This is another portrait from my June 2015 SoleSpace opening. This gentleman and his wife attended my artist’s talk, and they purchased several prints. His wife is also an artist. Look for her in my next series of portraits. I’ll be sharing a little more about that as I move toward drawing #1001.
Best,
Ajuan
I met Karl Reeves, the man in this drawing, at the opening of my June 2015 show at SoleSpace. He was kind enough to invite me to his pop-up art and retail space, to record a short film on my work. Many thanks to him and to the Veudo Child Crew for the opportunity to share my work in this way. A relatively recent emigre from the midwest, Karl is an artist himself, as well as the creator of the Art is for Lovers gallery in Bronzeville, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A true force for positive change in the Milwaukee art scene, we are fortunate that he has chosen to make the SF Bay Area his home.
Ajuan Mance
Last summer, the City of Oakland sponsored the first Oakland Book Festival. When I was invited to participate, I accepted right away. The event was free and it was in the center of downtown Oakland, a great place to spend an afternoon in late spring.
The Oakland Book Festival turned out to be a wonderful event. I had a great time speaking with the other sellers, and I really enjoyed meeting the people who attended the fair. The organizers did a great job of publicizing the event, and the result was a sizable crowd of Bay Area bibliophiles who were eager to spend money.
I was impressed not only by the size of the crowd, but by its diversity. There were a lot of Black people in attendance, both as buyers and sellers, and I was pleased that a number of the Black men in attendance let me take photos of them so that I could include them in the 1001 Black Men series, later on.
The man in this drawing was the first person I photographed. He seemed surprised that I wanted to do his portrait, but he was really quite friendly. I liked his open face and his geeky chic glasses, and I pretty much feel like any Black person at a book event is a potential best friend.
Ajuan Mance
On the day of the East Bay Alternative Book and Zine Fest, a young Black man who appeared to be about 14 was exiting the library with his mother. Hi mom seemed to be in a hurry, as she quickly made her way out of the venue. To leave the library, they had to pass through the zine fest, and I watched as the young man looked longingly at the brightly adorned and enticing tables of art, homemade zines, and indie comics. She seemed to be very focused on leaving, but I wish she’d let him browse around the fest, for just a few minutes. The work he would have encountered just might have blown his mind; and he might have gone home to begin drawing his own zines and comics. I wish his mom would have let him browse, if only for a few minutes. I would have liked to have shown him some of my 1001 Black Men.
Ajuan Mance
Brooklyn Museum, Spring 2015:
At the same time as the Kehinde Wiley show, the Brooklyn Museum was also presenting an exhibition of the notebooks of Jean-Michel Basquiat, in a different gallery.
I spotted this young museum goer at the entrance of the Basquiat show. He carried himself with the poise of Beyoncé Knowles and the self-possession of Maya Angelou.
Even in progressive Brooklyn, his lace top and carefully chosen accessories stood out among even the other LGBTQ Black people at the museum that day; and looking at him made me very aware of all the ways my appearance doesn’t draw the attention of others. As edgy and stylish as I might think I am, the world sees me a just another middle-aged Black woman in a v-neck sweater, perhaps a bit under-accessorized, but otherwise unremarkable.
It may seem strange to commend someone simply for dressing their body as they please; but that is the world in which we live. I admired this young person’s absolute refusal not to be himself.
Ajuan Mance
A museumgoer photographing one of the paintings, at the Kehinde Wiley exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum.
Ajuan Mance
Looking at the paintings at the Kehinde Wiley exhibit, Brooklyn Museum, April 2015.
Ajuan Mance
At the Kehinde Wiley exhibit, Brooklyn Museum, April 2015.
Ajuan Mance
At the Kehinde Wiley exhibition, Brooklyn Museum, April 2015.
Ajuan Mance
