Abigail Lanza
Generational Responsibility
Air-dry clay, wood, acrylic, ink
18" x 12" x 6"
These sculptures represent the choice of healing generational traumas. Showing the effects on each person there is a transition within each figure. The first sculpture towers over the next with a broken heart and a dark black inked body. Its furrowed bow represents the worries and hurt passed down through generations. The next figure has a lighter gray color and a look of care as the last figure is shown as a whole being. This represents a person who moves through adversity and shines bright no matter the circumstance of those before them.
Abigail Lanza
Her name is Olivia
Air-dry clay, ink, acrylic, pastel
26" x 4" x 4"
I have intentionally created a figurative bust of my younger sister to shed light on the racism she experienced within our interracial family. Growing up it was common for us to get comments like "Who is your friend?" or "Is she adopted?" and this summer we finally broke the ice on this topic. She commented on how she was treated differently because her sisters and mother are white and after the revival of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 there seemed to be an air of concern AND relief. Black Lives Matter started in 2013 when a young black teen, Trayvon Martin, was murdered in Sanford, FL. This hashtag would later cause shifts within the community and make its way to light once more in 2020 with George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor's murder. BLM was a huge movement that shifted the dynamic of safety for her immensely. Our hometown is Lake Mary, FL just 20 minutes away from Sanford, and we witnessed firsthand the distress around the community during this time. Here I have made the base a tall wooden block, two sides have the names of unarmed black Americans who were murdered between 2020-2021. The opposing sides have the black power fist as a symbol of her strength. I have also incorporated the colors yellow and green for Jamaica's flag. The figure has a look of contentment, or pride as she stands strong with her shoulders back.
I vividly remember the day my sister told me she was going to protest in Orlando, FL. I panicked, crying on the phone I told her to be careful, to call if she needed me, and said everything a sister would to make sure she knew what she was getting into. It truly was an unruly time to be a young black person in America protesting for rights. I was so proud of her for getting out there, exercising this, and showing others that she would stand strong against the oppression of black Americans. The one thing I didn't do was tell her not to. The BLM marches will be remembered in history and my sister will get the chance to say that she was walking the streets protesting her rights alongside thousands of others, shouting, praying, and chanting for a change. My heart aches for those who lost their loved ones, friends, etc, and the thought of losing someone like my sister to this day still haunts me.
Below I have added a couple of pictures of my sister and me.
Research
In this Yale News article Britta Belli spoke on the racial disparities within the last 5 years. An analysis of 4,653 fatal police shootings, it showed black people were killed at three times the rate of white people. This is not a "might be" chance these are statistics from previous police shootings that have already happened. "“Those killed by police on average are young people — the average age for all victims is 34,”. She goes on to add that these shootings add 1.7 poor mental health days per black person which is an additional 5.5 million poor mental health days for Black Americans annually. "Ultimately, the researchers said, their findings indicate that systemic changes are needed."
The Encyclopedia Brittanica describes how Black Lives Matter came together starting with the incident of Travon Martin in 2013. Travon Martin was an unarmed black teen who was fatally shot in Sanford, FL in 2012. Black Lives Matter was a hashtag made for social media in support of Anti-black violence, especially police brutality. As this movement and hashtag have come a long way billions have shown support. Their mission is to draw attention to the treatment of black Americans, fight racism, and combat police brutality.
Below I have added the Black Lives Matter website. There are plenty of resources here for anybody looking for support, events, and news! This is a great resource to learn about where this started and how we can continue to fight for the rights of Black people everywhere.
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