Make it Plain: Exhibition Walk Through

People have been asking questions about my current show and I would love to share some insight with you about how the show came together as well as the research behind the works. I will start with explaining the over all concepts and then will create a couple posts about individual artworks.  In this first post I will explain the overall concept behind the show, using my artist statement.  In the next few posts I will describe the research and concepts behind the individual works.

What you see as you walk into the gallery.

Artist Statement

The drawing technique of ink and wash along with the communication aspect of graphic design are both influential in my current work. I tend to focus on social issues; the most recent work deals with the history of African American religious culture.

This body of work addresses various aspects of African American religious culture. Make it Plain deals with some of the history behind a small sample of African American religious leaders as well as a variety of religious traditions. My goal with this show is to give an overview of basic African American history (that we are not taught in school) as well as a basic overview of how slavery, African American history, and African American theology interact with each other. I addressed the culture that individuals like Malcolm X and James Cone were responding to to help the viewer understand American history from a more diverse viewpoint.

I understand that the history of colonialism and slavery, as well as the effects of both is not a pleasant topic but it should not be ignored, swept under the rug or sugar coated. My goal with this show is to present the raw reality of America’s past and the history of African American culture as a response to that past.

The end of institutional slavery did not solve the many problems of racism in America. Malcolm X responded to this hate by saying that the African American population must learn to love themselves. James cone combined the self-love of Malcolm X with Martin Luther King’s ideas of loving others to form the view that we must love ourselves so that we can love others. Cone also discussed a Jesus of the oppressed; a Black Jesus that oppressed people can relate to.

Felicia Follum


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Works of Wyoming Internship

Fellow artists, family and friends. I would like to introduce you to Works of Wyoming. I am currently the AmeriCorps intern working primarily on social media marketing as well as working in the gallery space and gift shop. (Last year I worked as the Graphic Design Intern for WOW and the WWBC. You can see my blog for that here.)

As the social media marketing person (I would love to say coordinator, though I do not officially have a title) I have been posting some marketing tips on the WOW blog. My current goal is to post every week on either Tuesday or Thursday and sometimes both. In addition to weekly social media marketing tips, there are basic professional development tips for artists, some fun projects and of course announcements for our workshops and shows.

It would make my day if you would check out the blog and share it with your friends, especially artists and small business owners who could benefit from our services.  In addition to sharing the blog with people, I would also love to have more examples to post.  If you would like to have your social media site, plans, or strategies in the blog, please comment below or contact me on the WOW Facebook page.  If you would like to contact me through WOW feel free.  Their phone number is 307.742.6574 and the email address is wow@uwyo.edu.

If you are not from Wyoming and would like help with your social media comment below for more info.  If you are from WY not a part of WOW you should look into becoming a member.

Contact

WOW
WOW Blog
WOW Facebook
307.742.6574

Personal
Art Facebook Page (I don't add people I don't know in real life to my personal page, so be sure to go to FeliciaFollumDesign not FeliciaFollum. Thanks!)

Make it Plain: Malcolm X Documentary

My Exhibition was named Make it Plain in honor of Malcolm X.  Here is the documentary on Malcolm with the same name.  I chose the name because I wanted to make the history plain to people.  I didn't want to sugar coat reality just as Malcolm didn't.  He said what many black people had been thinking for some time.

Part 1

Some great Quotes
"When many were begging to be let into the house of the oppressor, he said to build your own house."

Malcolm and I have something in common...both of our biological fathers were murdered by the KKK because they didn't give in (and my adoptive father had his car bombed, arguably because he was white)...We both grew up in white neighborhoods with mostly white kids. 

Haitian Abstract

Just thought I would share a photo that I took while in Haiti.
I like this image as a photo, but would love to push it a little further.

I am not sure exactly where I will go with this, but

I would like to draw the or paint something similar.

I really like the lines and shapes.

What would you like to see this turn into?

Sneak Peak

Here is a little bit of what you may have seen around and a sneak peak at what you will see if you come to my opening tonight.

  I hope you can make it...For those of you who are out of town, I will be sure to post some more photographs of my art work.  The show consists of graphic design posters, graffiti style name drawings in ink, and a whole bunch of noose drawings to represent the culture James Cone and Malcolm X were responding to.

If you can make it to the opening, be sure to like my Facebook page!

I will be giving away some artwork.  The catch is you must like my Facebook page and attend the opening.  

I will also be offering some more promotions and discounts on my work through my FB page in the future, so like the page even if you cant come to the opening..

Idetity and Inspiration

Like any other business, an artist should have a visual identity. This identity should be clean and consistent throughout your social media sites, website, letterhead, and business cards. I just printed a bunch of cards this summer that do not match my updated branding that is on my website, facebook page and blog...I also made some others for my show opening.

I plan to use my current cards while I begin designing my cards. Every time designing takes place, visual research also occurs…Here is some of my business card inspiration (They only seem to work on some browsers.  I will work on fixing that for you). Which are you favorites?