“Where
We
At” Black Women Artists' Collective.
“Weusi”
Artist Collective
KAY
BROWN (1932 - 2012)
During the run of COVID-19, Joel Elgin’s Athraigh Printmaking
Studio would like to offer you an opportunity to gain some knowledge of both
printmaking/art and the various methods and reasons artists react to the issues
around us.
African
– American artist’s groups and collectives have traditionally created the
support needed to build a strong unified voice. The collective voice from sixty
years back is not only the structure for the contemporary art produced today
but also impacts the street art that is so important in the raising of
awareness in the current nation/worldwide protests.
Artist
Kay Brown was a member of two important groups: Where We At and Weusi.
“…Kay
Brown (1932-2012) was an African American artist and one of the founders of the
Where We At Black women artists’ collective in New York City. She was also a
member of the Weusi Artist Collective, based in Harlem during the 1960s and
1970s…”
Weusi
Artist Collective
“…A Swahili word meaning blackness, “Weusi” is also the name
of a distinguished collective of artists established in Harlem during the
1960’s...”
Where
We At Black Women Artists' Collective
“ …
In early 1971, Kay Brown, Dindga McCannon, and Faith
Ringgold gathered a group of black women at McCannon’s Brooklyn home to discuss
their common frustrations in trying to build their careers as artists… Out of
this initial gathering came one of the first exhibitions of professional black
women artists: “Where We At”—Black Women Artists, 1971. Adopting
the show’s title as its name, the collective began meeting at members’ homes
and studios, building support systems for making their work while assisting
each other with childcare and other domestic labor. Where We At recognized the
power of collectivity—empowering black women by creating a network to help them
attain their professional goals as artists…”
The Devil and His Game
collage of various papers and mixed media on
canvas, 1970
The Kick of Life
color etching and aquatint. 1974
Black Mother and Male Child
etching and aquatint on cream wove
paper. 1974–1975
Meditation
etching, aquatint
Willowbrook
etching, aquatint
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