For Black History Month, artist Sabrina Nelson鈥檚 exhibit honoring James Baldwin explores his legacy鈥攕howcasing art, activism and Baldwin鈥檚 profound influence on both personal and collective identities.
Sabrina Nelson has been a professional interdisciplinary artist for nearly four decades, and her work on civil rights activist James Baldwin has traveled just like the man himself often did, from Baldwin鈥檚 native Harlem, to California, the American University of Paris in France and now 茄子视频, current home of some of the pieces.
A lecturer and educator of听art听补苍诲听art history, she earned her BFA at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, in 1991, and has received several awards for her 鈥渁rtivism.鈥� After exhibiting听Frontline Prophet: James Baldwin听at Adelphi as a part of the Center for African, Black and Caribbean Studies鈥�听The Fire This Time: A James Baldwin Centennial Celebration, Nelson now has more accolades to add to her name.
For this听Black History Month听event, organized by Adelphi鈥檚 Center for African, Black and Caribbean Studies,听more than 50 students, faculty and other guests first visited the听Ruth S. Harley University Center Gallery, where Nelson鈥檚 work will continue to be displayed until February 28. Patrons joined the artist for a short lecture and Q&A session following the gallery walk.
Raising Awareness of James Baldwin
What began as a series of sketches developed into a lengthy project made of pieces whose mediums range from large sheets of paper to tapestries. Nelson emphasized how Baldwin is an underrepresented individual in the public discourse about the civil rights movement of the 1960s, noting that not many high school students know about his legacy. As she drew him more, Nelson felt a deeper connection to Baldwin, saying, 鈥淗e chose me.鈥�
鈥淚 feel that there鈥檚 a part of Baldwin that teaches us to be authentically truthful to who we are first, and then we can go into the world,鈥� Nelson said. 鈥淎nd we can鈥檛 love ourselves without acknowledging where we come from and that we鈥檙e all a part of this鈥oving ourselves deeply first is a gateway to learning how to love each other. That is a huge lesson that I got from Baldwin as I drew his face and listened to his words.鈥�
A self-described optimist, Nelson hopes this event isn鈥檛 the last that her audience will learn about Baldwin鈥攕he hopes they鈥檒l do further research to understand the man as much as she has come to do. The Giovanni鈥檚 Room author has helped Nelson when working, as she said that writing out Baldwin鈥檚 words inspired her when artist鈥檚 block acted as a barrier. By using Baldwin鈥檚 story as a Black man who chose his own direction in life when he felt being in America would hold him back, Nelson feels that honoring Baldwin is a way of honoring her own family, including her artist father, who died in recent years. Baldwin鈥檚 taking of initiative motivated Nelson, with her referring to his quote, 鈥淭here is never a time in the future in which we will work out our salvation. The challenge is in the moment, the time is always now.鈥�
She continued: 鈥淔or some people, they will only see the man. For others, they will feel the man.鈥�
Visiting the Gallery at the University Center
The exhibition, curated by Ashara Ekundayo and Jonathan Duff, initially ran in the Swirbul Library Gallery from November 18 through December 19, and is now free and open to the public in the Ruth S. Harley University Center Gallery until the end of the month. For more information, contact the Center for African, Black and Caribbean Studies at 516.877.4978 or Fabian Burrell, MS 鈥�17, Coordinator for Programming and Community Engagement, Center for African, Black and Caribbean Studies, fburrell@adelphi.edu.