On May 25, a wondrously worthwhile walk led by Marla McLeod, as curator and artist, added greatly to my awareness of the art on Brister’s Hill. I had already posted based on a solo walk and online research, but Marla shaped my vision for this sequel. Here are photos from her Curator Talk,* plus my promised focus on three artists not shown in the first post: Ekua Holmes, Perla Mabel, and Anthony Peyton Young.

“Ekua Holmes is a native of Roxbury, MA and a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. As an artist, designer, and most recently as an illustrator of children’s literature, she has become a keen observer of her environment and repeatedly chooses it as her subject matter.” (quote from Artists’ Statements and Bios )

Ekua Holmes “Her work features memories and contemporary subjects infused in the layers of her collages. Voices from the past can be found in scraps of vintage wallpapers, snippets of yesterday’s news and pieces of discarded costume jewelry, laid upon fields of primary colors and multiple textures.“( quote from Artists’ Statements and Bios )

Perla Mabel: “My practice is an ongoing dialogue between the sacred, the personal, and the political—an exploration of how memory, culture, and spirituality converge through material, color, and form. Drawing from my Afro-Caribbean heritage and queer identity, I aim to transcend the constraints of traditional portraiture by engaging with the rich, ritualistic practices of Santería, ancestral reverence, and folk traditions.” ( quote from Artists’ Statements and Bios )

Perla Mabel “Each installation I create is a prayer, a labor of love, and an offering to my ancestors and to those I hold dear.” ( quote from Artists’ Statements and Bios )

Anthony Peyton Young “In my ceramics I draw inspiration from face jugs and their uses as grave markers of enslaved ancestors who passed on, as well as spiritual objects that were believed to scare off evil spirits. With my ceramics I aim to create vessels utilized for healing, memorialization, and spiritual cleansing which are functional and able to hold a liquid libation, to pour out for those who’ve passed or for ancestral spiritual protection.” ( quote from Artists’ Statements and Bios )

Anthony Peyton Young “In this piece I create a space of healing and remembrance placing over 100 face jugs within the trees. The face jugs take inspiration from former inhabitants of Walden Woods, black queer activists, and artists who have encountered the area and who have made a major contribution to the Black community.“ ( quote from Artists’ Statements and Bios )

Marla McLeod Artist Statement: “My paintings and textile works investigate how history and race relate to the power of the black body by combating false narratives and exploring the creation of new ones. Uniting symbolism from both Black history and contemporary Black culture, I aim to decipher dehumanizing representations of black people from the past, while simultaneously emphasizing symbols of pride and power found in today’s Black American culture.” (quote from About Marla, Marla Mcleod website)

KEY RESOURCES (for overview go to starter post)

Ekua Holmes website: https://www.ekuaholmes.com/art

Perla Mabel website: https://platano.haus/artwork

Anthony Peyton Young website: https://www.anthonyyoungartist.com/

Marla McLeod website: https://www.marlamcleod.com/sculpture-textiles 

*If you live anywhere near Concord, please consider signing up for one of the monthly Curator Talks listed on Arts Umbrella Weaving an Address site!!

“Curated by Marla McLeod, the exhibition focuses on the experiences of formerly enslaved individuals in Concord, MA, particularly Brister Freeman—one of the first to gain “freedom” in the region. Through the lens of contemporary Black artists, the exhibition explores themes such as identity, history, family, and labor, offering a poignant reflection on the lives and legacies of this community.” ( quote from Curator Statement, Weaving an Address)