A new art show in Charlotte focuses on giving Black women a voice

When visual artist Teresa Hopson noticed a gap in Charlotte’s art scene, she drew up a proposal for an exhibit featuring Black women artists.

Hopson received a $3,000 Artist Support Grant from the Arts & Science Council to coordinate the show.

“Charlotte is doing such an amazing job in terms of moving forward with inclusivity and diversity,” said Hopson, 33. “But, I had yet to see a show that was completely highlighting the Black female voice.

“In a lot of shows, we’re supporting pieces,” she said. “I wanted to see a show where we were at the center and we were the main voice.”

“Singing in the Dead of Night” opens on Sept. 3 at the Charlotte Art League featuring the artwork of six artists, all Black women. Hopson chose five other artists she admired and followed on Instagram: Makayla Binter, LaDara McKinnon and Tiffany Wilkins are Charlotte artists. Bria Erby is in Detroit and Najee Reese lives in Columbia.

“I loved their work and their artistic style,” she said. “For the last several years, I’ve thought, ‘I’d love to work with them.’ Now that I had this opportunity with the grant, we’re finally going to make this happen. I want their unique voices to be a part of this show.”

Each artist, including Hopson, will provide several pieces for the show.

“I’m asking each of these ladies to portray the Black female experience through their work and what that means to them,” Hopson says. “The show is about the individual woman’s Black voice and what that means to her.”

‘Beauty being birthed from pain’

Hopson named the exhibit “Singing in the Dead of Night,” lyrics from The Beatles’ song, “Blackbird.” The words resonate with her: Black women have had so much to overcome, she said.

“The song was written as a commentary for African American life in the 1960s by Paul McCartney,” Hopson says. “I pulled the title from the lyrics: ‘Singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly.’ I feel like the lyrics for that song are poignant when thought of through the lens of an African American woman.”

Hopson is a portrait artist, working in acrylics with a focus on Black women.

Part of her contribution to the exhibit will be a triptych, a three-part story, called, “The Art of Healing.” The first one took her 18 months to complete. She started it during the pandemic when she experienced hardship.

“I want to highlight being able to heal after troubled circumstances,” she said. “I had to go to a certain place while painting it. It was very cathartic and helped me through what I was feeling emotionally in that time.”

“They that Sow in Tears,” is the first in the series, a painting of a Black woman.

“It’s supposed to be representative of beauty being birthed from pain,” Hopson said. “If you look at the painting, this woman is crying. Her tears are gold. Her tears are actually watering the garden beneath her. Out of her pain is a flourishing beautiful garden. The rest of the series follows suit.”

Painting and faith

Reese received a message from Hopson in January about participating in “Singing in the Dead of Night.” She was thrilled.

“We talked a little bit about what the project was about,” said Reese, 22. “I was on board for the project. I’m a big believer in Black women supporting Black women.”

Reese is a self-taught artist. She lives in Columbia and teaches art in an elementary school in South Carolina through the Auntie Karen Foundation, a nonprofit focused on bringing art to children living in rural areas.

She identifies as a spiritual-based painter. Typically, she writes scripture on a canvas and then paints over it in acrylic.

“I paint solely based on my faith,” she said. “That’s a lot of my experience as a Black woman. It’s really reflected in my work.”

One of the four pieces she’ll include will be “Victoria Orchids.” She painted the 38-inch by 46-inch portrait in two days after seeing a photograph of a dress from the Victorian period.

“I started getting attached to Victorian style paintings,” Reese said. “There are not many of Black women. I felt like with this piece, it’s a way to change the narrative. I wanted to recapture us (Black women) in a regal style.”

Navigating space

Hopson also sent Binter a message through social media inviting her to participate in the show.

Binter’s a painter, photographer and muralist. She’s working toward a Master of Urban Design at UNC Charlotte in 2021, after finishing at Davidson College in 2020. She also coaches track and field at Charlotte Country Day and works at Free Range Brewery in NoDa and Camp North End.

Binter plans to submit all new artwork to the exhibit. She hopes to combine what she’s learning in her urban design classes with her art practice.

“I think a lot about how I navigate space as a Black woman,” Binter said. “I often think about how a lot of spaces aren’t developed for Black people or for Black women, specifically.

“I’ve been trying to think about what the physical space is I occupy? Also, what is the internal space I occupy? How do they overlap with each other? How does the external affect my internal environment?”

‘Singing In The Dead Of Night’

What: An art exhibit highlighting works by six Black women.

When: Sept. 3-30 with an opening reception from 6-10 p.m., Sept. 3

Where: Charlotte Art League, 4237 Raleigh St.

Cost: Free

Details: teresachristine.com or on Instagram @SITDON_offical

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This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 6:00 AM.