Kwadwo Adae
(New Haven, CT)





Artist's Statement

The Protester Portraits were commissioned by Artspace New Haven in the wake of the international George Floyed Protests of 2020 for the Revolution on Trial Exhibition: New Haven's Black Panthers At 50.  Every year the names of the latest unarmed Black or Brown person murdered by police without recourse become our rallying cry as we shut down major streets and highways marching in protest against systemic state sanctioned murder. These are a few people artist Kwadwo Adae met while exercising his first amendment rights of peaceable assembly protesting against police violence throughout Connecticut.  We perpetually find ourselves shouting into the void, against a monolithic, violent, heavily armed and militarized police force.  Oil paint is historically a medium that is used to depict higher echelons of people, here they depict those who must march in protest to perpetual state sanctioned violence against Black & Brown bodies. The Protester Portraits answer a simple question, when we are preparing to march against such an egregiously dangerous adversary, "What does our protest armor look like?"  Our voices, bullhorns, microphones, smudge sticks, and maracas may pale in comparison against their guns, billy clubs, tasers, pepper spray, qualified immunity, and unlimited funding; but every time police murder someone, these faces along with millions of others, march against them in protest.

Noel Vernon Bernard
(Bridgeport, CT)                                                               

Artist's Statement:
I was a class of 2020 high school senior during the pandemic and in my experience as an Afro-Caribbean American man, that time was isolating, humbling, and heartbreaking. Not only did I have to transition into an alternate setting than what I was unfamiliar with, but I went through a period of tremendous loss. This time was isolating and painful. But during this time, I also found a lot of growth. My first piece, Flower Boy, is a reflection of that growth and an embrace of my culture as well as who I am within a diverse society. This piece represents my period of growth as well as the internal struggle that came with identifying myself. Next is a collage of pictures that represents the historical connection between me and my inspirations— the people and figures who I sought to for guidance during this time. This one is entitled, Sometimes. And lastly, is a portrait that represents how I see myself in the present. I became something different. Whatever happened to me that changed is not for certain, but is best represented through the distinct contrast in color of the cutouts. This piece is entitled, INDIGOMAN [INDIGOMAN was not selected for this show]. Each piece tells the story of a person changed by the world. This change is either embraced or feared. Overall, they conveys the essential message that change is necessary.


 

Valerie Cicero
(New Haven, CT)


Artist's Statement:

The things that are hard to talk about become easier (for me) through the lens of artistic practice. Here are three paintings of the cats from our home, in portraits that depict their distinctly different characters, at times flamboyant, inquisitive, and anxious. [Kewaydin is the painting from Garlick's set of three that was selected for this exhibition.] Commitments to diversity equity and inclusion inherently mean that the most colorful, quirky, weird, and strange identities are welcome at the table with a tall enough seat. DEI calls us to look at how we behave in the relationships we are a part of, be they career-driven, as educators or otherwise, or within our personal or home life, in the company of family or friends. As an art professor I have the privilege of encouraging eccentricity: introducing my students to materials and techniques, and supervising and encouraging them as they work at self expression. The things we look at start our conversations about what is there and what isn’t, what we’ve seen before and what we don’t like looking at. I share these works as light-hearted reflections of the bigger, important conversations we’ve been having and will continue to have. 


 

Julie Ann Liefeld
(Old Lyme, CT)



Artist's Statement:

This mixed media series, “TOO MUCH, never enough” explores the artist’s experience living with hidden disabilities such as ADHD and learning disability. The two pieces demonstrate at two points in time, what it feels like trying to achieve value, inclusion, and acceptance in an impatient world that values linearity. "Piece 1" is a snap shot of the immersion experience of being neurodivergent in typical settings and "Piece 2" is a snap shot of the experience of assimilation. The viewer is invited to consider the various impacts of determining ableness by what looks “typical” and is often the accepted view of welcome, normal, and “right”. The series is created from found objects, personal journals, destroyed/failed art pieces, notes/doodles from the artist’s academic and professional work, as well as other collected ephemera. The materials assembled to evoke visceral reactions, the pieces attempt to reflect not only the lived experience but also the efforts people with disabilities expend to appear “typical”. Piece 1, "TOO MUCH", shares the immersion and self-editing process and Piece 2, "never enough", reflects the experience/consequences of fitting in and assimilating...or not.


 

Sarah Schneiderman
(Glastonbury, CT)



Artist's Statement:

Since 2016, my assemblages have consisted of political portraits of both republicans and democrats. My works are a
complex history of political, social, and environmental issues. I transform what is considered garbage into something beautiful. Still, debris constantly reminds us of the sociological and ecological disasters facing the earth. I use trash to keep it from the waste stream and emphasize our overdependence on disposable products.

My recent portraits are of women, people of color, lesbians, gay men, and trans people. Many formerly underrepresented people who are often considered disposable in our society have made great strides in politics and state and federal government in 2020 and 2021. My formal portraits are as accessible as if seen on the person's official website page or in the news. On closer examination, the viewer sees that garbage, fitted together in whatever way possible using adhesives and thread, is the artwork's medium. This jigsaw puzzle-type structure represents how the voices of marginalized people have had to squeeze themselves into society. Now, these women, gay people, transgender women, and African-Americans are being heard. After four years of the darkness of the T**** administration, we are now witnessing a growth in political diversity at the local, state, and federal levels. These people show tenacity—a willingness to keep striving to show up despite discrimination and recriminations.

[For space reasons, we could not include the full titles for Sarah Schneiderman's assemblages in the virtual gallery. The full titles are listed here:

Deqa Dhalac - First African-born Woman Mayor in the United States
Young Kim - First Korean American Republican in Congress
Taylor Small - First Openly Transgender Person Elected to the Vermont Legislature]

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