Kristian Caldwell- Attending author talks/book readings (2pts)- "Primary: After and With Alma Thomas"

 

    Attending “Primary: After and With Alma Thomas” with Alexis Pauline Gumbs and Bettina Judd gave me a different way of thinking about abstraction, creativity, and liberation. One of the ideas that stood out to me was the idea that abstraction can create a space where Black people, especially Black women, do not have to constantly explain, prove, or represent themselves. Gumbs explained that working with Alma Thomas’s art allowed her to look at her own life differently, rather than assuming that she already knew what every experience meant. I found this especially interesting because Black artists are often expected to create work that is immediately recognizable as political or representative of the Black experience. The discussion challenged that expectation by showing that there can also be something political about creating beauty, uncertainty, joy, and possibilities without having to make the meaning obvious.

    I also connected with the discussion of repetition as a liberatory practice. Gumbs talked about creating a daily practice of engaging with Alma Thomas’s work and allowing herself to wonder where the artwork would take her. Her idea that we do not always have to “already know” stood out to me because it connects to the way education and institutions can make us feel like we constantly have to prove ourselves. As a student, I appreciated the idea that not knowing can actually be productive rather than something to be embarrassed about. Overall, the event made me think about theory and art as practices that can give us permission to question the stories we have already created about ourselves. It showed me that liberation does not always have to look like direct activism; sometimes it can come from making space to imagine, create, wonder, and see ourselves differently.