My Essential Question: How can art be used to deepen our understanding of the complex topics addressed in Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved?

       I am an 18-year-old student artist, native to New York City. I joined the LREI community in the 9th grade and was introduced to my inspiration for this project, Toni Morrison, in my 10th-grade English class. 

       This series is a response to Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved, a rendition of the story of Margaret Garner, an enslaved Black woman who slit her baby’s throat to spare her child from a life of enslavement. My art is intended to artistically analyze and examine the text of Beloved, and provide a visual interpretation of the novel. My work was heavily influenced by the artists, Kehinde Wiley, Jennifer Packer, Alice Neel, and Edward Gorey. I worked in a variety of mediums including acrylic paint, graphite, oil pastels, fabric, and colored pencils. My process consisted of choosing a passage, researching the context of that passage, and then sketching what came to me as I listened to Toni Morrison read the passage aloud. After this idea generation period, I would choose one of the sketches to expand on. Each piece reflects a specific passage from the book and is meant to give the viewer a new perspective that may alter or enhance their overall understanding of the text. 

      In my  gallery, you will be able to virtually experience my artwork alongside the text of Beloved.