This year marks the 47th year of nationally celebrating Black History Month. As said by Karrel Augustin, “The importance of Black History Month is to honor and celebrate the lives and achievements of African Americans who have made transformational impacts on American society.”
Each year, there is a Black History Month theme. The theme of 2024 is “African Americans and the Arts”. The Black History Month assembly was inspiring, and showcased artists with a LOT of talent. Madison Williams ’26 and BiancaRose Nnabue ’26 are brilliant artists. Despite being just sophomores, their artistic skills captivate the hearts and minds of all who see their artwork. I had the chance to talk to both of them and ask them questions about their art and themselves as artists.
Madison Williams is a self-taught artist and started in elementary school. She started with pencil sketches, then explored more mediums such as watercolor. She is inspired to create art by the environment around her, as well as her family and friends. When asked how her identity influences her work, she responded, “My culture inspires me a lot. I tend to draw a lot of people that are Black women. Since I identify closely with them, I think it’s easier to find inspiration to draw them.” Her hopes for the future of black representation in the art world are for black artists to be recognized and for their art to spread and inspire many.
BiancaRose Nnabue has been painting since she was a child. She learned a lot when traveling to art villages in Nigeria. The beautiful picture shown of a city landscape is the one she was taught how to do in the villages. Her inspirations for her art are the world, black empowerment, and women. Majority of her artworks consist of landscapes she comes across, or about women she finds interesting. BiancaRose tends to draw things that relate to her. She uses the people she grew up around as references for her art. Some reoccurring themes in her artwork are body positivity and equality. “I like to draw people with different body types, hair types, and many other things that make them stand apart from each other. I also like drawing individual body parts like eyes, lips, and just the face with out the rest of the body. This is mainly so the viewer can focus on the part that I want to showcase the most.” BiancaRose also uses symbols and metaphors in her drawings. Her advice to aspiring artists is to base their artwork around a topic they like and to explore other artists and use their work as an inspiration. When asked what her hopes were for the future of black representation in the art world, she answered “I hope that there is more representation in all forms of art and that people making this art are given the proper credit. Also that there are more trends that are giving credit to the black influence that made them.”
As we celebrate Black History Month, let us not only honor the past but also amplify the voices and visions of these young artists shaping the future of the art world. They are reminders that the journey towards true representation is ongoing, yet their talent and dedication offer a powerful glimpse into the possibilities that lie ahead.