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Neighbor News

Contemporary Black Artists – Late 20th to 21st Century

Fostering a new future

Today, there is a real threat of erasure. Once again, our past is under attack. However, our present and future are also at risk. We have made gains. Also being trashed is the growth of our humanity. Those gains have not been reflected upon. Our fear of losing our past is keeping us from seeing the gems that are right in front of us.

We are featured here by Vanessa German from Pittsburgh and Thornton Dial who I love with Lonnie Holley, Sanford Biggers (I prefer his architectural works) and John T. Riddle Jr. They move beyond figurative representations and blast us into the future with so much energy, color, and excitement. What a journey they take us on! They have imaginations to spare.

The gift our ancestors gave us was bravery. This world is not an easy one. But if we embrace it, learn its lesson so we can move with surety and grace, our time here would be well spent.

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