Last week, I visited Spelman College Museum of Fine Art’s Posing Beauty in African American Culture exhibition. Posing Beauty features over 75 photographs that span 12 decades (1890 to the present). It is the first exhibition I have ever seen that explores and challenges widespread and historic notions of African American beauty in photography. Deborah Willis, Ph.D., served as the curator of Posing Beauty. Willis is one of my favorite authors and photographers. She is also one of leading historians of African American photography.
While exploring the exhibition, I discovered and fell in love with a selection of cabinet cards featuring Spelman College faculty, students, and alumnae. Cabinet cards are photographic portraits mounted on 4 1/4 by 6 1/2 inch cards that people traded with each other in the early 1870s. They reminded me of several cabinet cards I have of my great grandmother Eunice Ann Thomas Roberts.
India.Arie’s music has been a powerful influence in my creative work. Her first CD AcousticSoul (2001) inspired me to keep moving forward during my novel writing journey.
I mentioned the song in Love’s Troubadours because India’s music chronicles a woman’s journey of self-discovery. It vibrates with authenticity and vulnerability. Surrender and self-acceptance are key themes. Love’s Troubadours embodies all of these things. Karma’s journey explores a woman’s pain, passion, and power with authenticity, vulnerability, surrender, and self-acceptance. To learn more, visit www.lovestroubadours.com. The book is available on Amazon.com.
Spelman College is also featured in Love’s Trouabdours. Several characters are Spelman graduates (Karma’s twin sister and cousin are Spelmanites). To learn more about Spelman, watch the video below.
Spelman College Museum of Fine Art is mentioned in Love’s Troubadours too. Watch the video below featuring a tour of the Museum given by its director Dr. Andrea Barnwell , an art historian, writer, and critic. I was able to visit the Museum and see the exhbit featured in the video in October 2009. AMAZING!
FYI – Art plays a major role in Karma’s life. It inspires, consoles, and teaches her. My novel offers you a wonderful opportunity to look at life through Karma’s eyes as an art enthusiast and museum curator. Through her eyes, you will learn about exciting artists and photographers from the African Diaspora, Americas (USA and Mexico), Europe, and Japan such as Lois Mailou Jones, Kara Walker, Renee Stout, Yayoi Kusama, Faith Ringgold, Chris Ofili, Ansel Adams, Marion Perkins, Elizabeth Catlett, Francisco Mora, Alexander Calder, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Maria Izquierdo, Jean Michel Basquiat, Andre Derain, Annie Lee, Betye Saar, Alison Saar, Amalia Amaki, Joyce Scott, Lorna Simpson, Constantin Brancusi. Eldzier Cortor, Amedeo Modigliani, Sister Gertrude Morgan, Archibald Motley, Adrian Piper, Hughie Lee Smith, and Charles W. White. Read the art blog post: http://kiamshacom.blogspot.com/2007/09/blessings-all-my-debut-novel-loves.html.
Enjoy your day!
Peace, Creativity, Compassion, and Gratitude for India.Arie and Spelman College,
Ananda Leeke 