CREATORS
EVERY MOMENT is a VIEW
Through his art, Richard Wilson bridges the gap between then and now
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by WYLIE CASH photography by MALLORY CASH
pend some time with visual artist Richard Wilson’s work, and you’ll quickly grasp the role historical connection plays in it. Take his Shadow Series, for example. In each painting, an African American boy or girl stands in the foreground, the background comprised of images of an African American trailblazer. In one piece, a girl in a leather bomber jacket blocks the sun from her eyes and stares toward the horizon as if searching for a sign of what’s to come; behind her is
an assemblage of newspaper stories and photographs of Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman to hold a pilot’s license. Another shows a young boy in oversized boxing gloves gazing up at a speed bag that’s just out of reach; behind him, a newspaper announces that Jack Johnson has defeated James Jeffries to become the 1910 heavyweight champion of the world, the first African American to win the title. Other luminaries such as Arthur Ashe, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, and Barack Obama are featured in the series, each a guiding light THe Art & Soul of Raleigh | 43
