In-Person Opening Reception: Sunday, September 12, 2021, 12:00pm-6:00pm
On Location: 481 Van Brunt St Brooklyn, NY 11231
Bottle caps, neon yellow 550 paracord, 200′ neon yellow camo 850 paracord, hollow braided polyurethane rope, solar LED rope lights, recycled Fresh Direct bag and commercial fishing net, zip ties, gold spray paint on recovered shopping cart. Photo by April Tracey
I started calling this cart Wide Load before I was even conscious of how much of my emotional baggage is tied to the food I eat.
Don’t even think of visiting my Mom without her feeding you. I can still smell , vivid memories of being punishing for not eating my food and being reminded of the starving children in Africa. A double whammy of eat and feel guilty about eating. I could go on and on…
The 3rd annual Future is Female exhibit, curated by sk.Artspace, aims to shed light on black women visual artists who persevered and became activists through their personal choices. The exhibition will highlight women, like me who unapologetically live their lives through action, women who had no intention of being a person of influence, yet raised the bar to lead, even when no one was looking – the “Unsung Shereos.”
I have three emotional baggage carts in the show, including my very first, Caution Baggage Cart.
Caution Baggage Cart
While working on my first shopping cart “Caution Baggage Cart” I was thinking about the people I had lost to Covid and the inability to properly mourn socially distant. I realized I was carrying a lot of emotional baggage related to fear of loss.
The cart needed some wheel repair and rust removal. Once sanded down, I spray painted the cart with gold and bronze paint left over from a previous project. The luscious gold wefts called to Caution tape that I had just foraged from the construction site across the street. I found just the right mix of fabric, paracord and yarns to complete the weave in my remnant stash.
If you have a car and/or reside in New Jersey, please go visit three of my shopping carts on view at Summit Village Green in Summit New Jersey. You wont be disappointed, the town has cute restaurants and bars and the Visual Arts Center of NJ to fill out your day trip itinerary .
My baggage carts will be on display through May 2022.
Let me know if you want to go and want to catch a ride, ill be going periodically to WD40 the wheels.
This summer, the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) presents Theda Sandiford: Hidden in Plain Sight, a dynamic presentation confronting the psychological and emotional impact of racial gaslighting in daily life.
On view now through August 23 in Nolan Park Building 7A, Governor’s Island, NYC.
More programming to come. Watch this space for dates and details
Bottle caps, neon yellow 550 paracord, 200′ neon yellow camo 850 paracord, hollow braided polyurethane rope, solar LED rope lights, recycled Fresh Direct bag and commercial fishing net, zip ties, gold spray paint on recovered shopping cart. Photo by April Tracey
When the lines between redistricting and gerrymandering are blurry…
Bottle caps, yellow 550 paracord, hollow braided polyurethane rope, solar LED lights, recycled commercial fishing net, zip ties, gold spray paint on recovered shopping cart. Photo by April Tracey
At night the sculpture lights up…
Bottle caps, yellow 550 paracord, hollow braided polyurethane rope, solar LED lights, recycled commercial fishing net, zip ties, gold spray paint on recovered shopping cart. Photo by April Tracey
When I am not invited to the party, I’ll just throw a little fiesta for myself…
1” cut strips of African print fabric, acrylic yarn, pony beads, pom poms, bells, 850 paracord, cool LED lights on a gold recovered shopping cart.
36 x 40 x 24 in, 2021
