“When we think about black and brown bodies, and working class people within a context of a post-colonial space, they’re always seen as the people who are least valued within the society. So as you walk through the space, beauty is used as a kind of tool to suck the viewer in to talking about these heavier conversations around visibility.” —Ebony G. Patterson
Ebony G. Patterson is a young (b. 1981) artist from Kingston, Jamaica whose jaw-dropping installation at the Pérez Art Museum Miami, Ebony G. Patterson . . . while the dew is still on the roses . . . (through May 5, 2019) was a highlight of Miami Art Week in December 2018. Last week, PAMM director Franklin Sirmans announced the acquisition of a large tapestry work by Patterson, as well as the launch of the museum’s Fund for African American Art, seeded by a $1 million grant from the Jorge M. Pérez and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for the purpose of adding contemporary art by African American artists to the museum’s permanent collection.
In this video, we watch Patterson work on the installation while she discusses the intent of the work to spark conversation around marginalized voices.