Black in Mayberry Showcases FREEDOM: Celebrating the Art and Voices of Black Artists, Feature 2 | Lifestyle

FREEDOM Artist Feature 2

Buena Johnson:

Buena Johnson works primarily with pencil, creating incredible detail and extracting powerful emotions with her art. Utilizing both realism and surrealism, she composes pieces that reflect the “Black American experience, address the difficulties of previous eras, and shine a light on historic harm,” she said. Drawing from history, personal experiences, and her imagination, Johnson feels compelled to be a voice for her ancestors, to speak to our current society on their behalf with the aim of reaching the entire world with her message of hope and positive change. As the featured artist of FREEDOM – her piece “Ancestral Crown” was featured on the poster, with a room dedicated to her art at the exhibition – she was honored to be a part of such a safe, open, and curious space.

For Johnson, freedom means many things: “being able to freely dream, and having the liberty to make those dreams come true,” she said, as well as being treated with respect and living without unjust restrictions and prejudices. Ultimately, she wants her art to remain as her legacy, “so anyone that has any of my work, or views my work, sees an unlimited number of hours,” she noted, “it’s the message, and the purpose, with which they are created” that hold the most importance.

Brittney S Price:

Brittney S Price, fine artist and muralist, views her work as pages of her diary. “My art serves as a mouthpiece for me, because I share – almost in real time – on social media, and I’m able to heal with my community,” she said. Helping others, especially women of color, recognize their own power and ability is integral to Price’s art. She hopes that they can “see some type of liberation, that they can feel empowered by it,” and stop being afraid to take a chance on themselves. As someone who used to be too afraid to pursue her dreams, Price knows firsthand how valuable believing in yourself is. “I do have fear, but I feel like I’m closer to freedom, which is being able to just be myself authentically,” she said.

Price felt that her pieces aligned with Black in Mayberry’s philosophy, and was eager to use the platform to create the representation that was missing from her childhood. “If anybody is trying to get into the art field and they feel like it’s too late for them to jump in, I would tell them to go ahead and do it,” commented Price, “take a risk on yourself.”

Terry Lynn:

A combination of “community, race, and creativity,” Terry Lynn combines figurative and abstract, utilizing geometric forms in his paintings. Using history to tell stories, he incorporates patterns into his pieces, aiming to blur the lines of reality. He delves into the past with an emphasis on the importance of “looking back in order to move forward” without forgetting “those who paved the way for all of us,” he said. Lynn’s work aims to spread creativity, start conversations, and connect with people. He hopes to “continue to grow, and be at the top: my potential is unlimited.”

Lynn felt compelled to participate in FREEDOM due to its discussion of liberation and “racism, which is an important part of my work,” said Lynn. He remains cognizant of our current proximity to horrors like Jim Crow, for which his grandfather was alive. For him, freedom means “this deep responsibility, this deep joy, [and] at the same time this happiness,” all of which he takes on in his artwork. 

Devin Wesley:

Devin Wesley paints in black and white, but he’s all about the gray; for him, the human experience is too complex to be distilled into either black or white, and he represents this nuance through a lack of color. His art is a “journal for myself, but also a way for Black people to see themselves in ways not often seen in mainstream culture,” he said. Black men are often expected to be strong, and Wesley’s work destigmatizes the discussion around men’s mental health. “My work represents a different side of freedom that we don’t often discuss, which is the mental, emotional, spiritual side of freedom,” commented Wesley, and was drawn to FREEDOM’s exploration of these themes. 

He hopes that everyone is inspired by, and feels seen by, his art. Incorporating mirrors into his pieces allows all groups to connect with it, and “the world is a better place when we all have empathy for one another. So the goal of my work is to highlight the beauty of Blackness, but hopefully connect with everyone regardless of race,” he said.

Any inquiries can be made through each artist’s website linked above.