Art exhibit honors activist James Baldwin, encourages others to stay socially engaged
BOSTON – Becoming more socially engaged can sometimes feel like a heavy task, but a local initiative is using art and the work of trailblazer, author and activist James Baldwin to inspire people.
It's all happening inside the exhibition at the Piano Craft Gallery in Boston.
The walls of the gallery are filled with pieces from nearly two dozen artists, including artwork from one of our very own at WBZ-TV, graphic designed Ron Wilhelmsen.
"There's something there that we need to grapple with that's larger than us. And so Baldwin gives us that opportunity with all of these artists and their expressions of it - to visit particular parts of what he said and feelings that were emoted and inspired by him," L'Merchie Frazier said.
Frazier is one of the artists participating in the exhibit called "Face It."
Pieces from her series entitled "Barricade" explore power, possession and survival in society.
"I chose the caution tape here, because it's in two languages at least. There's caution and there's cuidado and for me this speaks a lot to my community that is Black and Brown and how we have adopted the kind of cultural understanding of language but sometimes have to be duplicit in the way that we deal with the codes," Frazier said.
The exhibition, brought to life by Violence Transformed, is an initiative that began in 2006.
Frazier credits the process of this showcase all coming together, to what she describes as the exemplary work of Mary Harvey, the founder of Violence Transformed.
"We have to say thank you to Mary for this exhibit happening and for being in the continuum of her work," Frazer said graciously.
It uses the power of art to take on the issues of violence, trauma and crisis - and the potential solutions.
"When we think about Violence Transformed, we all know that we live in this climate of violence - so it's not one of us that haven't been touched by it in some way," Frazier said.
A truth that can be hard to come face-to-face with, just like many of the topics James Baldwin wrote about including (but not limited to) race, politics and sexuality.
Colgan Johnson, one of the curators, said he hopes the challenge encourages you to stop by.
"I hope they're able to gather the courage and resiliency to face whatever they need to. But we're also a time in life where we have to face some difficult truths. Whether it be with yourself, whether it be with global warming, whether it be our political landscape, whether it be artistic or education, but it's not always easy. So what I hope folks gather from the art and James is to live your authentic voice," Johnson told WBZ-TV.
Something Spoken Word Artist Amanda Shea said Baldwin helped her feel comfortable doing.
"His work still resonates today. It is very, very pivotal in what we see today. I think also my work, honestly, has been so much inspired by him and the vulnerability, the openness of love and what true love looks like for people through the guise of art," Shea said.
Although her contribution doesn't hang from the wall, she said she's honored to be a part of the showcase.
"I want you to feel something. I also want them to get an education. If you can learn something while you're here, that's the caveat, because then you can go and teach that to somebody else," Shea said.
And Frazier leaves us with this lingering thought.
"If they can entertain Aristotle, Plato, those kind of philosophers - why not look at James Baldwin as a philosopher of humanity?" Frazier said.
If you'd like to visit the exhibition, Face It will be at the Piano Craft Gallery through January 21.
