"vanessa german: The Rarest Black Woman on Planet Earth" at Mount Holyoke College, Part 2

"WINGS: A love letter in coat form for how/a way
to be alive in this world by doing whatever you want to do
and owning the grace of your own inner fire." (2022)

The Oxford Dictionary defines "emancipate" as to set free, especially from legal, social or political restrictions. Enslaved people in the United States were freed pursuant to the Emancipation Proclamation. A child under the age of 18 can be emancipated from the control of her parents or guardians pursuant to a legal proceeding. vanessa german's exhibit at Mount Holyoke Art Museum was entitled "Museum of Emancipatory Objects." Obviously there's some serious meaning behind the works in this show. 

german wanted to include the college community in the creation of the exhibit. Two student curators joined her team. What an experience! Those curators crafted prompts such as "What do you need forgiveness for?" and "What are you currently learning and un-learning?" that were installed on posters across the campus to gather anonymous written responses. The mere act of publicly acknowledging those thoughts and emotions would be an emancipation of sorts, a way of letting go. Boxes were also set out for donations of objects for possible inclusion in the exhibit. This contribution of physical objects that had some kind of hold on the donor was an emancipation as well. The question now was what german would create with these materials.

"SEE HERE: Something of the Soul.
Reckoning Mirrors engraved with language
inspired by text given to artist by Mt. Holyoke
community members" (2022)

german is known both for her thought-provoking art and for the unusual descriptions of her works. Wall cards for artwork include the medium. Viewers learn if the artist used acrylic or oil or found objects to create her art. german takes a different approach. The thoughts and emotions that go into the work are her medium and are set out for the viewer to contemplate. I still remember how struck I was by her approach when I encountered her work for the first time. So while I was delighted when I read the "materials" used in the creation of "WINGS" (see full title above), I wasn't surprised by the approach. But what I hadn't seen before is the incorporation of text into her work. 

The coat in "WINGS" belonged to one student's aunt. The text embroidered on the back is the note to german explaining how close the student was to her aunt and how much she respected her. The student calls her aunt "a force of nature" and said she's been having trouble letting go of the coat since her aunt passed away. The coat, and the student's love of her aunt, are now out in the world. 

I was taken with german's Reckoning Mirrors, which reminded me of the Wicked Queen's daily question "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" Don't we all sometimes look into the mirror and ask ourselves questions or give ourselves a little pep talk? Other Reckoning Mirrors included the words "Be Here," "Cry More," "No," and "Yes." They made me think about what I'd put on my own Reckoning Mirror. 

"FREEDOM IN THE SOUL" (2022)

german's "FREEDOM IN THE SOUL" elicited different responses from Jean and me. Interestingly, this wall card contained only the title of the work. So it was up to the viewer to come away with her own interpretation of the words on the card found in the portal (for lack of a better word).

Jean spotted the work first and anticipated a negative response from me to the text. It reads: "Imagining a life without kids or a husband." Jean is happily married with two wonderful daughters and some grandchildren. To her, a life without these people in it is unimaginable despite the work's exhortation. But I don't have to imagine such a life; it's what I live daily. Sure, there are times it's challenging to be on your own. But it's certainly better than being in a bad marriage. And, for me, getting out of my marriage gave me the freedom to rediscover who I am. But I digress. Or do I? I think it's fair to say that this work spoke to both of us. 

Taking a step away from the personal, I've thought about the student who offered these words up in response to the prompts. Did her words come from fear of not finding the right person? Is she anticipatorily seeking forgiveness for making the choice to live her life alone? Is she "un-learning" societal expectations to get married and have a family? What does she truly want?  I would love to know what is going on in her head and how seeing her words in this work of art affected her. 

'THESE FATHER SHOES:inspired by two note cards
about fathers leaving and the enduring absence
 being a constant quake in the being of the cards' authors.
THESE FATHER SHOES: one for leaving
and one for coming back" (2022)

I'll leave you with german's "THE FATHER SHOES: inspired by two note cards about fathers leaving and the enduring absence being a constant quake in the being of the cards' authors. THESE FATHER SHOES: one for leaving and one for coming back." Wow. There's a lot packed into that title.  

It's difficult to see in this image, but the shoe on the left has nails protruding from its sole. This is the shoe that holds the father to his home and his family. Glittering thread hangs from the other shoe. The slippery substance makes it all the easier for the father to quietly slide right out the door. And then are the wings that can either take him away or bring him back home. Again, there's much to contemplate here. For a better picture of this work and more images of german's creations in the exhibit, click here. 

"vanessa german: The Rarest Woman on Planet Earth" was an exhibit worth traveling to see. It made me think. It made me feel. And the fact that I shared this exhibit with my friends made it even more meaningful. Now that I think about it, it was kind of like the college experience in a microcosm. What a perfect exhibit for a college museum. 

For more on the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, click here. The virtual student-curated exhibitions are particularly interesting. And for more on the wonderful vanessa german, click here.