The Bubbler at Madison Public Library welcomes community members to experience a new group art show opening titled “I AM A Man: The Re-humanization of Black Men” at Goodman South Madison Library starting on Monday, Nov. 18.
“I AM A Man: The Re-humanization of Black Men” exhibition is curated by painter and mixed media artist Sharon Bjyrd, and will feature work from five additional visual artists, including:
- Illustrator and painter Jerry Jordan
- Painter and activist DaRen Morris
- Watercolor painter Alice Traore
- Painter and muralist The Artist
- Studio artist and pottery instructor Shandra Bjyrd
“This is a celebration of their strength, their resilience, and their joy—a tribute to the men who came before and those who are shaping our future,” said Sharon Bjyrd in a statement. “This is for the Black men in my life and all those who deserve to be seen and honored for who they are: fully human, fully worthy.”
The exhibit draws from the iconic “I AM A Man” slogan, which emerged during the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike during the Civil Rights Movement – a protest against the dangerous and degrading conditions Black workers endured. While much of Bjyrd’s art practice to date has centered on the beauty and dignity of Black women, a visit to the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial at the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis shifted her perspective.
The Bubbler at Madison Public Library put out a call for exhibitions in January 2024, and received more than 65 responses. The exhibition will run from Nov. 18 – Feb. 28, and will include three events, where attendees will be invited to engage with the themes of the work in intentional ways.
For more information about “I AM A Man: The Re-humanization of Black Men,” click here.
