Nancy Elizabeth Prophet Art Exhibit

    The Nancy Elizabeth Prophet art exhibit was an amazing and immersive experience. The sculpture that stuck out to me the most was the wooden sculpture Congolaise. It made me feel uneasy due the the stoic expression, yet also awed. I believe that Prophet’s work encourages us to recognize the humanity of underrepresented communities and depict them as people instead of maniquines to the art. The sculpture’s sharp features and rawness seemed to hold stories of endurance that reminded me of a story read in ADW called Sundiata. Giving representation in dominant narrative Prophet made this work in 1931, a time when Black subjects were rarely given dignity in Western art. By sculpting a powerful African figure, she resists invisibility. This visit deepened my curated inwardness, encouraging me to think about how art communicates what words can’t. Prophet’s work also connected to historical consciousness, revealing how Black artists have always used creation as resistance.

- Giavonni Whitener