Crowned, 2021.

The role African American men have played throughout history has been one full of turbulence and pain. While it is undeniable that in the context of American history, African American men have played a leading role in shaping the present state the nation finds itself in, their experiences are rarely shared or portrayed in society. The exhibition, Crowned, seeks to draw attention to the experience of Black men in America throughout history, in the present, and what roles they could play in the future. As author Bell Hooks writes in her book, We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity, when “race and class enter the picture, along with patriarchy, then black males endure the worst impositions of gendered masculine patriarchal identity. Seen as animals, brutes, natural born rapists, and murderers, black men have had no real dramatic say when it comes to the way they are represented.” (Hooks x). Crowned seeks to provide the space for the experience of Black men throughout history to be shared with the audience in an authentic, unfiltered way that challenges preconceived notions about the role of African American men have played throughout history while also inviting the viewer to envision future roles.