“It’s not a problem when you fail. it’s a problem when you give up.”
Michelle “Bunny” Gregory
With the consumption of Black art reaching heights previously unseen, THE BLOCK wanted to dive deeper and spend some time with some unsung heroes of the Black arts world.
While we as fans and consumers of Black art are only on one end of the spectrum, these influential individuals investigate the farthest reaches and untested capabilities of our culture every day. Graciously, THE BLOCK was able to spend the better part of a warm Thursday afternoon visiting two of the most creative, forward-thinking, big-hearted Black women in that mold.
The first, Michelle Gregory—or Ms. Bunny as she’s known around town—the platinum blonde locs wearing, artistic genius, community-loving God Momma we all wish we had. Toiling away in her newly donated workshop for her recently-acquired Mobile Arts Studio.
The second, Carla Aaron-Lopez—or King Carla in these streets—the big haired, unfiltered truth-bearing, right-brain dominant, visionary big sister we all should’ve had. Cracking jokes and tall boys at her studio at BLKMRKT CLT over in Charlotte’s Camp North End.
These women are not only very well-known artists and community servants in their own regard, but are super important—because even in 2021 they are both breaking down barriers and establishing ‘new normals’ for the nourishment, acceptance and accessibility of Black art.
As highlighted in a previous article on THE BLOCK, the consumption of melanated creativity has always followed cyclical patterns. Since the Harlem Renaissance days, the impact and mainstream acceptance of Black art has been largely inconsistent. If it wasn’t for the boldness of David Driskell and the intentional organization of his 1976 exhibit “Two Centuries of Black American Art” there would be even more questions and unfulfilled legacies than what remain today.
While the message of freedom and self expression has always remained true throughout our history in the United States, the prevalence and appreciation of works created has not.
From Harlem, we leapfrogged to the Blaxploitation era of soul and funk, which eventually gave way to the hip-hop generation and the digital age. All related, yet different and still not all-encompassing of the Black experience in the 20th century. We’ve always had to be accepted in moderation, if at all; and usually needed the co-sign of a white counterpart in order to gain validity in the mainstream.
“we just want to make sure people of color—black faces and brown faces—are heard and have the ability to put their works on display as emerging artists.”
“King Carla” Aaron-Lopez
To combat these sentiments, we’ve done what Black people have always done in this country. We made our own way. But much like the Tulsa’s, the Wilmington’s, The Flint’s and countless other self-sustainable Black municipalities, we get systematically dismantled and/or denied access to the most basic of resources.
That’s why our champions in the 21st century Black arts community like Bunny and Carla are so vital to our collective future.
“It’s like, ‘Do I need money?’ Yes. I need money. I like money. But, that’s not what keeps me doing this,” Ms. Bunny told THE BLOCK. “It’s actually seeing people come through anything that I started and seeing them on the other side, whether they’re around or not, they’re still here. Because, now they’re doing what they wanted to do. Somebody supported them and now they can help other artists,” she continued.
That is the overarching theme discovered during these conversations. Empowerment. Paving the way and securing channels for artists of color to gain opportunities for exposure and acceptance.
“I am just one part of Black Market Charlotte (BLKMRKT CLT). While we have different facets. We just want to make sure people of color—Black faces and brown faces—are heard and have the ability to put their works on display as emerging artists,” Carla said.
“Starting with Will and Dammit Wesley, what has happened over time is that BLKMRKT CLT has become the center point for a lot of young Black artists, Latinx artists and Asian artists to have a space where they can be themselves. Every art space isn’t as forgiving or welcoming if you will.”
To Carla’s point, people of color are often looked down upon for being loud, bold and vibrant while often being the catalyst in driving popular, mainstream culture because of that same loudness, boldness and vibrance. However, it can be argued that the tides are turning again in that battle. Ms. Bunny has a unique perspective given her position, literally from the grassroots level.
“I definitely see in Black art—anything from gardening to music, it’s an art to be able to create whatever—the changes from when I was growing up. We allowed sh*t to happen as opposed to making sh*t happen. I think we are in a space now of making things happen for us regardless of where we grew up or how much money our parents had. I think we’ve changed so much. I think the public is beginning to recognize Black art as a real force. People are coming out to exhibits, donating and honestly, these are white folks! [laughter]”
But is that enough?
It always seems to rotate back around to white acceptance. Where is the Black support? While we are grateful for the white allies who are also tired of the remedial, “classical” expressions of Euro-centric works and push their own traditional boundaries for more contemporary advances, Black art is constantly toeing the line of being “too white for the Black folks” and “too Black for the white folks.”
“Museums and galleries are spaces that traditionally haven’t been welcoming to people of color or people of color have felt like they cannot cross the lines of that space. When the truth of the matter is you always could have, but how people treat you—ooh, that’s the catch.” Carla expressed.
“We had two exhibitions recently in traditionally white spaces, the second was essentially a block party in the middle of South End, in which we celebrated our Blackness as a whole and that was pretty cool. We had cars playing music loud, a DJ going, my uncles pulled up, and we had fried chicken and fried fish. My best friend showed up and decided to grill some jerk chicken at the drop of a dime. So, these things are very, very Black things, and they can be experienced in these spaces. We don’t have to pretty them up so much that it takes away from the experience,” Carla added.
Perhaps that is where the biggest step has taken place.
Black acceptance in the mainstream was largely believed to hinge upon how one spoke or how one presented themselves, how “clean cut” they were. That seems to be changing on a larger scale.
“We have art markets and bonfires, and it’s so many people from all walks of life that come out to experience and have fun. No, things are still not great, there are a lot of changes we need to make like how we treat one another in this world. But there are some good people and we need everybody. I am definitely pro-Black, but I am never anti anything,” Ms. Bunny said.
From the onset of the Black Lives Matter movement through the constant battle against police brutality and equity in representation, it is undeniable that Black voices are being amplified more and more in commercial spaces.
That’s why the Black curator is so important.
Many were taken aback by 2020’s widespread acknowledgment of Kwanzaa, the commercial growth of Black History Month and even more recently, Juneteenth being declared a federal holiday. It’s met with equal parts relief and skepticism on several fronts and in a lot cases, justifiably so.
Both Carla and Bunny expressed how weird it feels to be publicly considered a leader in expanding Black art against “The Institution.” In a country that has seemingly been so hellbent on erasing Black history, it can feel odd at times to be treated fairly. Hell, it feels odd that Black men and women are still accomplishing ‘firsts’ in 2021, but that’s another point for another article.
There is no ‘art’ to the acceptance of art. It just is what it is. What has been declared acceptable by Euro-centric standards is being heavily challenged by unbothered Black savants equipped with the knowledge of ancestors that paid the cost for them to become the boss.
Snoop Dogg has a whole album about this.
The cyclical nature of Black art acceptance has to stabilize at some point and with more Black faces being present at the decision making table, that future is becoming a fast reality.
According to Carla, “David Driskell literally led the charge in terms of ‘Ok, now we’re defining American art through a Black lens.’ The next person to come into play would be Thelma Golden, who coined the phrase and concept ‘post-racial’ only to have to come back years later and have to openly acknowledge that we’re not exactly a ‘post-racial society’ but yet, ‘post-Civil Rights’. That’s where we are as Black artists.”
“Anything leading up to AfriCOBRA, founded in 1968, is what is referenced most as Black Art by the traditional institutions. So once you go beyond that era, where are we now? Who exists that’s not already Kehinde Wiley? Mickalene Thomas? Rashaad Newsome? Hank Willis-Thomas? These are our heavyweights today and they’re coming up on 15-20 years at that professional level.”
Alongside Ms. Bunny and Carla, we have Janelle Logan at The McColl and Alex at LaCa Projects.
“My new favorite curator is this brother named Larry. I can’t pronounce his last name as he’s African, so in my book he’s just Larry O [laughter] and I can’t forget about Kimberly Drew “The Museum Mammy” and Amandala Stenberg,” Carla said. “So when you ask me about Black curators, I know that I’m falling in line, I just also know that I’m here in Charlotte.”
“We all need to understand that across the board, we have a growing art scene that can collaborate. People are here, they are working. We need to acknowledge them. My job as a Curator is to make sure I’m telling the story right.”
King Carla
Bunny, who prides herself on being in support roles and providing platforms, has put together years of trial, error, dreams and passion into one of the most unique means of introducing art to our Black and brown children in art-deprived areas—an overhauled school bus turned mobile arts studio.
Powered completely by passion and donations of captivated individuals, Bunny is able to service the arts community in ways that traditional arts institutions never considered.
“As donations come in, we do a little bit more. We’re going to put the floors down today. The donations really help keep it running, you know gas and stuff. Even this space we’re in now, I can’t remember Roy’s last name, but he’s a developer over here on Monroe Road. He read about what I was doing with the bus and just reached out like “Hey, I like what you’re doing, I have a space for you if you can use it,” Bunny recalled.
While Carla is opening doors for that emerging artist to have the same access as a Kehinde Wiley, Bunny is introducing the basic ideas and possibilities to the child who has yet to learn who Kehinde Wiley even is. Both are vital in the evolution of Black art acceptance.
“Be an artist. Be whatever it is that you want to be. The truth of the matter is that if you put as much time and energy into your craft as you do as your 9 to 5, you can’t lose!”
Bunny
“Crabs in a barrel only exists because you wanted to be the star the whole time and you didn’t want to tell the truth. You decided to spread lies instead. I don’t have time for that. I’ve lived several lifetimes, all of this stuff can be gone tomorrow, so remaining true and humble is the only way,” Carla added.
That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. Breaking the cycle of processes we’ve come to accept as normal, like working a dead-end job with no life-enhancing qualities to harboring hatred and resentment for those who have taken risks to achieve their goals. The more representation and access we have as a people to know that there are better options, the less likely we are to continue generational curses that have plagued us for decades.
Black art has the absolute power to not only liberate ourselves, but to liberate the entire world.
So like Ms. Bunny said, failure is the precursor to success. Follow your heart and never give up.
For more information on Ms. Bunny and The Underground Mobile Arts Studio, follow her on IG @theunderground4lyfe
For more information on Carla, BLKMRKTCLT and upcoming exhibitions, visit blkmrktclt.com, iamkingcarla.com and follow her on IG @iamkingcarla
