Si Micari-Lawless, one of our EAC Interns, writes about Migrations in Black and White 2.0, displayed in our First Floor Gallery from August 10 - September 8, 2024:
The EAC’s current first floor gallery exhibition, Migrations in Black and White 2.0, is a striking exhibit to take in. Works are limited to black-and-white, with no gray tones or color. However, despite this significant limitation on the works included, the exhibit is richly varied, including a wide array of media, disciplines, subjects, and styles. Although the exhibit is limited to black and white artworks, curator Makeba Kebem DuBose describes the exhibition as emphasizing “the essence of freedom,” in all its complexity.
According to DuBose, this iteration of Migrations in Black and White “rethinks the inaugural exhibition, which drew inspiration from the Great Migration and addressed the lack of visibility for South Side Chicago-based Black artists in the city's northern stretch.”
Walking around the space, I began to comprehend DuBose’s description of the exhibition as focusing on freedom. Not freedom in the traditional sense, but a kind of freedom that arises within strict boundaries. Each artist elevated their simple two-tone palette into something unique: by limiting the variable of color, works reach a new height of artistic freedom in terms of texture, media, shape, and form. Some works are strikingly graphic, while others feel soft, gentle, and personal. While DuBose limited her artists in one sense, she encouraged artists to experiment elsewhere.
In her curator’s statement, DuBose writes, “I was drawn to and compelled to acknowledge artists who insisted on their right to freedom of expression or interpretation of the theme.” The two featured artists of the exhibition, Cheryl R. Riley and Tracie D. Hall, exemplify this search for artistic freedom within the boundaries of the theme. Hall’s piece, “Good Hair,” is a freestanding sculpture/fiber art piece of a chair completely wrapped in hair and textiles of varying textures and shades. The piece reflects “upon the belief that hair contains and transports energy and serves as a conduit for intimacy and the passing of cultural memories.” Riley’s piece similarly incorporates unique media. Her contribution is a multi-media installation that consists in part of wall art of piano keys printed with songs of black pride, liberation, and freedom. Accompanying Riley’s installation at the exhibition’s opening were Robert Irving III and Senabella Gile, performing the songs printed on the wall. Limited in color but not in media, these artists found freedom in sound and texture to produce meaningful and striking artworks.
As a viewer, the idea of a sort of freedom found uniquely within strict boundaries struck me. This limitation on the show acts as a metaphor, in a way, for the freedom we may find in our own lives when faced with limited or undesirable circumstances.
View Migrations in Black and White 2.0 from August 10 until September 8, 2024, in the Evanston Art Center’s first floor gallery.