Down the Rabbit Hole

The National Women in the Arts Museum

Built in , 1908 as a Masonic Temple, the structure is stoic and industrial. Her interior was romantic and regal. The opulent curved staircases, soft pink and blush textured walls accented by crystal chandeliers occupied the space once restricted to women. My strategy was to view works by the formidable Frida Khalo and anything along the way.

I toured the 19^th Century Spanish collection, which oddly enough featured many female portraits by self-taught artists like Frida. As a budding artist, I recognize the hard simple pencil strokes, and exaggerated lines of feeling your way around a blank canvas. The whimsical simplicity leaves room for the viewer’s imagination. I enjoy the time travel of period portraits. Imagining the elaborate preparation of daily dressing (of the wealthy.) The constricting corsets, the heavy layers, the itchy wigs the lead make up…

Ascending on “Tatter Bristle and Mend “by Sonya Clark a mixed media artist using simple tools to illustrate history and culture.

“This is hair from my head making this hand holding my mother’s hair–at the time she had black and white hairs, gray hair–plucking the white hair to make this little pearl. It’s not only my hand holding hers, but in our shared DNA, it’s all of our mothers holding all of our mothers and all of our fathers holding all of our fathers.” Sonya Clark

SonyaClark Pearl of Mother, 2006; Hair and wood, 1 x 3 x 3 in.; On loan from the artist; © Sonya … O BY TAYLOR DABNEY

Determined to stay on schedule, I did a quick lap, scanning the works created from clumps of Afro textured hair. Collateral damage of caring for natural hair.

I’m reminded of a sound byte, from a famous black actress “I started wearing wigs, (while onset) after overhearing a stylist say afro textured hair reminded her of pubic hair”.

Socially traumatic events like this that have inspired women to revive their relationship with our natural beauty and hair. My own hair has always been a big?

Image Retrieved from: https://nmwa.org/exhibitions/sonya-clark-tatter-bristle-and-mend/

Madame C.J. Walker created hundreds of simple black combs.