Enduring Spirit
exhibition Commissioned by The Columbia Museum Of Art
Peaches | From Nina Simone's "Four Women" | Pastels on Paper | 40"x60"
My skin is brown
My manner is tough
I'll kill the first mother I see
My life has been rough
I'm awfully bitter these days
Because my parents were slaves
What do they call me?
My name is Peaches
Enduring Spirit grew from my long interest in Black women and the enormous role they have played in holding families, communities, and themselves together.
My mother , sisters, grandmother, aunts and many other women who carried more than anyone should have had to carry still found room for humor, beauty, tenderness, anger, pride, and joy. I was never interested in presenting them simply as symbols of suffering. That would leave out too much of who they are.
The women in these works are complicated. Some are guarded. Some are defiant. Some are tired. Some are amused. Some are simply standing there being exactly who they are. They all are strong powerful human beings who quite often put their families and others above themselves.
That matters to me.
The collection includes works inspired by history, personal observation, contemporary life, and music, including my response to Nina Simone’s Four Women. But whatever the source, I keep returning to the individual person behind the image.
I am interested in what can be read in a face, a gesture, a posture, or even in silence.
These women do not ask to be explained.
They have been explained enough already.
Enduring Spirit grew from my long interest in Black women and the enormous role they have played in holding families, communities, and themselves together. My mother , sisters, grandmother, aunts and many other women who carried more than anyone should have had to carry still found room for humor, beauty, tenderness, anger, pride, and joy. I was never interested in presenting them simply as symbols of suffering. That would leave out too much of who they are. The women in these works are complicated. Some are guarded. Some are defiant. Some are tired. Some are amused. Some are simply standing there being exactly who they are. They all are strong powerful human beings who quite often put their families and others above themselves. That matters to me. The collection includes works inspired by history, personal observation, contemporary life, and music, including my response to Nina Simone’s Four Women. But whatever the source, I keep returning to the individual person behind the image. I am interested in what can be read in a face, a gesture, a posture, or even in silence. These women do not ask to be explained. They have been explained enough already.
Enduring Spirit grew from my long interest in Black women and the enormous role they have played in holding families, communities, and themselves together. My mother , sisters, grandmother, aunts and many other women who carried more than anyone should have had to carry still found room for humor, beauty, tenderness, anger, pride, and joy. I was never interested in presenting them simply as symbols of suffering. That would leave out too much of who they are. The women in these works are complicated. Some are guarded. Some are defiant. Some are tired. Some are amused. Some are simply standing there being exactly who they are. They all are strong powerful human beings who quite often put their families and others above themselves. That matters to me. The collection includes works inspired by history, personal observation, contemporary life, and music, including my response to Nina Simone’s Four Women. But whatever the source, I keep returning to the individual person behind the image. I am interested in what can be read in a face, a gesture, a posture, or even in silence. These women do not ask to be explained. They have been explained enough already.
Portraits and figurative works reflect cultural memory, dignity, and the strength carried through generations. This collection reflects on cultural identity, memory, and the strength carried through generations. The figures are often presented with quiet dignity, their presence suggesting lives shaped by experience and perseverance. The work draws from histories that continue to influence contemporary life. Through gesture, expression, and atmosphere, the images acknowledge the weight of the past while remaining grounded in the present moment. These works invite viewers to reflect on the ways cultural memory travels through time. The figures embody a spirit that continues to endure, reminding us that identity is formed through both history and lived experience
