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Faculty Response:
Blog: Artists Transforming a Nation (February 2023) 

Art has the powerful capacity to illustrate narratives and individuals’ perspectives. The expressive nature of art has led artists to use their art as a form of activism and awareness to become influential voices within our communities. When used in this way, art becomes a tool used to encourage social change and inform society about social issues.

The Civil Rights and Black Power eras from the 1950s and 60s, regarded art as a tool for activism. Artists like Charles Henry Alston, David C. Driskell and Jacob Lawrence painted scenes of racism in America, bringing to light social injustices. Congressman John Lewis, when asked about the role of artists and artwork once said, “[these images] are a testament to the ability of a committed, determined people to transform a nation, even the most powerful nation on earth, and bring it more in line with the call for justice.” Through their work, artists captured, communicated, and illustrated a people’s movement. From photographs of the harsh realities of racism in America to mass-produced posters asking for systemic changes, these images played a pivotal role in shaping the understanding of the civil rights movement and inspiring citizens to action. 

Many artists took this opportunity to tell their story, their community’s story, and that of the Black experience in America. Artist David Hammons said it was his “…moral obligation as a black artist to try to graphically document what I feel socially.” The artists active in these movements were driven by a need to strengthen their role within society and to tell their stories utilizing their own aesthetics.

Despite oppression that often goes unrecognized, Black artists continue to create art that reflects their experiences in America today. Through paintings, spoken word, drawings, and photography, Black artists use their art to redefine perceived norms around concepts of Blackness. The GVSU Art Gallery celebrates and supports Black stories and Black voices throughout our collection and seeks to provide a space for these stories. 

Read the full blog here. 
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Current Location:
Kirkhof Center -> 1st Floor (KC)
Location Notes:
KC; 1st Floor; Lobby Across from Java City Coffee

Use Your Voice

Artwork
Identifier:
2022.1.5
Artist:
Rhiannan Sibbald
Credit:
GVSU Collection
Medium:
Latex on Particle Board
Date:
2020
Dimensions:
Artworks - Height: 4' Width: 8'
Note: 4ft x 8ft (one board)
Description:
One plywood panel with "Use Your Voice" in orange, pink, blue, purple and black.
Historical Context:
On May 30th, 2020, a peaceful protest in support of Black Lives Matter was held in downtown Grand Rapids in response to the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. Following the protest, a late night riot caused damage to vehicles and buildings. In the following days, the Grand Rapids community worked together to clean up the damage, including many businesses who had to cover up broken windows with plywood. Seeing the plywood as blank canvases, graffiti artist Guillermo Soleto reached out to Hannah Berry of Lions and Rabbits Center for the Arts who brought together local business owners and property managers to support the pivotal community artist project that became "Windows GR". An artist liaison group of Jasmine Bruce ('18), Leandro Lara, Adrian Butler and Kendall Redmon with Asia Horne ('13) of Free Alchemy Studio as the catalyst helped advocate for the amplification of local Black artists and artists of color to express themselves using the project as a platform. The art addresses systemic racism and injustice while cultivating messages of equality and freedom of speech directly from the creative perspectives of Grand Rapids artists. Since then, pieces from the project have been acquired by local institutions such as Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Aquinas College and now proudly at Grand Valley State University.

On her work artist Rhiannan Sibbald comments, "My work exists between the worlds of graphic design and illustration. I primarily create hand-drawn lettering, accompanied by colorful compositions that engage with the letterforms. Utilizing lettering as both a compositional and communicative asset allows viewers to receive messages in bold, unexpected ways.

This piece was quickly executed in the wake of local Black Lives Matter efforts through the Windows GR project. These windows, which had been broken during riots in downtown Grand Rapids, were boarded up and painted by dozens of artists sharing their message, many in relation to the BLM movement and the Black experience. My aim for this piece was to stand in solidarity with people of color and emphasize the importance of using words as a tool for
enacting change and justice."

Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus Term:
Contemporary Black Michigan Artists