A Milwaukee-based artist examines what healing looks like for Black and Brown communities with Anamarie Edwards’ “Homecoming” exhibit at the James Watrous Gallery.
The exhibit from Edwards is currently on display at the James Watrous Gallery in the Overture Center, 201 State St., until Jan. 11. “Homecoming” looks to create welcoming and joyful spaces for Black and Brown communities through works that examine Black history and womanhood.
“A lot of the things I make are very conceptual. The show that I have in Madison is all based on joy in building community off of these relatable things, whether it be joy as a tool or joy as an experience or joy as this really heavy thing that can be really hard sometimes,” Edwards said. “I wanted to express all of those things in just one overarching beautiful way.”
(Photo: Wisconsin Academy Sciences, Arts and Letters)
Edwards, who was born in Tennessee and raised in Alabama, moved to Milwaukee to attend the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. She decided on Milwaukee because of its affordability and the community she thought she could find there.
Her work on display is centered on shared aspects of community, such as music and womanhood.
One of her pieces on display, “Music History,” touches on her learning of some of the origins of rock and roll. It battles old narratives on music history like Elvis Presley being the major inspiration behind the genre and focuses on the legacy of artists like Chuck Berry, Rosetta Tharpe and Celia Cruz — who Edwards calls pioneers in the language of music.
“I wanted to not minimize the work and call it ‘Black history music’ or something like that,” Edwards said. I wanted it to feel very generic … I’m calling for people to ask questions, so it’s not very clear who the people are.”
At the gallery’s opening, Edwards fielded questions on who was being depicted in the painting. She believes that encouraging dialogue helps create a performance through viewers’ participation through the art.
Another work on the ceiling of the entrance of the gallery is a sculpture that consists of cut hair. The piece represents womanhood — and especially the experiences of Black women — in expressing themselves in professional environments.
“Most of the time, artists and people, in general, are put in these positions where we have to present ourselves in a very professional way. And for a lot of Black people, our natural hair is maybe not the case,” Edwards said.
The sculpture is made of hand-braided hair. Edwards, who has multiple sculptures centered on hair, found it fitting to work in a hair salon. The metal frame that holds the sculpture was donated by her very first hair client in Milwaukee.
Edwards’ “Homecoming” will be on display at the James Watrous Gallery until Jan. 11.
