Ashley Powell, a University at Buffalo graduate fine arts student, made international headlines last fall after she mysteriously and suddenly hung radically charged "black only" and "white only" signs around campus as part of an art project entitled, Our Compliance.
Her goal was to provoke a searing conversation. According to the New York Times, "And indeed it did. The signs shocked students and jolted the university at a time when discussions about race and race relations have been prominent in the news."
The art project stirred controversy among school administrators, faculty members, and students are still deliberating whether to adopt guidelines for public art on campus. The Huffington Post, Washington Times, WBFO-NPR, New York Daily News, The Atlantic, Huck Daily News (U.K.), MSNBC, Inside Higher Education, Buffalo News, The Public, Daily Mail.com, UB Spectrum and Buffalo State Record are just a smidgen of media outlets that covered the story or provided political commentary.
"This piece was created to expose white privilege. Our society still actively maintains racist structures that benefit one group of people, and oppress another. This project makes forceful what has been easy for you to ignore," said Powell. "It is a delusion to believe that we can change society without first changing ourselves."
Our Compliance was met with great support and great backlash. The Burchfield Penney will present a talk Friday, April 8, at 7:30 pm with special guest Ashley Powell who will discuss how critical race theory is often coupled with different artistic practices to influence consciousness and to begin to instill actual changes in society. The event is free and open to the public.
Read more at www.thechallengernews.com.