Creating Narratives through Art as Self-Definition for Black Women

The purpose of this study was to examine ways in which Black female artists have created narratives through art as self-definition. These artists have responded to stereotypical stories and images of Black women by creating self-defined stories and images. This study specifically focused on Faith Ringgold because she has combined narrative and visual art in story quilts that present Black women as empowered, multidimensional people. Her story quilt Who’s Afraid of Aunt Jemima reclaims the narrative of the stereotypical Black mammy character, Jemima. Ringgold depicts Jemima as a liberated, dynamic entrepreneur and family woman. In creating positive characterizations of Black women, Ringgold does not flatten her characters. They are rounded with all the complexities that come with being human. Themes of self-definition were further investigated through narrative inquiry of biographies of twenty-five notable Black women artists of the twentieth century. The artists are from a variety of time periods within the twentieth century and include painters, sculptors, collage artists, fabric artists, and photographers. Their biographies were thematically analyzed. Findings showed that about half of the artists clearly intended to express self-definition through their art in response to stereotypes of Black women. The overwhelming majority of this half were not only concerned with creating an image of self, but also with depicting Black women in general in a positive light, illustrating them as diverse, complex people

Contemporary Black Women Artists’ Narratives

The purpose of this study is to explore contemporary Black women visual artists’ experiences in the arts. Specific experiences studied include: finding support, balancing family responsibilities, and overcoming gender and race barriers. Though there are numerous articles on Black women’s artwork (e.g., Edwards, 2015; Murray, 2014; Wickham, 2015), there are few about their lived experiences, in their own words. To address this gap, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Black women visual artists from the southeast United States. Despite its focus on a particular group, the study speaks to diverse audiences about surmounting challenges in life and work. Two interviews have been conducted so far, and preliminary results show common themes. These themes include family support for art-making and family participation in art-making, mentorship and helpful connections with other Black professionals, strategic navigation around gender and race barriers, culture as an important theme in their work, and an integrated relationship between their academic professions and their artistic work. These results are clearly not conclusive nor generalizable, but may provide leads for future investigation. The results might also provide helpful information and guidance to emerging Black women artists. Both artists interviewed affirmed the importance of learning from more experienced artists, and this study can serve that end