Hurr

Being from the 'Ville, growing up I always heard girls talk about their 'hurr.' It was only when I got older that I finally figured out that they were saying 'hair.' LOL. Whether it's 'hurr' or 'hair' it's a tremendously personal thing. I've never REALLY cut or colored my hair but I have transitioned from getting regular perms from the age of 4 or 5 until the night before my coronation as Miss Fisk in 2006.

Perms, Good Hair, Thick Hair, YOUR hair

I ALWAYS hated perms...they never lasted long enough in my hair and no matter what I did---it ALWAYS burned. After years of being permed up and leaving the shop burned up---I finally met Ms. Carolyn Nelson a kind and gentle soul who knew exactly what she was doing...she had a storefront shop  right off of Cecil and Greenwood and she crafted magic with her bowl of relaxer and her stubby but nimble fingers. Her roller wraps (a sure-fire not to be mistaken sign of a TRUE girl from Louisville) were on POINT. The styling not so much---she would whip the MESS out of your hair but as soon as you left---the rest was on you.

I was very proud of the fact that I had never had any weave or extensions in my hair before---honestly because I didn't need it. Heredity has bequeathed me raven black, THICK hair...but in the years since I graduated from high school...silvery strands that have felt the need to assert themselves ...so I'm sure you can only imagine how 'crucial' my gray is now, nearly 8 years later. Gray is like an Eaton and Hamilton family calling card and so I embrace it. *sigh* Now where was I?

I had never worn a weave before I was elected Miss Fisk University and went to the HBCU Queens pageant in Atlanta. Between the pageant and my coronation a few weeks later I decided to take the plunge and get it weaved up. I loved it and of course Mommy didn't. LOL, just like when I got super super skinny between freshman and junior year---anyways...I got it weaved up and if you hadn't known that my hair was that length---you really wouldn't have known. The weave was nice but shortlived. I had no idea what I was doing and had it taken out a few weeks later...had no idea it could be washed and pressed and re-curled like regular hair. Ah well, it was for the best. 

Transitioning....

As a graduation gift to myself I went to Ghana with a group of other students and professors from Fisk and enjoyed the Motherland thoroughly! Before I left, I decided to get braided up TRIPLE OG style! They were some of the most beautiful braids I have EVER had before or since and didn't want to part with them...I got compliments on them EVERYWHERE I went! And when I told people that it had taken 3 women 2-3 hours to do it and it only cost be a TOTAL of $15---folks barely believed me and still don't. And when I told them that $15 is what I paid for them but $8 is what they asked, all they can do is laugh.

Anyways, after my beautiful Ghanaian Senegalese twists, my hair grew like wildfire and instead of reperming ALL the hair that had grown out I decided to transition to being natural.

Some people can just shave all their hair off and be okay with it. I, on the other hand have a face that needs hair. I need something to frame my face. Over the course of a year of twists, wash and go's and rockin it straight. I was free of the perm! :-)

I always found it curious how men approach me, look at me or treat me when my hair is in certain styles. When it's natural guys see me as much more approachable...HA. When I'm pressed out I feel as though I look much more 'typical' I suppose? After I've dated or gone out with a guy for a while it's also interesting to see which they prefer...especially if they're thumbed through any of my 1300 pictures on FB to see what I used to look like with permed hair, braids or an afro.

My main reason for writing this post is in reaction to going to a Dominican salon for the first time on Wednesday and being told that I should re-perm my hair....I was horribly offended to say the least. If I'm paying you to do my hair, shouldn't you just deep condition it, straighten it and say nothing? Ugh. So rude.

My Daddy always said, "Good hair is the hair on your head. If you have hair, that's good." To which I would add to that, even if you DON'T have hair, that's good if that's what you want. Go for it. Follow your bliss!"

I will leave you with some amazing imagery. Enjoy.

The Louisville Lip

For the second year in a row, I won't be home for the Holidays. So, since I can't be in Louisville, I figured I'd think fondly of home and honor it with a post with some images I've found of the Louisville Lip himself, Cassius Clay who came to be known far and wide as Muhammad Ali. Ali Bomaye.

Eastern Market

Cutest Little Lady Bug in Eastern Market

Dutch Wax Cloth: Fabric of the Past, Present & Future

In a sort of extension of yesterday's shoutout to the diaspora, today's post is about Dutch Wax Cloth.

It's everywhere I look as of late in the art of--Ituen Basi, Artaya, Boxing Kitten & Yinka Shonibare. If you say you don't think you know what Dutch Wax Cloth is...you do. It's the OTHER stereotypical African fabric that ISN'T Kente Cloth---it's the OTHER fabric you probably see everywhere... I guess you could probably call it very M.I.A. if wanted to. As in, Maya Arulpragasam. To me it's Hotness. Roots. Color, Movement. Pride. all in one. If you've never heard of Ituen Basi, Dana Ayanna Greaves, a local DC artist (aka ArtisticAya or Artaya) the Boxing Kitten or Yinka Shonibare I would encourage you to check them out---they're all awesome.

Ituen Basi, http://www.ituenbasi.co.uk/

Boxing Kitten, http://boxingkitten.com

ArtAya, http://artisticaya.com

Yinka Shonibare, MBE, http://www.yinkashonibarembe.com/

Maya Arulpragasam, aka M.I.A.

Beauty from Across the Diaspora

Fumadoras en Habana (?), AP image courtesy of BBC

I attended a Happy Hour at 21C, the museum hotel at home in Louisville and this image was on the front of a flyer. I LOVE it. It's so, what's the word I'm looking for? GANGSTA? In fact, it's downright, OG at that. I wish I knew the name of the photographer because it's art. It is beautiful and somewhat shocking but nonetheless awesome. What is also impressive and provoking is the 21C hotel and museum in Louisville.  If you're ever in town for Derby (I'll be jealous ;-) ) or at any other time, even if you don't stay there just drop by. http://www.21cmuseum.org/museum/Default.aspx The rooms are or can be bananas, the bar is fabulous, the exhibitions are impressive and the bathrooms are VERY interesting. I once had a friend ask me "HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE MEN'S RESTROOMS LOOK LIKE?!" I replied that I had been with my art history class while taking Renaissance through Modern Art at JCTC (where Papadoc is a professor). A special shout out goes out to my professors, Amy Stewart and Jo Anne Triplett! :-) Long story short, I LOVE this image and hope you do too!

The second image I wanted to share is a form of public art if you will. Brasil has resurfaced again for the second day in a row. I think I probably dreamt about it last night, so it's still fresh on my mind. While visiting Brasil in 2006 we visited two Federal Universities, one in Salvador do Bahia (the second Blackest place in the world outside of Nigeria, real talk) and the other in Rio Grade do Sul, Porto Alegre in the south ( a MUCH whiter place in comparison). While on campus in Porto Alegre we bought a few snacks in the student lounge, I was STRUCK when I saw this candy. At first I thought it was a joke, and then I noticed how beautiful the silhouettes were. Very much like my preferred artistic style and medium as of late. The name Beijos Africano means, African Kiss. Also known as pieces of chocolate. I thought it was both adorable and a perfect memento from my time in Brasil. A trip of mixed emotions and social interactions, etc.,etc. I lost the pieces of chocolate I bought that afternoon :( so imagine how ecstatic I was to have found these images online. Enjoy!

In the spirit of celebrating Brasil, I wanted to share some pictures from my visit in 2006

Photo Credit, Marshelle Brooks

Student health advocacy graffiti emblazoned on the walls of the Federal University Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre

Photo Credit, Marshelle Brooks

Poster outside of a Community Agricultural Co-Op in Porto Alegre, which we were told ON OUR WAY OUT was being kept under especially close surveillance O_O << our faces were like this. Anyhoo, an interesting take on foreign relations and affairs in Brasil.

This could have been anywhere in the world but I shot it on our way to visit some condomble priestesses to get a blessing. The only luggage to arrive with our flight was mine. Everyone else on the trip had to find clothes on the street (very difficult) and stores for the time being. Everything there is cut so much smaller than we Americans are used to. So, instead of sitting around and waiting for the luggage, we decided to pay a visit to a church where condomble priestesses would bless you in exchange for a few reais (their currency). Whatever was in the popcorn definitely worked because by the time we got back to our hotel, the luggage had been safely delivered to our rooms.

Dr. Peters receiving her popcorn shower.

Why popcorn? It is honor of a condomble god who had terrible sores all over his body that most closely resemble popcorn. Eww! Yuck! Gross, right? But beliefs are beliefs and like I said, whatever they said, it worked and the luggage was waiting! 

Favela Paintings in Rio

Rio slum transformed into canvas bursting with color
by Shasta Darlington
 Above link via CNN and The Smithian Tumblr

The color and movement is stirring. Such a far cry from what I saw in Bahia and Porto Alegre, Brasil when I visited in 2006. The poverty depressed me to the point that I couldn't even bring my camera out for the last half of our trip---that and I didn't want to risk getting mugged. Real talk. But this.is.GORGEOUS. It is powerful. It is humanity at its best, even amongst the worst of conditions. Rio slum transformed into canvas bursting with color

Themes

I have culled old jump drives, external hard drives and CDs in search of work to add to my page and I began to notice patterns, themes, artistic leanings if you will. Nature, people: especially children (although I'm hardly ever around them) and architecture. I prefer magnifying the minute, unnoticed details over the larger picture. I will write more and fill in my gaps as the ideas come to me.

National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C.

Monoprix Grocery Store, Paris, France

Grocery Store, Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York

Clinton B. Fisk, Memorial Chapel, Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee

Cherokee Park, Louisville, Kentucky

Gift Shop, Manhattan, New York

Greenhouse, Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York

Southern Inaugural Ball, Washington, D.C.

India.Arie, Horseshoe Casino, Southern Indiana

O'Farrell Head, Jr., Louisville, Kentucky

Talbott-Tompkins Residence, Louisville, Kentucky

First & R Streets, Bloomingdale, Washington, D.C.

Jewish Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky

Main Street, Schooley's Mountain, New Jersey

Post-Katrina, Post- Second Line, Downtown, New Orleans, Louisiana

Lower Nine, New Orleans, Louisiana

UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

TCB Motors, Louisville, Kentucky

Pinwheel, Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial, Accra, Ghana, West Africa

Jefferson Community and Technical College, Louisville, Kentucky

Jefferson Community and Technical College, Louisville, Kentucky

Jefferson Community and Technical College, Louisville, Kentucky

Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky

Jefferson Community and Technical College, Louisville, Kentucky

Jefferson Community and Technical College, Louisville, Kentucky

Jefferson Community and Technical College, Louisville, Kentucky