We want to see, hear, feel, support your art and response to this moment. You can submit a poem, short story, artwork or any shareable experience below. If your work is selected, you will receive a $100 stipend and become part of our growing network of artists.
This week we welcome Nia Imani Winslow, a self-taught collage artist based in Brooklyn and originally from Washington, DC. Winslow draws on her taste for fashion and finds inspiration in Black artists such as Romare Bearden, Kerry James Marshall, Faith Ringgold, and Jacob Lawrence to illustrate the colorful essences of the Black figures in each of her compositions.
Using paper as her preferred material, Winslow combines the complexities of different textures, cuttings and clippings to illuminate figures, moods and stories. Vibrant hues and tints are used to convey the spirit of Black lives. Through her artistry, Winslow combines her passion for style and her chosen medium to inspire self-love and inventiveness in individuals, with a principal focus on Black people.
“I use my work to emulate real-life experiences as it pertains to Black life. Mundane or complex, each piece is created to capture the essence of life through the lens of someone who experiences it. As no reality is the same, each work is created using several different pieces of paper, fabrics, and other textures, to create a completed composition. Every material is used to represent a distinct emotion, background, and way of life. I consider each work a piece of a whole. The “whole” represents my entire body of work – a conglomeration of designs used to depict separate, but sometimes similar, Black existences,” she explains.
“Throughout my work, bright colors are utilized to illustrate vibrancy in the Black figures I choose to portray. My goal is for Black people of all shades, ethnicities and backgrounds to be able to see themselves, their mothers, fathers, siblings, or friends, in my work.”
See more of Winslow’s work on her website.
