Black Women in Art

Black Women in Art

Historically and currently African American women use art as a way to express themselves, their emotions and as an act of resistance. In this paper, I will discuss the various ways two very influential artists, Laurie Cooper and Lorna Simpson, use imagery to uncover and forefront the various forms of oppression that affect their lives as African American women. Since the late 1970s, African American art, as a form of self expression, explores issues which concern African peoples worldwide. During this time period, African American artists use symbols which represent the struggles, despair, hopes and dreams of a people striving to debunk prominent stereotypes and dismantle the intersecting oppressions of race, class and gender.

Despite the long history of African American art, many black artists in contemporary society still have a difficult time getting their art viewed or accepted by the masses. Society, in general, tends to look at African art as ethnic, trivial, simple, folk art, perhaps even collectable, but not worthy of true in-depth exploration of fine art accreditation. However, Laurie Cooper and Lorna Simpson disrupt these perceptions in their art.

Lorna Simpson, a photographer, was born in New York during the sixties. Still residing there today, she remains active in the art world. Simpson brings much attention to a cause near and dear to her, the "situation of black women in society." The ambiguity in her photographs allows the viewer to evaluate the meaning of her work and to draw their own conclusion with her spirit in mind. An excellent example of this is in her piece Counting(1991). The Albright-Knox Art Gallery helps interpret the piece:

Lorna Simpson's work, Counting, contains three images: a fragment of a woman's body, a small brick hut, and a group of braids. The figure is anonymous and wears a white shift, Simpson's preferred costume for her models. She likes the simplicity; she believes that it indicates what she terms "femaleness," without bringing up issues of fashion; and she also likes the fact that there are many possible interpretations for such an outfit. The times to the right of the figure might indicate work shifts, but the schedules are unrealistic if considered closely. Other possibilities for what they might mean are open to viewer interpretation.

The central image shows a smoke house in South Carolina that was also used as a slave hut. This adds a reference to the previous status of African-American women in this country, where slavery was first acknowledged about 310 years ago (as indicated by the number in the box to the left). It can be inferred that perhaps the number of bricks listed is the number of bricks used in the construction of the building.

Simpson first began putting hair in her work around 1990, and it can lead to many different interpretations. The only clue she provides to viewers is an accounting of the number of twists, braids, and locks. It has been suggested that the hair represents the age of an old woman, presumably one who has seen and experienced much in her lifetime.

The way Simpson challenges the viewer to think, her willingness to be provocative, confrontational and intelligent are a few things which enable her to stand out as a leader of African American female artists.

Laurie Cooper is another outstanding black female artist. She challenges the shame and embarrassment society has taught her to feel for being a woman of color by shedding that ideology both figuratively and literally within her work. Laurie Cooper is at the front line of Pennsylvania's art community raising society's awareness regarding issues of racism and self liberation.

In Cooper's series, Facing Reality, she features two prints. One of a black woman with a look of agony and shame on her face and a white mask crumbling off and conversely, in the second print, it is a man, wearing a face of anger and contempt and is seen removing his mask intentionally. These two prints illustrate a very interesting dichotomy. The man removes his mask with power and intent, the woman is ashamed and afraid to have hers falling off. This truly exemplifies the ongoing struggle of equality not simply between white men and black women, but between black men and black women, which highlights the need to address sexism in the African American community. The uncertainty the female shows on her face in Facing Reality (the woman) is an excellent reflection of the compounding oppressions of race, class and gender. If she becomes free of the mask, she will be left exposed. However, this is just a small part and only the beginning of personal liberation. In "Words of Fire" Audre Lorde explains, "For as long as any difference between