"My Soul Looks Back In Wonder, How I Got Over" @108 Contemporary
The works produced for this exhibition were birthed out of my research into the history of Greenwood and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. This months long process involved collecting and sifting through scattered scraps of whispered stories, blurred images and uncovered remnants for the purpose of creating art that weave together these various elements and bring awareness of the community’s history and present.
The illustrations from Opal’s Greenwood Oasis recapture the vitality of Greenwood’s storied past through the bright eyes of a Black girl riding her bicycle through the streets of her beloved community. The spirit of Opal’s story and the world she lives in, is conveyed in her observation that “In Greenwood, we have everything we need, and it might surprise you to know that everyone looks like me.”
The large collage paintings Beauty Shop Aria and Barber Shop ( Edge Up ) are a visual homage to the role of Black beauticians and barbers as traditional cultural institutions in Greenwood and the Black community as a whole. These large format mixed media works draw their graphic inspiration from street art, murals, wall tapestries, advertising and sacred narratives found in stained-glass church windows.
The composition of Hoop Dreams (The Hustle) is informed by chessboards, playing cards, flags, police mugshots, and iconic barbershop hairstyle posters as a vehicle for contemplating historic and contemporary issues regarding black male identity affecting Greenwood and communities of Black people throughout our country.
“My Soul Looks Back in Wonder How I Got Over” is an exhibition produced and presented in recognition of the 100-year commemoration and acknowledgment of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The curator and artist expresses his heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the Board of Directors and the wonderful staff at 108 Contemporary for the invitation to participate in the project.
This exhibition is made possible by VISION Tulsa, a grant program supported by the City of Tulsa and the Tulsa Arts Commission.
