I would have said "yes" to nearly excuse to head to Los Angeles this winter. It's one of my favorite cities. But i SCREAMED "YES!" when Lincoln invited me out West to celebrate Essence's annual Black Women in Hollywood event.
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Royalty Without Riches: Bisa Butler's Portrait Quilts at the Richard Beavers Gallery
I've been having a lot of "love at first sight" moments with art lately. Such is the case when you're actively looking for beauty; you seem to find it everywhere. Such was the case with the work of artist Bisa Butler's latest exhibition in Brooklyn, "The People Who Could Fly: Royalty Without Riches". Butler uses everyday materials denim, cotton, silk, vintage flour sacks, etc. to create intricate portraits of the people who surround her such as her father, a friend's daughter, or her grandmother, along with famous women who inspire her such as Lauryn Hill, Nina Simone, and Zora Neale Hurston.
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Nat Turner is discovered in a wooded area of Virginia by a white man carrying a gun, 1831
Searching for Nat Turner in Southampton County, Virginia (the Site of His Insurrection)
I visited Southampton County to trace Turner’s steps. Given Turner's popularity and his impact on American history, I expected to find some of the houses from the rebellion still erect, and marked as historic sites. At the bare minimum, I was hoping to visit a display of artifacts from the rebellion in a nearby museum or see an official grave.
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