Afrofuturism: Reimagining Art Curricula for Black Existence
13 Every day, there are new tragic events that lead me to believe that we are in a 21st century dystopia of racial hate. My reprieve from these futureless visions has only come during engagements with the arts, specifi cally art created by Black artists who center Blackness and Afrodiasporic histories. In September 2018, I served as a community docent for Mickalene Th omas's exhibition, I Can't See You Without Me, at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio. For an hour, a couple of times a week, I was in the presence of Mickalene's muses, all Black women, diff erent shades of brown, who made me feel strong, visible, relevant, and central to all existence, past, present, and future. Th omas's aesthetics, patterns, and materials felt like home, and she off ered a future in which Black women could assertively and inconsequently stare back into the eyes of White audiences who gazed on them and judged their brown skin. A similar liberating aesthetic experience happened in January 2019 while I attended a live jazz performance by musical artist Mark Lomax. Lomax's work, entitled "400: An Afrikan Epic," had three movements that told "the story of black America stretching from Pre colonial Afrika, through the 400 years aft er the start of the Transatlantic slave trade in 1619, and into the Afrofuture while celebrating the creativity of a people who continue to endure" (MarkLomax.com, 2019, para. 2) Lomax's musical arrangements guided me on a contemplative, imaginary journey about the past, before slavery; the present; and, most importantly, the future, which situated Africa at the center of all human advancements. Th e rhythms and syncopations of Lomax's compositions lift ed my spirit to another land, to soil that felt comfortable and safe and mine to sow for future generations.