Through my art I want to inspire people to feel ok being different and to love everyone because we are all human and all trying our best. To create my art I used paint sticks, sharpie markers, bright colors, and shapes. The reason I used circles is because I find them to be very calming to look at.

I wanted to communicate that being different or not being the “norm” is okay. People of color are constantly shamed for their traditional food, clothing, hair, history, and skin color. It has become so bad that every community favors lighter skin people of color with more “European” features. All around Africa, Asia, and Latin America there are creams and cosmetics to make your skin lighter and not only is it erasing your family bloodline but it also is very harmful. While I was designing my art work I thought it would be a good idea to draw 4 women from different countries that are all of color. I copied the stars for the American flag to get the right shape. I made their hands connected to show that they are all one. I put the women’s country flags behind them to show that you should be confident of your background and not try to change yourself to fit the beauty standard. I made sure to draw the traditional clothing on each of the women to show how beautiful their culture is.

Eye For Equity is a collaborative art project created by Mr. Solomon’s 4th grade students, Mr. Solomon and Peggy Leonard, the Lakewood art teacher. Each student created an eye and the shapes were collaged together inside the glasses. Mr. Solomon wrote this poem as our Artist Statement..
Glasses covered in children’s eyes
Half our size but twice as wise
Every gaze a unique view
A noble cause we must pursue

Through these lens a tapestry spins
Where justice and inclusion wins
Eyes that see a human, a whole
Nurtures our heart and cradles our soul

Without them I may not see
What works for you and not for me
But equity’s lens makes clear the light
Which guides the way towards what is right.

We chose to create the differences that each of us have with in our class. We learned that many of us come from different cultures, races, speak different languages, eat different foods, learn differently and have many different unique qualities. What we really want is…. for people to just love us as we are no matter our differences. Because we are all just human wanting to be loved and accepted no matter what!

She is a girl that defends the universe. She loves everyone, even if they are different from her. She tries her best to protect others from danger.

No matter how you sound look or act, you deserve to smile.

The color of our skin shows our diversity and yet we still all do things together. We are aware of our difference in ages and our ideas too but we still call each other family.

I have used the art form Mithila (which is an Indian folk art having its origins in Bihar and Jharkhand) to showcase sincere expressions for such inclusivity with different types of disabilities of people at school, in parks and in the workplace. Mithila folk art is a style of painting which is practiced extensively in India and Nepal. Colors are created using natural dyes and pigments. Since this Mithila art form has been in vogue for thousands of years, the themes of Mithila paintings are generally religious practices and culture. I used this art form to depict the social scene which signifies how differences can be embraced and inclusivity practiced.

My artwork is a criticism of society’s tendency to judge people based on appearance. To initiate this project, I asked people around me “if you could express yourself through a painting, what would it look like?” I created their portraits based on their responses and then I designed doors that allowed viewers to open the panel of each portrait to reveal the true self of each person. The portraits focused on viewable features, while the inside reflects the person’s dreams, thoughts, and personality. The biggest panel has an unfinished painting of a frame, and viewers will find a mirror inside. The last confrontation of the viewers is with themselves as I want them to reflect and recognize that no one perfectly fits a stereotype and deserves an unjust judgment made of them because of their eyes, number of wrinkles, how curly their hair is, or which shade of foundation they use.

When we separate toys into gender groups, we limit the possibilities and interests of our children. My favorite part of my picture is the shocked robot. He represents yesterday’s mindset and has been programmed how to think about toys vs. gender.

I’ve developed a unique art style which I’ve coined, “Indie Pop Art,” which celebrates the noble beauty and divine nature of people of indigenous descent and contemporary American culture. Incorporating my love of aboriginal dot painting and the use of negative and positive space to weave across canvases, I draw power from roots deep in sacred African and Native American art, spirituality, and ritual. This art piece was inspired by my favorite book and the character “Pecola,” whose story resonated with me and millions of other little black girls who struggled to fit the typical standard of beauty thus wishing for “blue eyes,” including Oprah Winfrey and Viola Davis.

To me “Embracing Our Differences” must also include embracing and celebrating what makes every individual beautiful, unique, and worthy of love. You never know, they may grow up to be an Academy Award winning actress or the first black woman billionaire.

Bicycle World Tour: twin boys spent 3 months with local uncles – street painters in Dakar, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean by ship. They became a family through humanity. A moment in Africa will remain in the boys’ hearts and memory for their whole lives, as we are all one family.

This drawing shows representation. No one is the same; we all have quirks. The drawing shows eight or more women who are looking at the board and each feels represented. It doesn’t matter what you look like, your race, orientation, or sexual identity, where you’re from, or whether you have a disability. We all bleed the same, and we deserve to be respected and represented. Representation matters and makes a difference in the life of each person. I used the painting “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer as a reference for the paintings placed on the wall, so that they would look similar with the girls who watched them. Embracing our differences is a very important step for change–we are all pearls; we need and want to be represented.

Sitting in the grass on a brilliant, sunny day, a large ladybug shares her ample supply of black spots with a small giraffe who has an extra long space to fill and a dwindling supply of brick shapes, one of which he happily gives to his generous friend.

With this art, we bring into the diversity discussion the face of an Arab woman who is not bound by all the stereotyping that surrounds Middle Eastern culture. Our woman is multi-layered, symbolically pieced together by different media reflecting the many perspectives that have left their mark on her and made a unique, individualistic self. Having already broken with many traditional rules, she stands ready to tell her story; her image speaks for itself and allows the viewer to enter the artwork and explore the meaning of the objects of which she is made. What is the common connecting denominator and how is she related to us? Our goal for this work is to help people find the connections and question their built-in and often-unexamined attitudes/unwritten rules.

My picture shows multiple markers side by side. The message of my artwork is we all may have different traits, but at the end of the day we’re all labeled as the same species.

My art piece shows a woman who is wearing headphones tuning out all of the hurtful words that are surrounding her. I made this to show people to be confident and not to listen to the hurtful things others say. I sketched this on a sheet of paper, then took a picture and traced it digitally. Then I added details and the words, and colored the whole piece. This artwork represents the way we reject negativity and feel confident in ourselves no matter what people say about us. No matter how mean people are, you can always find the good, and create your own happiness.

Self Image is about a young Black girl appreciating her hair and skin. She sees herself as a princess because she is confident, strong, intelligent, and beautiful. There are mixed feelings about a Black girl being cast as Ariel in The Little Mermaid. My artwork illustrates why it’s important for people of all races to be represented equally in all areas.

To express the sadness and mental pain of alienated humans, I used various languages and bullying keywords to show the faces hidden in the shadows of several perpetrators.

Smart phones make our life more convenient, but they are not smart enough for some elderly people.

Using acrylic paints I created a painting representing body dysmorphia. I decided to make the figure a ballerina because many dancers fall under body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and body image issues due to the strict ideal body image represented and taught from childhood. In my painting, the ballerina is very malnourished and thin, but as she looks into the mirror she sees herself as much larger than she actually is. I added a nutrition wrapper for the background of the mirror to represent counting calories which is something I did for a period of time when I didn’t feel confident in my own skin. Body dysmorphia is something so many people go through as they try to reach the extremely demanding beauty standards of society which usually leads to eating disorders. I currently have a close friend in the hospital recovering from anorexia, so this theme means a lot to me and I definitely think that there should be more body positivity in today’s society.

A disabled boy plays with his friend in rural West Bengal, India. Through sports, disabled people can express themselves to the fullest and live a normal, happy, healthy life, fully integrated with society.

The word ‘neurodiversity’ is colored in by the different-colored ‘seeds’ floating up from neurodiverse minds, depicted by multi-racial black and white ink drawings with green, yellow, red, and blue dandelion overlays. It is intended to illustrate how beautiful and different our minds are, and how important those differences are. We need to recognize, normalize, and celebrate neurodiversity!

Power, wealth, influence: with these three shiny things abused, you can buy all the cars and diamonds and exit passes from jail. When it becomes easy to be above the law, to bend the rules, and to play God in a broken system that is rigged to be in one’s favor; justice becomes seemingly ‘exclusive’ despite upholding the very guise of fairness itself. This might not be the case in a more ideal society, but our reality behind rose-tinted windows is that Lady Justice has not always been blindfolded from prejudice and corruption. In countries like mine, you would turn deaf from the amount of times you hear the creaks of the scales being tipped out of balance. I hope to simply portray and acknowledge such rotten injustices.

Women and girls as actors and builders of an equal world over which they watch and deploy their full potential. This work reminds us of the important value of the contribution of women and girls to society when their rights are respected. It symbolizes a fair and shared world where everyone contributes to equality; it also represents the possibility for everyone to participate in the different spheres of society without discriminatory barriers. It means equal opportunities, an end to violence, harassment, and prejudice against women.

This painting is inspired by a picture taken during a climate protest of an indigenous family from the Guajajara ethnic group. This is a very powerful representation of the culture, humanity and strength that emanates from the indigenous people in Brazil. This was created using acrylic paint over coated paper.

We all possess great gifts enabling us to bring comfort to others. Whether it is just a smile when passing a stranger on the street, a casual wave or holding a hand to reassure or show affection. We can’t forget the things that make us so uniquely human. We are endowed with a great power to ease the suffering of others through the simplest human expressions. Use these wonderful gifts every day!

I guess they say you can’t buy love;
So instead, I’m giving out free hugs;
For no reason at all, I’m doing it just because;
I’m embracing our differences to create the vision that Martin dreamed of;
Because we live in a world full of hate, division, and people that judge;
But I give love because I need love;
And I know it exists because I’ve seen love;
And to be loved, you have to be love;
So here, Love, here’s a free hug.

This digital collage is titled Good Trouble, a phrase often used by John Lewis to describe nonviolent activism. Lewis was an American politician and civil rights activist who devoted his life to racial justice and equality. Good Trouble represents progress. It reminds us of how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go. Like many John Lewis quotes, Good Trouble is intended to empower people to use their voices and stand up against all injustice. I hope this artwork will encourage conversation, enlighten, and influence positive social change.

Every single person in this world has a heart; and we feel connection and love through our hearts. As we try to understand each other, our small pieces of relationships are put together, creating a whole art piece. I’ve always thought that to understand and embrace our differences, we need our hearts to see and feel the other’s heart. My artwork depicts the moment of connecting people worldwide by putting their hearts together while having smiles on their faces.

My artwork showcases interesting, expressive subjects to evoke strong emotional connections. Equity for All includes collaged cheesecloth with paper strip wordplay for hair, cheesecloth garments and a tote bag made from applied, painted canvas, with a hand painted Equity for All button. This painting is a portrait of a real person. He epitomizes the next generation of talented and skillful problem solvers with big dreams for a better America. A country that stands for freedom must provide true equity to all people. We need leaders to help create broad based solutions to the polarizing divides in our country and lead us toward building a more just and civil society. Only with such changes will we achieve the promise of real HOPE.

I witnessed a girl in the news who lost her right leg, and she would decorate her prosthetic and show it off confidently. I feel her courage and strength, and hope everyone can ignore the gossip and bravely embellish their own lives.

In a world where you are asked to fit in, stand out and do it proudly. Our differences make us unique, they should be celebrated and acknowledged. This artwork depicts a dull, grey billboard being pasted over with a vibrant portrait of a very happy bunch of people.

My drawing shows how people who suffer from bullying live. Most of them hide behind a mask, showing happiness on the outside, but inside they are broken. Everything she hears, hurts her. I created my drawing using digital art. I used colors that represent bumps, bruises, and pain.

Women have been fighting for rights their whole lives, including voting rights, equal pay, career opportunities, and reproductive rights. I tried to show the frustration that women feel. My artwork is about reproductive rights and showing how their voices aren’t being heard. These are all real life problems that women face on a daily basis.

In this artwork, I created stereotypes. One of the people I drew is a female firefighter. Some people might say that this job is not feminine. Another person is a male makeup artist. People will say that it is not a common job for a male. Being different is nothing to be afraid of, stand out and show them who you are!

In this collaborative artwork, we wanted to portray the idea that all the things that make us different should be celebrated because our uniqueness makes the world a more colorful place. The students represented this idea as crayons, but instead of making their characters one solid color, they reflected their uniqueness with a variety of colors, facial features, and design elements. While we were positioning the crayons on the poster, the students joined the crayons together so that they were holding hands.

A Conflict of Interests seeks to present the multifaceted identities we hold as mothers, and the diversity of the mothering experience. Through deconstructing the word “mother” itself to present the inner words ‘other’ ‘her’ and ‘me’ it speaks of collective maternal identity and the need to listen to mothers’ voices. Mothering is a verb, and each of us has the capacity to mother: ourselves, those we care for, our communities and our earth. Only through mothering, can we mend fractured communities and relationships, heal ourselves and repair our world.

As a woman who loves to dream and create—I believe it is important to remind my inner girl that it is okay to have big dreams. When I was younger I definitely had big dreams but they weren’t necessarily encouraged or fostered in the ways that I needed them to grow to where I am now. Overcoming some of those fears that were instilled in me has allowed me to nurture my inner girl. Furthermore, when I was a young girl and teen, I knew that there were differences in the world and that not everyone was as fortunate as I was. BUT it was not until adulthood that I learned how not all girls around the world got to go to school or have the same kinds of opportunities that I had. So much happiness in my childhood came from school and learning or achieving. To think that not every girl is afforded that same opportunity all around the world, in 2024, is beyond me. I hope for this piece of art to raise awareness and spark conversations with young people who will grow up and want to see better for young girls all around the world because when young girls everywhere are afforded an education—we all benefit.

If only we could have a world wide “Peace Party”! I see the world taking time off from war, bigotry, greed, and territorialism. People would be toasting to a new partnership that calls for peace and understanding. I believe it can be done through curiosity, love and an open heart. My hope and joy is that I might be a positive influence through my art.

This artwork is mixed media: Collage & acrylic paint.

As a black female artist, my photography confronts the premature adultification of young black girls in America. Through the intimate lens of black and white imagery, I spotlight their complex emotional journeys, often marred by societal demands to mature too soon. This portrait captures the silent resilience and the forced maturity they carry, juxtaposed with the innocence that should have been their right.

The stark contrasts in my work are deliberate, symbolizing the emotional landscapes these girls traverse—rich with unspoken stories, yet shadowed by experiences that age them beyond their years. My art advocates for their right to emotion, to the vulnerability and joy of youth, insisting on visibility and empathy for their struggles.

In presenting this narrative, I aim to empower and validate the emotional truths of these young individuals, challenging the viewer to honor their childhood and to confront the biases that rob them of it. My camera is my tool for change, demanding a reimagined future where their lives are fiercely protected and celebrated.

I created this piece to embody my strong feelings of feminism as a young college student. Ultimately, my feminist artwork is a testament to the strength, resilience, and unity of women worldwide.

Spirit of our Ancestors is a homage to a lineage unknown, envisioned by me, a Black woman artist longing for connection to my roots. The canvas presents imagined ancestors, each a testament to resilience and dignity, symbolizing the rich diversity of my heritage. Their varied expressions and hues articulate our shared humanity and the complex weave of individual and collective histories.

The faces, portraying a blend of strength and gentility, wisdom and curiosity, represent both a forgotten lineage and the relentless spirit that survives in their descendants. They invite viewers to ponder our lineage perspective on our contemporary lives, our challenges, and our triumphs in the pursuit of equality and recognition.

This artwork is a dialogue across time, urging reflection on personal heritage and the wider human saga. It’s an interweaving of historical imagination with current introspection, aimed to empower and deepen our sense of community and self-awareness.

Our imagination is unlimited. So many of us adults and kids have created adventures on a Car City Carpet. Racetrack images cut from Hour Detroit magazine 2023 Detroit Grand Prix wind through this paper collage from found images, creating a magic carpet of adventures. In the background, a cartoon kid, made by a stadium of North Korean children holding up colored boards. Overlaying this background of conformity, uniformity, and lack of diversity, kids from diverse backgrounds play, explore, and chase their dreams.

My art celebrates the unique beauty of black features, focusing on eyes, noses, and lips to forge a deep, intimate connection with the viewer. Utilizing a vibrant palette, I aim to mirror the emotions of my subjects, transcending mere aesthetic appeal. While none of my portraits are self-portraits, each piece resonates with fragments of my identity, acting as mirrors to reflect and engage the viewer’s own sense of self.

This painting is more than just a image; it represents the diverse emotional spectrum of black women, challenging the monolithic stereotype often imposed upon us. This portrait, with its subtle nuances, speaks to the individuality and spirit of black women. Historically marginalized, our beauty and features have been overlooked or ridiculed. My work seeks to rewrite this narrative, to honor and celebrate our inherent beauty and strength. It’s a visual testament to our diversity, dignity, and the profound depth of our experiences.

when we make Paper People cutouts, every individual is the same size, shape, width, length. But in reality, we are not the same, individually but we are from the same cut.

In “Perspectives,” faces blur, stories hush. Fragments whisper, urging you closer, not to see, but to hear. Each hidden narrative, a thread in the tapestry of understanding. Lean in, listen, and together, we rewrite the canvas of our assumptions.

The Fantastic Afronauts are on a poetic mission to find friends and work on their gardening skills while sailing through space. The Fantastic Afronauts learn lessons about bullying and friendship, horticulture and equality. I was inspired by Afropunk and Cyberpunk art styles, past current events that revolved around space travel. I want to represent people like myself who aren’t necessarily shown in specific arenas like “space/space travel.” The Afronauts are a representation of possibilities and inspiration for black and brown children.

If only we all could learn to see the positives within ourselves? This artwork represents the personal inner turmoil I go through within myself. I deal with depression, high anxiety, self doubt, an eating disorder and Dyslexia daily. It was a hard journey, but rewarding to go through this experience.While the positive words are plentiful and always represented in the art itself, they are not as easy to read as the negative words are and definitely not if you were to recall in real life. The negative words are well defined in bright white. They are easily chanted through my head, often making them seem true. The use of the yarn and zipper ties the whole thing together while allowing them to be separate at the same time.

The art was created by embracing my own peace and spirituality, Arms are raised, cobalt blue sky, white dots representing stars/star people. moving rising up embracing peace, love and spirituality

This piece is 1 of 13 pieces for the 3/5th Series Exhibition Set to  open Feb. 2025. This is a moment we can see a Black man adoring his daughter as she adores him. 

The 3/5th Series is a series of moments captured to show people of color still written and amended in our constitution for all to see. 

Thank you sister Bee! You really are sent from the ancestors. UBUNTU