“Searching”

An Exploration for Representation

THE FACES WE SEE

This collection is shaped by personal experiences and my desire to underscore the lack of BIPOC representation in museums and the profound impact this absence has on identity and culture. Museums have the power and influence to illustrate what is valuable, important, and worth learning about. If they only curate, celebrate, and display one culture or perspective, what are they saying about everyone else? What does this teach? I wanted to focus on portraits to reflect on how this issue makes me feel. This collection is both a protest and an invitation: a call to rethink who is represented and how while encouraging deeper connections and investment in the stories often untold.

Ideation and Creation

I went to the Museum of Fine Arts and took pictures of every portrait I saw. I ended up using 25 different portraits in this collection. I was inspired by “The Lady with a Red Shawl” portrait, which became the cornerstone of this project.

I invite you to search and reflect. Thank you.

"The Lady with a Red Shawl"

About 1840, Oil on canvas

Artist once known

American, mid-19th century

Who is this woman, gazing out of the painting under a furrowed brow? We do not know her name, whether she was enslaved or free, or even anything about the artist who carefully renderred her likeness. Her ruffled day cap dates to the late 1830s, and her red shawl, drapped over her shoulders under a lace fichu, could be cashmere. Her cap and closely cropped gray hair suggest elderhood; her eyes well up with memories of a long, enigmatic life.

Gift of John D. Constable and the Visiting Committee of Department of Paintings, 1991 1991.697

When I first encountered this piece at the Museum of Fine Arts, I was compelled by the idea of this woman’s unspoken narrative. She became the face of my emotions — the face of countless individuals erased or reduced to a single brushstroke of history. The Lady with a Red Shawl speaks to the very heart of this collection: the act of searching for representation. By honoring this portrait and exploring it through my work, I aim to elevate these voices, even when their histories remain silent. The Lady with a Red Shawl is not just a piece of art; she is a call to remember, investigate, and redefine the history we see displayed in our cultural institutions.