Through Baldwin's Eyes: Artistic Explorations of Blackness and Identity

Through Baldwin's Eyes: Artistic Explorations of Blackness and Identity

Wright Community Room

Join us for a powerful panel discussion that examines the intersectionality of Blackness through the lens of James Baldwin's life and legacy, moderated by Lauren Hood. This program offers a distinctive opportunity to understand how Baldwin's profound insights into race and identity continue to inspire and shape contemporary artistic practices. 

The panel will feature three distinguished Black women creatives: Sabrina Nelson, Ashara Ekundayo, and Omo Misha, all Detroiters, each bringing their unique perspective and artistic expression. Through a blend of individual and collective work, the panelists will explore how Baldwin's exploration of identity, race, and social justice informs and resonates within their artistic practices. This discussion will highlight how Baldwin's legacy continues to influence and inspire their creative endeavors, underscoring the enduring relevance of his work in addressing and reflecting on issues of Blackness and identity.

Learn more about Frontline Prophet: James Baldwin

Meet the Panel

ARTIST

Sabrina Nelson has been a professional interdisciplinary artist for over 37 years, exhibiting throughout the Midwest and in Florida, New York, Louisiana, California, and Paris, France. She works in a variety of media and styles – from painting, drawing and sculpture, to art instillations, performances, and more. Nelson is also an educator, lecturer, and ‘artivist’—using her art as a medium for activism. She has been with the College for Creative Studies, College of Art & Design in Arts Administration for 29 years and with the Detroit Institute of Arts Education Department for 28 years. She has taught African American Art History at CCS and Oakland University, served on the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp faculty and as guest curator for the Carr Center and the Detroit Music Hall Performing Arts Center. She earned her BFA in Fine Arts from CCS in 1991. She is a Kresge Arts Fellow for 2021-2022. Her work was featured on PBS in 2020 & 2022. awarded the 2022 WCA President’s Award for Art & Activism by the Women's Caucus for Art (WCA).    

Learn more at https://www.sabrinanelsonart.com

Co-Curators 

Co-curators, Ashara Ekundayo and Omo Misha are practiced creative allies of Nelson’s who are committed to sharing this exhibition around the world.  

Ashara Ekundayo is a Detroit and Oakland, CA based culture worker and independent curator, and the founder of the international platform Artist As First Responder. Her interdisciplinary creative practice is rooted in joy- informed pedagogies and the study and creation of Black archives, site-responsive ceremony, and artist-based strategies that illuminate the specific expertise of Black women and femmes of the African Diaspora.

Learn more at https://www.ashara.io




A Detroit and New York-based curator and arts administrator, Omo Misha has served numerous New York institutions including the United Nations, CHRISTIE’S and City College Center for the Arts, while operating Detroit’s Irwin House Gallery. Her practice focuses on the development of emerging talent and strengthening creative communities between Detroit and Harlem. 

Learn more at https://omomisha.com

Moderator

Lauren A. Hood is the Founder and Chief Visionary of the Institute for AfroUrbanism (IAU). The IAU is a think tank and action lab working at the intersection of human actualization and urban transformation. The institute's research and programming seeks to understand the social, spatial, spiritual and economic conditions necessary in order for Black folks to thrive in cities. Last year, Lauren joined the faculty at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan as an Assistant Professor of Practice teaching electives on reparative planning and culture-centric community development. 

Lauren is an avid daydreamer and powerful manifestor who finds inspiration in the woods, near the ocean and in desolate landscapes where the veil is thin.