Week 4

Exhibition by Danielle Scott

    The exhibition of Danielle Scott shows a powerful message behind her art. There were many stunning and powerful pieces, but when you truly looked into it and connected with her art you see a story behind it. Danielle Scott dedicated this art to social commentary and ancestral storytelling. With Danielle Scott driving a powerful message in her exhibit, it has caught my attention in some of her art pieces in her exhibit. Though there were lots of art pieces that had caught my attention and made my mind wonder, my attention was captured by the following two art pieces: Peter Thorough, 2022, and True Love Galennie, 2022. The following two art pieces have really captured my attention because of many reasons which I felt connected with and even with the materials that were included in her art piece.

    The first piece of the exhibition and wonderful piece was Peter Thorough, 2022. This piece was constructed with the following material of a mixed medium assemblage and resin on vintage ironing board, which shows a man. I feel like this art piece shows a man who I do think is named “Peter”. He seemed to be behind on some grass, she added flowers to brighten the art piece. As he looked serious in the picture it shows a tough man standing his ground. The newsletter behind him on top shows all the African Americans who were borned and free, also what they had worked at. Even if Danielle Scott makes it focus on one person, she mentioned other people behind the newsletter. The reason this art had captured me was because it reminded me of my grandpa who died. I was borned in a small town in the Dominican Republic and the man just standing on grass with different patterns, reminded me of my grandpa standing in his farm with crazy clothing on to make sure his farm is all taken care of. This man “Peter” shows he was watching out, shows a guardian and he reminds me of my grandpa because that’s how I think of him, as my guardian. The irony of Danielle Scott putting this man on an iron board; as my grandpa will help my grandma iron clothing while she will take care of the kids. It felt like Danielle Scott made this art to tell my grandpa's story, which drove her to show a powerful message with this art exhibit. “ I want viewers to get absorbed in the work and to feel it as I do. I want the work to be a perfect rendering of emotion and a spiritual tugging of the whole self”, Danielle Scott. This art piece definitely made me connect to her and absorbed her art, that I never thought I could do.

Peter Thorough, 2022 by Danielle Scott

    The following piece in the exhibition that I had really enjoyed and connected was True Love Galennie, 2022.The art was constructed out of mixed medium assemblage and resin. The piece depicts what looked like their home which seemed like a cottage, a working hard mother with her childrens with beautiful pattern clothing, surrounded with vintage old wood portraits. I noticed that the woman, which represents the mother figure, also represents the queen as the pattern behind her seems like an angelic crown. Although the dark green figure that they are standing on reminds me of dirt, it seems that this art is supposed to represent how this mother with her children used to live. This piece’s message is strong showing the viewers how these people lived. She did make it seem better by adding these clothing figure patterns to show a better illustration of the patterns most Africans used. I made a special connection since it reminded me of my grandma after my grandpa died. I made a connection where it showed how my grandma was all by herself living in a cottage that oddly represents the cottage my sister was raised in. It shows my grandma with her children, the bigger one representing my mother and her brothers. The wood gave me a chill connection as it reminded me of the little small wood house back home that my grandpa built before he died for my dog.

True Love Galennie, 2022 by Danielle Scott

    These art pieces are not just an expression of celebration of the freed African Americans and how they fought for equality, but a memorial even for me. As a Afro-Latina it really shows a history and reminds me how my ancestors worked so hard to succeed. Danielle Scott art pieces are like a memorial for those who had suffered and lost their lives due to the lack of care and equality given to them. I had really enjoyed her exhibition because of the attention and materials she had brought into her art and the commemorating the lives lost. Her art had created layered portraits such a powerful message that had inspired memories of these people she had chosen, but also for my ancestors who I truly loved and connected with.

Remembering the Soul of Rafael by Dattnan Martinez

The following image was inspired by Danielle Scott. As her art reminded me a lot of my grandpa, I decided to remember him with how he inspired others back home. The book "101 Essay that will change the way you think", is a resembled on how Danielle Scott made me change my thinking on art and how her sacrificed work shows a story and a meaning, which come to the other book "Ways of Seeing".