Our Crowns & The Mane Event
This is by far one of the most eye-opening and inspirational initiatives I have had the opportunity to work on thus far. I can not wait to write about all the ideas I have from this project, the people I met, and the conversations it sparked. But first … let me dive into this project and share it with you all!
The Mane Event was a series of free community hair and art workshops in Toronto’s Little Jamaica. STEPS and project partner D’Andra Montaque organized six pop-up and in-person intergenerational hairstyling and art workshops. They were held for the members of the Little Jamaica Community and the African diaspora.
“As a community art series, it speaks to the importance of hair in Black culture recognizing hair as art and an expression of identity.”
The first part of the project I was exposed to was a workshop held at Rest Community Centre. Reset is a space that creates digital detox experiences. It focuses on how devices are a huge source of individual and collective disconnection.
The workshop was a way to have the community practice their spray painting skills on a picnic bench for Reset along with t-shirts and tote bags they could take home. Large and small coloring pages were available, designed by Franceta Johnson, to be colored in and put on display.
Franceta Johnson is an artist, graphic designer and creative. She created and produced an array of different materials for this series; stickers, coloring pages, stencils, braiding boards. She also assisted in the public mural production and helping host the variety of Mane Event workshops.
I am looking forward to sitting down and talking with Franceta more about her creative process and practices. We spoke briefly throughout the workshops and she shared how this project pushed her outside of her comfort zone and challenged her struggle with perfectionism in her artistic practice. To see more of her work you can follow her instagram at @frencetajohnson
On Sunday, October 9, 2022, a community celebration and official unveiling of Our Crowns by Curtia Wright took place with assistance from Kanisha Dabreo, Franceta Johnson, Scarlett Lakatos, Isabelle Loobie and Sandra Montaque. I won’t go into to much detail about Curtia at the moment because I will also be interviewing her in the future and getting to dive deeper into her journey as a public artist. To see more of her portfolio I highly recommend looking at her website http://www.curtiawright.com/
Before this, I was able to assist and document the Community Arts Paint Day where the public was encouraged to come and participate in painting parts of the mural. It was great getting to hold a paintbrush to large-scale work again!
(side note: be on the lookout for exciting news in the future! I might just get to work on a piece but with a larger learning role! Nothing official yet)
The smiles on everyone's faces are contagious! Pure joy radiates from these photos as individuals had the chance to participate! It showed me even more how important public art is and how much people are craving creative connection post-pandemic. Specifically open public spaces where it is accessible and free to everyone!
I have noticed these past months how we need to take
charge of the narrative and
change how people are perceiving public art, specifically when it comes to street art.
Graffiti is often categorized as writing or drawings scribbled or spayed illicitly on a wall or surface in a public space. Oftentimes the public sees this as a challenge or disruption but it can be used as a tool and asset when treated properly.
As someone without much exposure to this medium before coming to Toronto, I am blown away by the precision possible and variety of styles. Most people could pick up a can of spray paint and tag however taking that tool and using it as an art form requires incredible skill. Ima Esin, the Community Programs Coordinator at STEPS said something that I know I will carry with me as I travel and when I get back to the States;
“We should be taking the youth who tag and encouraging them to learn from artists within that field. Finding avenues to become apprentices and working on our projects instead of discouraging them from expressing themselves.”
This rings true.
A challenge of this specific art form within public art is the lack of opportunities for women and the opposition they face. Graffiti and street art are historically male-dominated fields and from interactions I have witnessed it is still a struggle for acceptance in that community. I plan on looking into and researching more about the role of women within this landscape. Specifically, the challenges they face, the sparsity of opportunities available, and how we can change the narrative.
I look forward to speaking with Curtia more about her style, portfolio, and what drives her as a public artist! Along with other artists I met during this project.
Our Crowns by Curtia Wright 2022
***Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I am focusing on writing this week and posting updates that I have been behind on. ***
