June 2014 News

Art by Amy Bryan © Amy Bryan 2014, www.amybryan.net, Clockwise starting in top left: Frances Gaudet (Color), Frances Gaudet 2, Frances Gaudet 1, Frances Gaudet (Color) repeated, Black Women Writers Collage, Phillis Wheatley with Pastels

Yesterday, June 19th, was the anniversary of Juneteenth, a day that commemorated the emancipation of Blacks from slavery in the United States.  Although President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in all states in rebellion against the Union army in 1863, due to complications, slaves in Texas did not find out they were free until June 19, 1865. Festivities and celebrations became a tradition that lessened in the twentieth century and the celebrations are being revitalized in recent years.
 
Two years ago in June 2012 I participated in Juneteenth Culture Festival in downtown, Montgomery, Alabama and learned a valuable lesson as an artist.  I had just completed a four month long entrepreneurship training session with the New Orleans branch of Operation Hope, a community empowerment organization, and I was enrolled in their sixth week sales training class at the time.  My intention was to make my art practice into a business without compromising my values as an artist.
 
I brought all hand-printed polyester plate lithographs that I had done five years before to the Montgomery Juneteenth festival.  They were done on a delicate, but strong archival Japanese paper and some had hand coloring. The prints I had were of Ida B. Wells, Phillis Wheatley, Alice Walker, and a Black Women Writers collage.  At the time I assumed that everyone would appreciate the difference between hand-pulled prints and posters. This was one of several occasions that I discovered this was not always true.  I also learned that everybody did not know who many of the Black writers were, including Phillis Wheatley, but many people wanted and needed to know who they were.
 
For example, there was a woman who wanted to buy the "Black Women Writers" print, but it was not in her price range.  Also, she wanted it as a larger image on canvas.  She wanted it as a reminder of Black women writers since she was a writer herself.  I wanted to give her the image she wanted, but I was originally someone who disliked art reproductions.  Although hand-printed lithographs (and other hand-printed prints) are done in editions or are multiples, they are not considered to be reproductions like posters. I was torn between having the satisfaction of spreading the word about these historical figures and doing what I thought was staying true to my art form.
 
It took me until now, two years later, to become comfortable with a new plan.  I decided I will have something for people who want original art and limited editions as well as open editions for certain pieces to reach people who just want to have the image.  I tried this out last Saturday at my church festival, where I brought posters of the prints shown above.  Then, in a separate event that evening evening I participated in a group show with the Second Story Co-op Gallery, where I showed small limited editions of digital art.  These two events reflected the two different sides of the spectrum, posters vs. original art and small limited editions.
 
I am learning to expand my view of art and what art means to different people.  What does art mean to you?
 

Group Exhibit at Second Story Co-op Gallery on June 14, 2014

Group Exhibit at Second Story Co-op Gallery on June 14, 2014

Festival at church on June 14, 2014