Let Black artists have a voice

Finding the right place to get good art supplies to help our passions and creativity spark to life is hard to find. I had heard of the art store Blick when my friend at the time took me over there. I left with several brushes that have not been entirely used, a sketch book, and acrylic paints. Whenever I would have the chance, window shopping at Blick was high on the list.

Of course, that was before our new reality.

Finally, when a man is able to make his way through the maze of handicaps and get just one foot out of the jungle of poverty and exploration, he is subject to the whims of the political and economic giants of the city, which move in impersonally to crush the little flower of success that has just begun to bloom.

- Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? by Martin Luther King

Everywhere you look these days, in urban cities, there are people protesting. Chanting "Black Lives Matter!" with gusto. Taking the world by storm, so much so that people in other countries are taking part. Showing off their posters, their art in some cases, to show their support.

And some corporations as well. Take a look at some of the major corporation tweets in support of #BlackLivesMatters. Netflix said as much in their tweet, "To be silent is to be complicit." Even so, with companies have gone out of their way to honor this uproaring movement, comes at a cost of depriving black people their voice.

Blick Art Materials, an art store company that has been in the business for over 110 years, has also expressed their support for the movement, in a relatively recent Instagram post, noting that they would share artwork from Black artists and allies for the time being. Which is all well and good. But, with this specific branch in a Chicago location caused a bit of an uproar.

While it may be harsh to blame one company for the fault of a few branches, in this case, it should be highlighted in order to show the distress that it may cause. One particular Chicago location was brought to my attention by an Instagram post.

The painting looks amazing, and the artist, as shown on his Instagram stories and TikTok vids, took several hours crafting this piece of work. There is no slacking in this piece. There are a few issues with this piece.

Several coworkers have spoken out due to how this artist was commissioned to do the artwork. This artist was decided over several coworkers who are people of color. He also has a history of having the majority of his work to be that of dead people. From his Instagram alone, it seems that the only way that he would talk of Black Lives Matter would be in order to make money off his paintings. As of this article, there have noted complaints to the specific branch, from coworkers angered by this choice, to a letter of complaint to Blick's specific branch.

The second issue is something about the context in which this piece is referring to. Martin Luther King, an advocate to several Black Americans, as a minsters, as an active voice in the Civil Rights Movement of the late 1950s and 60s. He lived in Chicago for a while in his later years before his assassination, in the slums of Lawndale, eventually co-starting the Chicago Freedom Movement, which lasted from 1965 to 1967.

The phrase on the mural says that Mr. King is still dreaming. The speech, which was made in 1963, is still relevant to this day. People who have a passing reference to this great man know about the "I have a Dream speech" There is a part of the speech that isn't focused on enough.

One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.

- I Have A Dream Speech - Martin Luther King

Blick, for all of their time in being a company, for over 100 years, should have known better. To be mindful of how their actions in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement would be looked at. Art is one of many ways in which people are able to express themselves.

I will leave you with this except from the official About Blick page. Actions speak louder than words.

We support artists at all stages of their artistic journey. As a leading art supply company, we provide artists, educators, students, and our associates with the tools, assistance, and training needed to grow, innovate, and reach their creative potential.