Depictions of the Black American can be seen across multiple media forms and can tell a multitude of different stories. These images can depict the social and political struggle, tokenism, and abuse of Black people. Not until recently have we been focusing on alternate and less traumatizing depictions through subjects such as Black excellence and Black joy. Another topic that has lacked representation is the Black childhood and familial ties in conjunction with Black joy. Rather than discussing how they ended up where they did, which is usually a tragic tale, why not discuss their development and growth through familial love?

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For my Senior exhibition entitled Sitting With Those You Love as if This Moment Will Last Forever,  I wanted to create an exhibition based on the love and growth of my family, both on my mom’s side, as she grew up in Michigan City, Indiana, and my dad’s side, as he grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. I was able to travel to Tallahassee in order to gather materials and listen to my relatives’ stories of what it was like growing up together in these cities. While I was unable to make it to Michigan City, I was still able to share stories and photos with family who grew up there. This exhibition is a multi-media installation consisting of three video projections, a large-scale textile piece, and two oil paintings. This installation is meant to be an immersive experience between the viewers and the work, placing them in an intimate setting which will allow them to gain a sense of home and familiarity through the space rather than acting as mere observers.