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Artist Jessica Gaynelle Moss invites ONLY people who identify as Black, African American, African, Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, or of the African diaspora to enter, engage and explore this exhibition.
EXHIBITION STATEMENT
Artist Jessica Gaynelle Moss reimagines new frameworks and strategizes ways to build, maintain and sustain the ideal spaces we need. the Black box test examines Black space in a broad cultural context that includes the artist’s own practice-based interpretations, scholarship and personal experience situated alongside the knowledge and expertise of other Black artists, leaders and cultural specialists.
Moss’ previous projects– declaring Black autonomous space within public space, reclaiming physical land for Black people, and redeveloping property in Black communities for Black artists– build on the burgeoning legacies of contemporary Black space cultivators and protectors like Rick Lowe of Project Row Houses in Houston, TX, Mark Bradford of Art+Practice in Los Angeles, CA and Theaster Gates of Rebuild Foundation in Chicago, IL. Like these artists, Moss is dedicated to cultivating and preserving Black space through community-based art making, reciprocal relationships and reimagining the built environment.
the Black box test presents a multidisciplinary conceptualization of Black space, drawing on architecture, oral history and visual theory. Artist Jessica Gaynelle Moss presents a richly layered polyphony that includes a sound installation, thematic illustrations, concept maps, and a series of interactive discussions with Black artists, scholars and experts who are dedicated to cultivating, creating and protecting our shared sacred spaces. This exhibition was curated by Sadie Woods and Janice Bond of Selenite Arts Advisory.
ARTIST BIO
Jessica Gaynelle Moss reimagines new frameworks and strategizes ways to build, maintain and sustain Black autonomous spaces devoted to our survival, resistance and healing. She is the Founding Director of The Roll Up CLT, a neighborhood-embedded artist residency project in Charlotte NC, and the Administrative Director of Sibyls Shrine, a residency program for Black mothers who identify as artists in Pittsburgh PA. Jessica received a bachelors in Fine Art from Carnegie Mellon University; a masters in Arts Administration, Policy and Management from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and a masters in Studies of the Law from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. (@jesseplane, @therollupclt, @sibylsshrine)
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