Wishing everyone a happy and safe pride weekend! We are leaving for our annual July 4th week in Fire Island, so I wanted to leave you with something special.
When queer artist Mickalene Thomas first began purchasing her own art supplies, she didn’t have the money for traditional materials. While looking for less expensive options, she found herself drawn to the sparkly things found in craft stores, so that’s what she used. Once she became established as an artist, her materials were certainly upgraded, but her love for and use of glitter, rhinestones, and beads survived.
Thomas’s work also encompasses the genres of photography and film, but her portraits of black women always really stand out for me. I find her judicious use of reflective materials and collage elements to be truly compelling, and I love the mystery they give her subjects.
“I want the world to see what I see in Black women… This is the desire, this is the love, this is the beauty, this is the intellect, this is what we [Black women] have to give to the world.” -Mickalene Thomas
You can learn more about Mickalene Thomas on her website and on Instagram.
Share:
My OBT 
June 28, 2024 at 9:23 am
I really like the vintage vibe to these pieces, including the punk aesthetic of some of the collage style pieces, and the way the artist has added some glitz and glam. I don’t care to engage in the ongoing debate about what qualifies as craft and what qualifies as art but I think this artist has proven that the two can be amalgamated and traditional craft items utilized in an elevated way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
June 28, 2024 at 4:46 pm
That is an excellent observation! Sometimes the mixed media pieces I see make me wonder, but this art didn’t have me at all thinking about crafts, even knowing her earlier materials came from craft stores. To me, this is clearly art.
LikeLike