Black Her Stories Nourish

In this episode, we dive into a conversation with Judy Bowman. Bowman is a mixed-media collage artist whose figurative works celebrate the rhythm and beauty woven into the fabric of Black American culture. Born and raised on the Eastside of Detroit, Judy uses vibrant colors and textured paper to illustrate visual narratives of her family, friends, and the everyday elegance of her community. 
Considering herself a visual griot, she sees her job to tell stories that are reflective of her coming-of-age in Detroit’s Eastside and Black Bottom neighborhoods. Often compared to Romare Bearden, she too is committed to a Black aesthetic and her craft. Judy Bowman is the recipient of the 2023 Mack Alive Ambassador Fine Art Collection Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2022 Alain Locke Recognition Art Awardee, and a 2021 Kresge Artist Fellow. 
 
In this episode, we talk about: 
Jazz and the Importance of Practice
Detroit Style and Fashion in the Black Community 
Pride, Dignity, and Respect



Resources: 
Judy Bowman 
https://www.judybowman.com/
IG: judybowmanartist
Websites: 
 
References
Detroit Uprising of 1967
AfriCOBRA
Romare Bearden
Charles White
Jacob Lawrence
 
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In the spirit of constant experimentation and eternal expansion, we’re doing things a little differently this season.
As we continue to explore Detroit as a character through creative storytelling, we thought, what better way to uplift diverse narratives than to let Detroiter speak for themselves? 
So we’re hitting the streets, talking to strangers, and passing the microphone to members of the community to hear what they have to say. 
This very first Community Voice episode was a collaboration between Michaela Ayers and Jassmine Parks. We hope you enjoy.
 
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In this episode, we dive into a conversation with Yvette Rock. Rock was born in Paramaribo, Suriname in 1975. She received a BFA in 1997 from Cooper Union in New York City and an MFA in Painting from the University of Michigan in 1999. Yvette is the co-founder of Detroit Connections at U of M, and founder and Executive Director of Live Coal - a non-profit organization in Detroit. She has been an artist-in-residence in Detroit schools since 1999, and an active member of her community as a professional artist for 24 years. 
Yvette exhibits widely throughout southeast Michigan. Her accolades include three Knight Arts Challenge awards and a Documenting Detroit Fellowship. As a visual artist, community development activist, wife, and mother of five children, Yvette brings a wealth of life experience and insight into her art practice. 
 
In this episode, we talk about: 
The power of play and experimentation 
Paramaribo, Suriname
Memory & Motherhood
 
Resources: 
Yvette Rock 
www.yvetterock.com
www.livecoal.org
Websites: 
 
Referenced Works
In Cedars Loving Arms
Detroit RePatched
Awards
Three-time Knight Arts Challenge Awardee.
Documenting Detroit Fellowship

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In this episode, we dive into a conversation with Takeisha Jefferson. Jefferson is a Michigan native and a seasoned portrait photographer passionate about art history. Her subjects frequently include her family, and her oeuvre also touches on Black womanhood and empowerment themes.
 Her photographic storytelling has earned her a feature on Google Arts and Culture and a spotlight in Aida Amoaka's book As We See It: Artists Reshaping Black Identity, which showcases 30 black artists from around the world. As a disabled veteran, wife, and mother of four, Takeisha brings a wealth of life experience and insight into her art practice.  
In this episode, we talk about: 
The power of the image
The gaze
How to advocate for Black women artists
 
In this episode, we dive into a conversation with Takeisha Jefferson. Jefferson is a Michigan native and a seasoned portrait photographer who has a passion for art history. Her subjects frequently include her family, and her oeuvre also touches on themes of Black womanhood and empowerment.
 Her photographic storytelling has earned her a feature on Google Arts and Culture and a spotlight in Aida Amoaka's book As We See It: Artists Reshaping Black Identity, which showcases 30 black artists from around the world. As a disabled veteran, wife, and mother of four, Takeisha brings a wealth of life experience and insight into her art practice. 
In this episode, we talk about: 
The power of representation, advocacy, and the image
The gaze
How to advocate for Black women artists
Resources: 
Takeisha Jefferson
Website: https://takeishas.com/
Referenced Works
Google Arts and Culture Affiliations & Awards Nominated - Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2021 - Wetzlar, Germany
Committee Member - My Sisters and Me Women of Color Photographers
Member - Women of Color Unite
Member - Detriot Fine Arts Breakfast Club
Member - Women’s Caucus for Art
Carrie Mae Weems
Website: http://carriemaeweems.net/
Referenced Works The Kitchen Table Series  
Jassmine Parks
Referenced Work blk  
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Hello there!
It's been a minute, but Black Her Stories (BHS) is back! Catch up with BHS creator and host, Michaela Ayers, as she reflects on 2022 and looks ahead at what's on the horizon of a new year. 
In season two, we continue our quest of unearthing stories of Black women based in Detroit, Michigan with a focus on visual artists. Together, we'll explore the roles of community, creativity, and history as sources of individual and collective power. 
Through conversations with the city's eminent and emerging artists, we will find meaning in colors, shapes, symbols, and textures. We really hope you'll join us! 
Season two of Black Her Stories will launch in March. Like, follow, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. 
 
 
 

In this episode, we wander into a conversation with Nandi Comer. Comer is the author of American Family: A Syndrome (Finishing Line Press) and Tapping Out (Northwestern University Press). She also serves as a poetry editor for Obsidian Literature and Arts in the African Diaspora and as the Director of the Allied Media Projects Seeds Program.  
Together, we celebrate the work of Vievee Francis. Vievee Francis is a poet, award-winning author, and editor, and currently teaches English and creative writing as an Associate Professor at Dartmouth College. Of her own poetry, Francis said, “I’m very much saying that how African-American women are defined is inhuman in its narrowness and that I, for one, am not going to allow it.”
We investigate the power of the persona as a tool for deep empathy, and how Francis’s practice of telling stories that break the silence connects to the collective memories of the Juneteenth holiday. 
In this episode, we talk about: 
The practice of persona in poetry and in community  Creativity is a collective practice Anticipating contradictions within our personal and collective narratives Resources: 
Nandi Comer  Website: https://www.nandicomer.com/ Referenced Works American Family: A Syndrome Tapping Out Vievee Francis About: Vievee Francis Referenced Works Forest Primeval Detroit References Hart Plaza The Ambassador Bridge Belle Isle  ◉ Get in Touch: Nourish.community
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