Lava Thomas, Titus Kaphar, Dennis Delgado, Alicia Henry, Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle, and Whitefield Lovell. July 16th, I took a trip to the center and realized how accessible a black arts education could be, and it’s not going to be found in academia easily. The Black Index curated by Bridget R Cooks My bright-eyed perception of the world thought that…

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream, I am the hope of the Slave. I rise. I rise. I rise.-Maya Angelou Being a McNair Scholar was not something I was expecting when I stepped foot onto my undergraduate campus. I was hoping that everything would work out because I was unsure about my major in art history, but I knew I wanted to get my Doctorate so I could curate in a museum…

Why the Masters?...let me first start by saying I had no idea what I was getting into... #black #contemporary #art Follow @theurbnsloth for art/culture from a #blackscholar #firstgenerationstudent pursuing a #masters @Columbia

When I started telling people I would be a curator, let me first start by saying I had no idea what I was getting into. I knew that if I stuck with it, I would figure it out, but no art field expert gave me advice as I applied to schools across the country for art history. But, hey… risk it for the biscuit.  (more…)

Summer 2019: Whitney Biennial

In 2019, I visited the Whitney Museum to check out their permanent collection and their biennial show that addressed the racism and capitalist ties their board held with weaponry. I am of course referring to the protest of 8 artists that ended with them withdrawing their work from the show. I went for the sake of art and I don’t regret it. (more…)

A Documentary: Black Art in the Absence of Light It's been few weeks since I streamed the documentary, naming the artist's race in the title of their profession and seeing it as problematic has been rolling around in my head for years #art #blackart

NY Times article If you haven’t heard, HBO Max is streaming a documentary on black art and artists by highlighting contributions of organizations and art exhibitions to the art culture of America. David Driskell makes an excellent point to not refer to black art as ‘black art’ because it alienates the work from mainstream culture. So how do we talk about artwork surrounding black culture,…

Accessibility: How Museums Can Truly be for All You know me as the gallery attendant turned art handler, turned museum fellow. So, as you can imagine, I have seen a ton of ways we can make the artwork more accessible. #art #museums #accessibility

We can engage at all levels Accessibility in education is non-negotiable. When it comes down to visual art, the many available resources museums have to offer are constantly growing. I want to outline how I have learned that a museum is only as limited as to its creativity. (more…)

Artists: How to Be on an Art Handler’s Good Side

Tips for artists by an artist and art Handler The humble job of an art handler is to treat the artwork like the priceless item it is. Process and procedure is an average component of the day, considering most works carry a hefty insurance policy that could cover most if not all of my annual tuition rates for the next few years of my schooling. (more…)

@theurbnsloth If you know me in the workplace or have taken a look at my CV, chances are you’re going to see me running around wearing multiple hats at any given time. One hat, in particular, I didn’t expect to love so much was art handling or art installation crew member as my job description is listed. (more…)

Moderating Abolition: What does it mean to protest through living? In 2020 there was a growing cry for education and dismantling of systematic oppression to end racism in America. A thread ⬇️

Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com What does it mean to protest through living? In 2020 there was a growing cry for education and dismantling of systematic oppression to end racism in America. Conversations since the advocacy of civil rights have received disinterest, inaccessibility, and refusal to serve minority communities and support their legitimacy in society. So let’s dive into how the…