The Howard University Art Investment Club put on the Black Futures Art and Sound Showcase to celebrate the work of budding artists within the Howard University community.
The club works toward increasing the value of African diasporic art by minimizing the lack of art education, and increasing access to the global art market, in Black communities.
Alexia Godinez-Thompson, one of the organizers of the event, spoke on their motivations. “The purpose of the event was to highlight and showcase Howard and DC artists of different mediums and give them the opportunity to showcase their work,” she said. “A lot of these people who were featured in the showcase had never had the opportunity to have their work showcased, and we think that’s important and it’s a big factor in investing in art. It’s investing into your people and investing in the community, outside of monetary aspects, in order to uplift and support them.”
Many in the HU community support the off-campus art endeavors of its students.
The showcase, attended by Howard students, artists, and supporters, took place in an after-hours cafe. The narrow front entrance, filled with socializing attendees, led to a dimly lit back room where art lined the walls. The pieces were displayed in collections organized by mediums ranging from photography to paintings.
Nia Williamson stood in front of a portrait of Chadwick Boseman that she painted herself. “My painting is entitled ‘Unwritten’,” she explained. “I used the color purple to symbolize royalty as Chadwick Boseman is now one of our ancestors. I made sure to leave part of the painting unfinished to symbolize the fact that it’s our duty as Black artists to continue the legacy that he left behind.”
Nia Willamson with her tribute piece to Chadwick Boseman.
A psychology major and painting minor, this showcase was a first for Williamson. “It was very nerve-wracking for me to submit my work because I knew there would be so much talent here, but actually showing up and showing my work has been really life-giving and an experience that I’m really proud to be a part of.”
Sadiya Quetti-Goodson expressed the same sentiment as she stood in front of the photographs she captured while doing volunteer work in the Dominican Republic. “It’s really personal to me just because it’s my first art show ever and I’m really new to this,” she said. “I’ve been a photographer for one year, these are actually the first photos I ever took on my camera. This is very special to me because it’s my first ever and just being around this community is so powerful and inspiring.”
One of the attendees, Sanaa Palmer, felt that same sense of community as she took in her classmates’ work. “It’s really cool to see Black people in spaces like this and taking up space in museum curation and galleries spaces because we’re really underrepresented in those spaces,” she said. “It’s liberating because it’s something that comes very naturally to us. Being creative.”
Sadiya Quetti-Goodson with her work documenting the Black experience during her travels.
According to Thompson, this was exactly the response the organizers were hoping for. “Honestly, it meant and surpassed both our expectations and hopes,” she said.
“I think that there are many ways that it could have gone wrong and it didn’t. I’m really thankful to all the artists and support that we received for the showcase and we are definitely looking forward to the next one. That’s how good it turned out and we can’t wait to feature more people and meet new people that want to begin investing in art in any way that they can.”
