More than skin deep

Art show asks what it means to be black in 2014

The same day as Tulsans boarded bicycles to tour streets haunted by the Tulsa Race Riot 93 years plus a day earlier, artist and organizer of the show NOIR, Nathan Lee, arrived from central Oklahoma at a bright corner of the Greenwood District, at Living Arts of Tulsa. He was unloading art work for the exhibit which opened on June’s First Friday art crawl.

“What I’m hoping NOIR is, is a new starting point,” said Lee in a phone call. “I’m not a politician or social activist or anything. I just want people, particularly black/African American people, to begin to examine who we are right now, who we are in the context of this moment.” 

Lee invited 13 black artists to participate alongside him in the show, designed to dissect notions of racial identity.

Lee said the Greenwood location for the show was a strategic albeit emotional choice. “But I feel it’s important we look at it now so we can start moving forward—a starting point that isn’t steeped in anger, isn’t steeped in guilt, that is steeped in a history that I am sure most of us would have rather not have happened,” said Lee.

On a sunny day, with Brookside traffic as background noise, I sat down with one of the participating artists, Chris Sker. Sker has worked in graffiti and murals in the past. He said his works are based in abstract expressionism using aerosol, calligraphy, and strong line work. “I paint energy and emotion,” he said. He described his large-scale calligraphy piece, “True Love”: “It’s about love of yourself because that is the truest form of love. Racial identity is a constantly changing thing. So, I looked at True Love as an expression of your self-identity.”

Sker describes himself as bi-racial. “When I grew up, if you’re not white, you’re black,” he said. “Now, the people who don’t like Obama use the bi-racial aspect as an insult almost, like he is not really black.”

But regarding being black or white, he said, Sker doesn’t think too much about it. “I am who I am,” he said.

Lee mentioned painter and sculptor Samia Dempsey. She created an approach to African American identity which he never considered. Lee said Dempsey originates from Lebanon and looks white, but she identifies as black due to her once-close proximity—a few hundred miles—to the continent. “Her struggles were very similar to the African American who was brought here. She is from a whole different perspective. She is from across the world, yet she had experienced similar things because she is from a particular ethnic group,” said Lee. “Is she black? Is she white? Does it matter? How broad is being African American?” Lee chose to include her in the NOIR show. 

“The Hand That We Are Dealt” is the title of Lee’s artwork he made in collaboration with poet Melanie E. Bratcher, Ph.D. “A lot of times we have to play a card…sometimes, people play a race card,” Lee said. He said the mixed-media piece with lines of verse weaved within examines the concept of using race to aid in one’s defense and questions whether or not society is moving towards a moment when race needs not apply.

The conversations Lee said he is most eager to generate with NOIR include healing from a painful past in the Greenwood District.

NOIR runs through June 26 at Living Arts, 307 E. M.B. Brady Street.

ART HAPPENINGS

MONET AND THE SEINE // A rare opportunity to see the work of one of the fathers of Impressionism in Tulsa. The exhibit features his works of the Seine River, a place the artist spent much time throughout his life // 6/29-9/21; Philbrook Museum of Art; 2727 S. Rockford; 918-749-7941

EXPERIENCE TULSA: ART AND CULTURE ALL AROUND TOWN // A chance to see the history of several Tulsa cultural and art organizations // through 7/11; Tulsa Performing Arts Center Gallery; 110 E. 2nd; 918-596-7122

MOREcolor // This show has been a Tulsa staple since the 1980s. This year, around 60 visual and performing artists will feature their works of various mediums. All entries are selected by a regional jury // Starts 6/19; Dennis R. Neill Equality Center; 621 E. 4th; 918-743-4297

PLEIN AIR INVITATIONAL // Artists from around the region will gather in Tulsa’s Brady District for several weeks to paint from the street. Each artist will display two chosen pieces in the Zarrow Center, all for sale // through 6/29; Henry Zarrow Center for Art and Education; 124 E. M.B. Brady Street; 918-631-4400