BLACK HAIR PRIDE by Angelique Scott

automatically touch my hair as if it weren’t an extended part of my body; they were not invited nor did they ask but always seemed to exert the privilege of doing so. I was inspired by the different hair styles I have worn throughout my life. From braided pigtails when I was a little girl, to faux locs, to an Afro; no matter the hairstyle it still managed to prompt others to touch me uninvited. Broken HIStories was created to blend both the present day American flag with the Battle flag of the Confederacyandshatterthemsimultaneously.Bothflagshave complexHIStoriesthatoftendonotincludetheprominenceof the African-American contributions to the war, or the country. Her Story was created to symbolize the freedom and peace

Black Hair Pride by Angelique Scott

(symbolized through the cowrie shells) the black woman in America seldom experience. From being constrained in the workplace to being stigmatized for their body image in a way that it is demeaning and overly-sexualized, money and gold are held above all else. The black woman is considered the world’s most disrespected and unprotected race and gender, so I choose to have gold in the background. Her Story is was inspired by not only black women, but Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me and trying to live free within your own body. Out of all the art pieces you submitted, did you have a particular favorite?

The Proper Content and Black Hair Pride are equally my favorite works of art. Black Hair Pride was the first piece I assembled of that size and I was so thrilled to see the piece come to life. The Proper Content symbolizes so much information and I love everything that the piece fights for. A good number of your art pieces discuss hair, particularly African-American hair. Why is that an important issue for you?

Hair is very important to me for many reasons. One being, it is a direct connection of DNA and history, and holds cultural and social traditions. Hair is also a statement. The world interpretsmanythingsaboutapersonsimplybytheirhairstyle. Black hair specifically is something that I incorporate into my work often because it is something I value and has direct connections to the lineage and history of African-Americans. Why did you decide to present the issues that are important to you through sculptures and physical three dimensional art?

Iusemyartworkasawayforpeopletoengageinadialogue about a sensitive, difficult or controversial topic. Being the only black person, and black woman in most of my art classes, not many people create artwork about race in the same way that my work demands the attention of the audience.

Overtly, no. I have never had any be directly racist towards me but I have experienced countless micro-aggression, and experienced subtle or subconscious racism. I have experienced this in school, work, the community, and I have even internalized stereotypes that I must unlearn. I must relearn a lot of what has been told to me throughout life. With all of the issues about race surround America right now, do you have hope that racism can still be overcome?

Racism is derived out of ignorance, and ignorance stems from a lack of education. Until the people are educated with honesty and nothing is withheld, there will always be racism. This country was built on racism and genocide, until we can have open conversations in all areas and aspects about the war againstblackbodies,wecanneverhavefreedomfrompolitical and social constructs such as racism.

What can students do to fight against discrimination, bigotry and racism?

Ibelievethatculturalorblackorganizationsoncampussuch at BASE, BSU or NAACP, or even the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs are a great place to start to learn about people, learn about the problems people face, and discuss them. Do you have any other art pieces or projects that you are currently working on that discusses or presents a topical issue?

Yes, I am currently working on a few pieces. One is a figurine of Lady Justice that talks about the biased judicial system in America. Another is a pop-color hair piece based off of 90s fashion, a statuette dedicated to my father focusing on black men and black fathers, and other fibers based artwork that will also talk about the 13th amendment and those who fought for/and against it. Most, if not all of my work centers around social or political topics.