Tuesday, May 21, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DLAM CALL FOR ARTISTS’ SUBMISSIONS: “BLACKFULLNESS”: EMANCIPATION DAY 2024 ART SHOW
Commissioner Jean-Pierre L. Oriol of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources is pleased to announce that the Division of Libraries, Archives, and Museums will present its annual Emancipation Day Art show at Fort Frederik Museum opening on Emancipation Day, Wednesday, July 3, from 12:00-6:00 pm. This year’s Emancipation show is entitled: BLACKFULLNESS: EMANCIPATION 2024
The Division of Libraries, Archives, and Museums calls for all artists to submit proposals for this group art exhibition, conceived and curated by DPNR-DLAM Chief Curator Monica Marin, by June 17, 2024, at midnight.
BLACKFULLNESS is a word coined by the late Black feminist Audre Lorde to describe what she loved about her chosen home of St. Croix. Specifically, her beloved majority Black community that provided her with a sense of great belonging and purpose that transcended place. In an interview entitled Above the Wind, Lorde speaks to her experience of coming to St. Croix to heal and to be actionable as both an artist and as a human-rights activist. Like Lorde, many creatives from the US have similarly been drawn by the energy of the people of the Virgin Islands who have served as beacons of light and inspiration.
This year’s exhibition spotlights the spirit of resistance that is at the core of Virgin Islanders’ identity and that is etched into everything that makes Virgin Islands’ cultural production so powerful. It calls attention to how Black protest and activism in our region have influenced international Black brilliance and liberation. “As we close out the 175th year since Emancipation and reflect on what it means to be free under the liminal status of being a territory owned by but yet not a part of the United States, artists are urged to imagine a more just future for the Black majority of Virgin Islanders,” stated Fort Curator Monica Marin.
Artists from across the Virgin Islands, the African-Caribbean Diaspora, and/or who are connected to our region are encouraged to submit artwork in all mediums that respond to the themes. For more information such as the exhibition guidelines and other curatorial themes, please visit: Blackfullness-Exhibition-Guidelines.pdf (vi.gov)
Submission Details
Artists may submit up to three pieces of creative work in any medium.
Artists must email DLAM Chief Curator Monica Marin, monica.marin@dpnr.vi.gov their work in jpg format labeled with the artist’s name and title of work. Please include a short bio (300 words max) and project statement (500 words max) required for the wall text.
Email Submission Deadline: June 17, 2024, at midnight.
Artwork Drop-Off Submission Deadline to Fort Frederik Museum: June 24, 2024, at 4 pm.
Artists must be able to drop off and pick up their artwork at the Fort Frederik Museum and provide any equipment needed for installation.
