The Black Yearbook
Donation protected
The University of Texas at Austin prides itself in its diversity. Yet of its nearly 52,000 students, only 2473 are black. Last year on campus, only 925 black men enrolled on campus, roughly 1.7% of the campus population.
In my first solo exhibition at the George Washington Carver Museum, 1.7, I set out to tell the stories of these black men through exploring the space of Blackness in the male identity to evoke a larger conversation and bring our realities to light.
In The Black Yearbook, I document small moments of radiance in the lives of black Texan college students. By inserting myself into the domestic spaces of these men and women as they navigate coming of age, reality, and the pressures of fitting in within typically white spaces, I'm able to situate black joy within a greater conversation on being. My works primarily look at the lives of University of Texas students as we navigate life in a campus environment in which we are an extreme minority.
The title The Black Yearbook references the absence of black students at primarily white academic institutions. By exploring the unbelonging in between space students at such universities must experience, I'm able to isolate moments in which we feel power and lightness. Finding a sense of inclusion in a space not necessarily carved out for us, our strength and joy is an act of defiance. The Black Yearbook represents these black bodies as reshaping the culture of the space we inhabit simply by existing within that space.
However, there are many financial barriers to embarking on this project. I would greatly appreciate any financial assistance you could provide to turn this vision into a real exhibition of the daily lives experiences of Black students at the University of Texas. The project will be exhibited to the public in a August/September 2020 showcase. The project was originally planned to be released in May, but due to the pandemic and many other unforeseen circumstances it was in our best interest to postpone. With most print-on-demand publishers being outside of the U.S. I am unable to print in this capacity and have to pay to produce the book upfront. Even if you are unable to donate at the moment, please share this with anyone that maybe able to do the same or donate.
"There's no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you".
-Maya Angelou
In my first solo exhibition at the George Washington Carver Museum, 1.7, I set out to tell the stories of these black men through exploring the space of Blackness in the male identity to evoke a larger conversation and bring our realities to light.
In The Black Yearbook, I document small moments of radiance in the lives of black Texan college students. By inserting myself into the domestic spaces of these men and women as they navigate coming of age, reality, and the pressures of fitting in within typically white spaces, I'm able to situate black joy within a greater conversation on being. My works primarily look at the lives of University of Texas students as we navigate life in a campus environment in which we are an extreme minority.
The title The Black Yearbook references the absence of black students at primarily white academic institutions. By exploring the unbelonging in between space students at such universities must experience, I'm able to isolate moments in which we feel power and lightness. Finding a sense of inclusion in a space not necessarily carved out for us, our strength and joy is an act of defiance. The Black Yearbook represents these black bodies as reshaping the culture of the space we inhabit simply by existing within that space.
However, there are many financial barriers to embarking on this project. I would greatly appreciate any financial assistance you could provide to turn this vision into a real exhibition of the daily lives experiences of Black students at the University of Texas. The project will be exhibited to the public in a August/September 2020 showcase. The project was originally planned to be released in May, but due to the pandemic and many other unforeseen circumstances it was in our best interest to postpone. With most print-on-demand publishers being outside of the U.S. I am unable to print in this capacity and have to pay to produce the book upfront. Even if you are unable to donate at the moment, please share this with anyone that maybe able to do the same or donate.
"There's no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you".
-Maya Angelou
Organizer
Adraint Bereal
Organizer
Austin, TX