Hubbub #7 - BLM Social Justice Art Project

Although not being designated directly as a CityStudio challenge-based class, the Black Lives Matter Social Justice Art project has been coordinated by the UFV’s Centre for Experiential and Career Education in collaboration with a group of Faculty. The initiative transcended the semester based CityStudio framework and over the span of two semesters evolved into creating a multi-canvas traveling art exhibit. The exhibit is supported by a number of dedicated community partners and donors in the local business community and among the NGOs, as well as within UFV. The project’s theme reflects the students’ and community’s grassroots support for the Black Lives Matter social justice movement globally. It also demonstrates university’s growing commitment to the principles of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and implementing those principles in curriculum and professional development, and community outreach.

The informal community advisory board established in support of the vision conducted the call to artists from the BIPOC communities. This culminated in the four aspiring local artists coming together, most of them UFV students. The creative team is comprised of Michelle Msami, Dona Park, Rain Neeposh, and Faria Firoz. The four artists are working closely with the Cultural Mentor Desiree Dawson, a Canadian performing artist and public figure with roots in the Fraser Valley, and UFV’s own Shelley Stefan, the Visual Arts professor at the School of Creative Arts (SoCA).

The exhibit is expected to launch in Summer 2021 and rotate between UFV campuses and businesses in the historic downtown Abbotsford until summer 2022 to reach wider audience. The goal of the Black Lives Metter Social Justice Art project is to amplify a critically important social justice message, Black Lives Matter, through artistic means, inspire greater inclusivity and dialogue, and help bring positive social change in the community.

The project includes community outreach and educational events. In March 2021, Desiree Dawson and Shelley Stefan delivered an inspirational talk in Dr. Cherie Enns’ GEOG 241 class, and her GEOG 464 students this Summer will be involved hands-on in planning the live launch of the exhibit as well as its online version.

"My artwork is a conglomerate of flags from the depths of Africa to the Caribbean. The Black Lives Matter movement is not something that started last year; this has been an ongoing battle since the dawn of time. Since colonizers promised us a fruitful afterlife for suffering at their hands.

My work is our identity. It is black history and black culture. Living in this dystopia we call home, fighting for justice, fighting for the right to live. Fighting for the right to leave our homes without the sound of death calling our name.

My artwork is a reflection. I know every black person can identify their roots here. I know that they can feel a sense of belonging when the world is fighting for them to feel alien. I know my work will bring us together because united we stand and divided, we fall."

Michelle Msami, is a UFV student and an Abbotsford-based artist. Born and raised in Botswana, Africa, she completed her GCSE in 2016, and then went on to graduate from the International Baccalaureate diploma program at Westwood International School in 2018. While at Westwood, Michelle explored conceptual art, shaping her as an artist in how and what she uses to make art. Her works and sketches are an exploration of the shadow selves. Using acrylic paint, she incorporates collage and layers of oil paint, glitter, and graphite. She likes to explore multiple ways of making art look real, from short and quick strokes to well-blended hues, shadows, and highlights. She does not research or plan her works often, but appreciates the spontaneous flooding of ideas that come to her. While creating, she likes to remove herself from art, so only the art exists. When she dissociates, she becomes a tool for art to create itself. It feels like she is collecting the emotions and the messages from the outside, with no biases.

"Your skin is your identity and not a crime! No one should have to endure injustice based on the color of their skin. Therefore, for the Black Lives Matter Social Justice Art project, I wanted to portray police brutality and its devastating impact. Thus, I plan on painting a portrait of a black women who looks directly at the viewers with blazing eyes. The figure stands strong in a powerful position, adorned in a traditional gown, with her hands clenched into a fist. Her blazing eyes that are fueled by rage, confronts its viewers by enraging, encouraging and inspiring them to join in this fight against police brutality and racial injustice.

The intent behind this painting is to depict the strength of the black community and how they have held a strong front in this unjust white supremacist society. The target for this painting is to get more people to join this battle for social justice and to spark a conversation that would eventually instigate a change."

- Faria Firoz

"On the last stretch of this project, all that's left is details and rendering. It's been calming to work on this late into the night. I only recently started working on the Panther's face and it's hard not to get excited as more and more paint goes down.

I'm hoping this painting gives a visceral reaction to the viewer when they see it. My theme is "We protect us" and I'm trying to balance strength and helplessness in the panther's body language and expression.

State violence robs us all of our agency, confidence, and security. My painting puts the viewer in the shoes of the state and hopes to help foster empathy with the subjects as well as recognition of the inherently violent/antagonistic position the state holds."

- Rain Neeposh

Rain Neeposh(External link) is a two-spirit, Cree artist. His family moved from the Eeyou Istchee, to Secwepemcúl’ecw where he was raised as a member of the Williams Lake First Nation surrounded by wild animals and boreal forest. He comes from a family of Indigenous artisans, and the bead-working he learned from his grandmother is how he celebrates and continues that legacy. He is bringing that traditional knowledge to his paintings.

"When I saw the opportunity to create art to support the BLM movement, I wanted to embrace the idea of tenderness and beauty of the black figures and individuals: the tenderness between a mother and child, in the wake of the night. I wanted to create a pocket of respite in the face of injustice; there is always agency and beauty in marginalized communities, as well as strength that comes from the gentleness of unbreakable relationships. I’ve added the stanzas ´When night comes on gently / Dark like me- / That is my dream!´ which is from Langston Hughes´ poem “Dream Variations.” The poem serves as a theme on how the dark and the nighttime are beautiful, I see it as a direct contrast to what we are socially acclimated to: white is beautiful, pure, and sacred. The small tutti floating around the painting is a reference to Eartha Kitt singing “Black Little Angels” where she questions, “When I walk into a church, I only see paintings of white angels. Why?” The lyrics are by a Venezuelan poet, Andrés Eloy Blanco, and is an anthem against racial discrimination.

As I painted, I couldn’t help but wonder, where is restorative justice in our legal and governing structures? Whether it is George Floyd or Breonna Taylor, these individuals do not exist to provide a defense. We cannot fool ourselves into thinking that justice has been served. BIPOC individuals cannot organize and protest amidst their own trauma; it is time for white communities and allies to take ownership of their complacency and privilege, and rip out the rooted sin of slavery that perverts our current society. In the context of the longstanding BLM movement, I hope that I can honor the black community with this painting."

- Dona Park

Dona Park

Dona Park(External link) is an artist and graphic designer living in Abbotsford, BC. Born in South Korea, she grew up living in between Canada and the United States and working internationally. Park also works intensively on art for peacebuilding initiatives in Cambodia as a Creative Peacebuilding advisor. She pulls artistic inspiration from personal and cross-cultural experiences, particularly from interactions with nature and women from all over the world. Most of her illustrations capture a magical element and strength of youth, women, and nature from everyday moments to envisioning hope for humanity. Whether it is heartbreak, unexpected periods, or self-evaluation of our stretch marks, Park enjoys exploring her own effervescent and ephemeral youth and adulthood.

Black Lives Matter

As Martin Luther King said: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. We all need to unite in order to fight against injustice in our society. Every little effort counts towards saving humanity. Black Lives Matter Art project is making an effort to spread awareness on Black Lives Matter message.

All four artists are painting their emotions on canvas to present this message to the world. The April 2021 CityStudio HUBBUB is featuring every artist's artwork and the live exhibit launch is planned for June 2021.

Right from the beginning, I could see every person involved in this project had dedication and emotions to contribute their part to this social movement. The artists played the main role of representing these feelings and were given full support and freedom to express their ideas and aspirations through their art. All the mentors played an important role of supporting and inspiring these artists. These are the vital milestones of this Social Justice Art project.