Donning a title inspired by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, and consequently Ms. Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation is a photographic series that responds to the experience of studying fine art and art history while existing at the intersections of Blackness and feminine identity.

Art history is deeply Eurocentric, shoving other histories to niche and often non-requisite understandings. Born of this is a large and layered lapse of information that allows for control of what and who can be remembered. The scales of visibility in art have long been unbalanced, granting some a wealth of representation and others little to none. In the case of Blackness, the system of art history prioritizes fine art works where Black people either do not exist, or they appear in capacities suitable for a white supremacist gaze. Black women specifically tend to appear, when we do, in servitude.

I dropped [western] art history the first of two times I took it, and if I’m honest it was largely due to the fatigue of learning a version of history that did not remember us well and could not anticipate a place for my own contribution. Art history and the way a fine art education demands it made me feel too big for the space I hope to enter, finding myself constantly bumping into Birth of Venus-this and Olympia-that, Caravaggio-this and Rococo period-that. The trauma of feeling stuffed into the background of art directly impacts the function of imagination and the ability to cultivate creativity on multiple fronts. I recognize that much of my work is a trauma response, but also a rejection of the idea that art history should have authority over Black women’s likeness.

By examining and reimagining art work that depicts Black women in insignificant roles, as well as some of the most important works featuring women, The Miseducation seeks to reclaim and reconcile this space that has historically worked to exclude and exploit the image, intellect, and artistry of Black women.