This My Life. This My Art is a celebration of identity through the lens of AFROFUTURISM. Produced over 15 weeks of workshops, and launching with identifying idols and capturing similarities to one another, the group used material from photography sessions to then work through a progression of visual disciplines in search of expressing their optimal future self. The art and the conversations reflect individuality, societal perceptions, and the future outlook of each self and of each other.
Thank you FAISAL ABDU'ALLAH and the many other artists, educators, activists and funders who made this exhibit possible, including:
Rob "Rob Dz" Franklin
Amadou Kromah
Carlos Gacharna
David Gutkowski
Devon Hamilton
Maeve Leslie
Jonathan Byxbe
Carlee Latimer
Trent Miller
Glass Nickel Pizza
Buraka Ethiopian Cuisine
Dane County Neighborhood Intervention Program
Madison Public Library Foundation
UW Arts Institute
Madison Arts Commission
Leila & Mickey Straus Family Foundation
EPIC Software
Scooter Software
Public Exhibition
The public exhibition and celebration was held in the art gallery on 3rd Floor of Madison's Central Library. The art has a permanent home in the game room at the Dane County Neighborhood Intervention Program headquarters in Madison, WI. See more pictures of the event here. (Exhibition photos courtesy of Amadou Kromah.)
We Put In Work
PAINTING IDOLS with Faisal Abdu'Allah and Rob Dz in the Bubbler Room at Central Library to kick off the semester looking outward.
PHOTOGRAPHY with Amadou Kromah at Central Library to shift the focus inward.
SCREEN PRINTING with Faisal Abdu'Allah and his UW graduate assistants, Maeve Leslie and Jonathan Byxbe, in the print labs at UW Madison's Humanities Building.
PATTERN MAKING with Carlos Gacharna in the Bubbler Room at Central Library to discuss the diaspora of cultures around the world.
GRAFFITI with David Gutkowski in the Bubbler Room at Central Library to learn another form of timeless expression.
The Progression of Self-Image
This My Life. This My Art. is about the journey of finding one's self. The semester included several projects centered around the idea that everyone is a hero, with students using several art forms and technologies to express themselves.