Voices of the Diaspora: The Artisans Behind the Canvas

Ronald Young is an American assemblage artist. He collects objects from his surroundings such as doors, broken tools, rusty metals, and bricks for his assemblages. He references Nkisi n Kondi, sculptures, power objects, and masks from African diasporic contexts. Young is not only creating a link from an African past to an American present, but his use of the materials is an attempt to document histories of vacancy and displacement in Saint Louis. In his work, doors function as a metaphor for access and opportunity. Young received his MFA from the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, Washington University in St. Louis in 2019. He also received his MA in Media Communications from Webster University in 1989 and his BA in Art Education K-12 from Clark/Atlanta University in 1980. 

Rosana Paulino (1967- ) is a Brazilian multidisciplinary artist and curator. A major theme in her work is the position of Black women in Brazilian society. She works with drawing, embroidery, engraving, printmaking, collage, and sculpture. Pulling from archetypes, memory, familial legacies, and histories she delves into the memories of those who still suffer from legacies of racism.  Paulino received a bachelor's degree and a doctorate in Fine Arts from Escola de Comunicações e Artes da Universidade de São Paulo in 1995 and 2011 respectively. 

Rotimi Fani-Kayode (1955-1989) was a Nigerian-British photographer. His work heavily featured themes of race, gender, religion, and sexuality. Fani-Kayode saw himself as a "triple outsider" via his nationality, race, and sexuality. Much of his work incorporates Yoruba imagery alongside European elements, complicating the idea of the Black body in the Western imagination. His work communicates a queer African perspective. The complex photographs explore desire, eroticism, and asserting one's place in the world.  Fani-Kayode received his MFA in Fine Arts & Photography at the Pratt Institute, in Brooklyn, NY in 1983. He received his BA in Fine Arts and Economics from Georgetown University, Washington DC. 

Roy DeCarava (1919-2009) was an American photographer active during the Harlem Renaissance. He started his path as a photographer in the late 1940s, after working in painting and making prints for the posters division of the Works Progress Administration. Originally, DeCarava sought to use photography as a study for his paintings but soon fell in love with the medium itself. He sought to develop photography as a fine art form, outside of its potential social documentarian function. His oeuvre shows everyday life in Harlem strikingly and dramatically with moody lighting and contrasting tones.  DeCarava received his degree from The Cooper Union School of Art in 1940. He studied painting, architecture, and sculpture while there.   

Ruby Pearl Washington (1952-2018) was an American photojournalist. She was the first Black woman to become a staff photographer at The New York Times.

Sable Elyse Smith (1986- ) is an American interdisciplinary artist, writer, and educator. Her work highlights the ways that our culture overlooks violence, particularly carceral violence. For example, the prison visiting room is a place of interest for Smith. The violence of the police state has private and public implications, harming on a micro and macro scale.  She also explores the limits of the written word and the difficulties in communicating trauma.  Smith holds a BA in studio art and film from Oglethorpe  [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oglethorpe_University]University and an MFA in Design & Technology from the Parsons New School for Design

Sadie Barnette (1984- ) is an American artist who works primarily with drawing, photography, and installation. Much of her work traces familial history and its mirror to largely American histories. This is evident in her project around her father's experience being survived by the FBI due to his involvement in the Black Panther Party. For Barnette history is something to be activated through research and the archives, illuminating oppressive legacies practiced in the United States.  Barnette received her BFA from the California Institute of the Arts in 2006 and her MFA from the University of California, San Diego in 2012.

Sam Gilliam (1933-2022) was an American Postwar artist celebrated for his techniques in Color Field painting. One of his most recognizable innovations was his Drape sculpture paintings. These were works that existed beyond the boundaries of a canvas. This gave each work its own unique life and body. His dynamic and experimental approach to color and form has solidified his place as a pivotal figure in the evolution of contemporary art.  Gilliam received both his bachelor's and master's in painting from the University of Louisville in 1955 and in 1961 respectively. 

Samuel Fosso (1962- ) is a Cameroonian-born Nigerian photographer who works primarily in the Central African Republic. Fosso picked up photography as a young man, starting his studio at 13. Eventually, he turned the camera on himself and began the self-portraiture practice for which he is best known.  These early works highlight Fosso's interest in presentation and play. As his practice developed, he explored a growing interest in power and Black visual sovereignty and its manifestations via photography.