
Tamia Alston-Ward
Census # 1, 2022
24K gold, silver, glitter, casein paint on prepared paper
30 x 30 inches
76.2 x 76.2 cms
76.2 x 76.2 cms
Copyright The Artist
Growing up Black allowed me to see all facets of the domestic life of Black women, being raised around mothers, cousins, and aunties has shown me ways Black women show...
Growing up Black allowed me to see all facets of the domestic life of Black women, being raised around mothers, cousins, and aunties has shown me ways Black women show up for their children and the children of others. When considering how the Black mother shows up in the media, in public, and advertising in the Western world, there is a trend that goes as far back as the construction of race itself. A Black mother with her children does not carry the same meaning or even historical and artistic significance as the imagery of a white woman and her children. There are countless images of the Madonna and Child, showing a Eurocentric Mary with Jesus, or Jesus and John. Rarely is Joseph visible, or the lack of Joseph being looked at as an indictment of Mary or any white woman for that matter. Neither when a sentimental painting of a white woman with her children in genre paintings of Mary Cassatt or Cecilia Beaux is viewed, that the mother is looked at as a "single mother". Black women seen alone with their children, Black women raising children alone is looked at as a moment of "lack, lack of a husband, lack of money, resources, rather than a moment of love, tenderness, and a precious moment similar to the likes of a saintly image of Madonna and Child. The materials silver and gold reflect how I feel about the relationship between a Black mother and her children: as valuable as precious metals. This piece is a vehicle to beg the question of what comes to mind when you see a Black woman and her child?