Starshine & Clay

Tanekeya Word

2019 · Linocut, gouache, acrylic ink, decorative paper collage · Drawings and Prints

In Starshine & Clay, Word engages the history and work of American sculptor Alison Saar (born 1956) to call attention to Black artistic and matriarchal lineages. Word writes Saar was "birthed from the creative lioness Betye Saar, I, too, was birthed by a creative lioness and am a creative lioness who is a mother." Word, the founder of Black Women of Print and curator of Continuum, creates work that centers Black women and girls. Here, a regal figure is framed by circular orange and gold forms that recall the sun, haloes, and mystical spaces. The title derives from Lucille Clifton’s 1993 poem "won’t you celebrate with me" and the poet’s references to Black women’s power and resilience in the face of racial and gender inequalities.

Artist

Tanekeya Word

Date

2019

Medium

Linocut, gouache, acrylic ink, decorative paper collage

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

John B. Turner Fund, 2021