TO INHERIT THE EARTH: RACE, RELIGION, AND RESISTANCE
Taurean Webb, Curator
MARCH 3, 2022 and sponsored by Harvard University's Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative, this exhibition aims to capture the spirit of culture and freedom-making in moments when they transcend the boundaries of the group, nation, religious affiliation, or class, bringing us closer to the possibilities present in global solidarity work (or joint struggle/s). There is a rich history of collective liberation efforts between African- and Arab- descended communities in the US and elsewhere worldwide, all fighting similar issues of xenophobia, racism, gender-based injustices, and other similar social problems. For this reason, the following installation centralizes the works and lived experiences of US-based artists who self-identify as either Palestinian/ Palestinian-American and African American, working in painting, sketch, and/or photography.
The Ye Shall Inherit The Earth juried exhibition welcomed submissions from visual artists, working specifically in painting, sketch, and/or photography, self-identifying as US-based members of the Palestinian or African diasporas. As a result, a modest number of visual artists/ works (along with one or two-word artists) were selected for inclusion in the exhibition, which will begin at Harvard University, then travel to a few additional locations across the country.
The guiding theme artwork represents the range of ways in which ordinary, everyday, mundane human experience nevertheless reflects the divine—i.e., the beauty of humanity / the beauty of creation / the wonder of religious expression / the strength of culture and/or the spirit of liberation.
However, within this theme, artists were free to take creative license in submitting whichever work(s) from their existing collections made the most sense. Therefore, submissions grounded in any genre or artistic tradition are were welcomed.
The exhibition will also include a short video montage featuring the selected artists talking briefly about their included work. The montage will be on display with the collection at its different venues.
Preamble
As you might recall, from the initial concept note that I shared (attached here, for your convenience), the ethos of this exhibition is to open up a conversation about this "dance" between humanity and humanity's reflection of 'the sacred.' In other words, the show seeks to imagine humanity itself—and therefore culture, tradition, etc., and other human pursuits—as a type of sacred text. This is within a moment, of course, that very much values bodies, especially bodies of color, as the opposite of sacred (and honorable, dignified, beautiful, etc.). Each of you, as documentarians of culture, produce works that our selection committee views as participating within this stream.
Also, we have been intentional about centering artists and works that come out of the African Diasporic and Palestinian exilic migrations and traditions. These are two ethnic traditions that are central to my own creative work; and they are traditions that have robust histories of dignity, honor, and resilience amidst the racial and ethnic terror.
From these interviews, we hope to both gain a sense of your individual commitments, as artists, and signal how disparate artists can come together to comment on something collectively: dignity, humanity, and the sacred/ transcendent stories told through our work. To a degree, we will be weaving stories together; footage will be rolled into a trailer and short film at the conclusion of the project.
Q & A
1. At university, I teach in race and religion. Part of what that means I'm interested in is how "sacred texts," across many traditions, chronicle communities' understandings of themselves in relation to culture, the sacred, ideas like 'good' and 'evil' etc. This show imagines artistic production as a similar type of chronicling. How do you imagine your own work as chronicling, or 'marking time,' or "preserving the record," or giving an account of the moment or experience that you are trying to capture?
2. When you think about your work, do you think about the larger racial or ethnic, or cultural story that you hope to tell? Or is that not much of a motivation for you?
3. When I look at your work—and I think about what stood out to me, as I brought different artists to the selection committee—I think about this idea of 'dignity.' You seemed to be representing figures and/or scenes that exude this sense of dignity. Is that an idea that you consider important in your work? That these aren't just random subjects, but they're subjects with dignity, honor, or inherent value.
4. When I was piecing together the vision for this show, I wanted to be intentional about centering the human form—portraiture—because I believe that portraiture captures something about the nature of humanity, culture, history, and the sacred, in ways that other art forms simply cannot. Reflect with me on this: why is it that you represent people—humanity—in the ways that you do?
5. We sometimes hear that creative expression helps folks imagine worlds otherwise. Or, it helps folks imagine possibilities of other sorts of realities, other sorts of futures. What type of imagination do you hope that your work inspires in other folks? What does your work inspire in you?
6. How do you come into your inspirations (the inspirations for your work) and how, as a creative, do you make them "come to life"?
7. Who are the communities to whom you or your work are answerable? Who are the communities to whom you are beholden…and how do you hope your work honors that?
8. What are you most excited about regarding this show?
9. Is there anything else that you need us to know about your work or how you want it to live in the world