In a large room at the QC Sound Stage in west Charlotte this past weekend, upbeat music met visitors' ears, while brightly colored sculptures and portraits of children, animals, and flowers caught their eyes at “A Spectacular Black Girl Art Show.”
It was the show's fourth visit to Charlotte, creating a temporary venue to highlight and celebrate the work of over 70 Black female artists.
In the room, Tamia Dallas stood next to her collection of small and large portraits of children's faces. Dallas drove from her home in Virginia to participate in the event. She said she’s thrilled to be surrounded by Black female artists.
“There are so many of us, and we’re coming together to do something positive and showcase our talent and artwork; it’s just amazing. It just feels very incredible,” Dallas said.
Dallas is a high school art teacher who bases some of her portraits on her students; she said that being a part of the show will help expose her students to the platforms available to them.
“A lot of my students are very talented, but they don’t really know what to do with their art,” Dallas said. “So, this is very inspiring for them because I use them in my work, so they got very excited to see themselves in a more creative abstract light.”
A few steps away from Dallas sat Teryn Moorefield, surrounded by large paintings of babies with either their mouths wide open, poking out their tongues or staring innocently. Moorfield started painting in high school to overcome a range of negative feelings.
“When I was overwhelmed, I had a lot of different emotions and anxiety going on. And it was about getting a chance to escape into something that I could make completely on my own,” Moorefield said. “Using whatever colors would make me happy, using whatever pictures would make me happy or warm inside, and just having a field day with it. No matter what the color is. Being able to just let it all out, onto a picture or into a painting, and creating something as an outlet.”
Moorefield said she paints babies' faces as her form of outlet for several reasons.
“They just make you feel good, and when you see them, they just make you happy and fill you up,” Moorefield said. “I like to do them where I make their eyes a little bigger, or portraits where the babies are looking at you because it kind of lets you into their soul a little bit. They open their eyes and look at you with such amazement.”
Joshua Love walked around the room, chatting with the artists and the public until the event's announcer called him onto the stage.
Love is the curator of “A Spectacular Black Girl Art Show.” He organized the first show in an Atlanta church in 2019 to celebrate a group of females he noticed going unrecognized. Since then, the show has been to more than 25 U.S. cities.
Love said he decided to host the event in Charlotte for the fourth time because the city welcomes diversity.
“Charlotte is a city that appreciates Black experiences, that calls them to a place that encourages them to think outside the box,” Love said. “Charlotte is an eclectic city, a melting pot of a lot of different backgrounds, worldviews, and ideas, and that’s essentially what art is, and I think that’s why Charlotte resonates with the show.”
Alicia Neali Robinson has been living in Charlotte for about three years. Robinson’s painting of Black men and women has been placed on a table while other paintings rest against the table on the floor. She said her paintings work to combat harmful words that she comes across describing Black people.
“I was just hearing a lot of negative comments on their features,” Robinson said. “Just being Black, the nose is too big, or the skin is too dark.”
In Robinson's paintings, Black people are symbolized as being at peace and powerful. A crown is painted on a man’s head to portray royalty in one painting.
“I just wanted to spread something positive, to show that we are, indeed, not what people say we are, but we are beautiful people and were smart and intelligent people, so I just wanted to show that,” Robinson said.
Love said “A Spectacular Black Girl Art Show” and its sibling show, “A Marvelous Black Boy Art Show,” have generated more than $5 million in sales for participating artists. Love said it’s vital for people to support each other in these spaces that highlight a range of skills Black people possess.
“We are consumers of art, but we are also creators of art. And to see us creating art and buying art from each other is such a powerful tool that I hope many of us recognize and accelerate more Black people buying from Black people,” Love said. “And it’s quality, attention to detail, and it’s done in excellence, patience, and wisdom, and it’s remarkable.”
This past weekend won’t be the show’s last trip to Charlotte. It’s expected to return in April 2024 to continue providing a platform that celebrates and unites Black artists.
