Life is but a moment

Quotes and Black Art | Thursdaysº

Jafari Joseph

Apr 23, 2026

Quotes and Black Art

Your Curated Art Museum

“Come for the art, stay for the quotes.”

“And that’s all we are, Jefferson, all of us on this earth, a piece of drifting wood, until we — each one of us, individually — decide to become something else.”

— Ernest J. Gaines, Catherine Carmier, 1964

A Snippet:

Did you know that Ernest James Gaines (after enjoying an immensely successful writing career, gaining all the approvals, accomplishments, accolades, etc. that one can dream of during a lifetime), chose to return to his birthplace, Oscar, Louisiana, during his golden years, where he and his wife built a home on the plantation where he grew up?

Learn more . . .

Quotes and Black Art

Thursday, April 23, 2026 (week 1)

1. “Friendly Friendship Baptist Church” (1994) by Ernie Barnes

The first American professional athlete to become a noted painter, Ernie Barnes (1938 - 2009), on the beauty of community:

“The beauty of the ghetto not only defined how (and in what ways) Black was beautiful, but it gave a sense of pride; a sense of community.”
- Ernie Barnes

2. “Slave Auction” (1849) by Henry Bibb

American author and abolitionist, Henry Bibb (1815 - 1854), who was born enslaved, on humanity:

“Dear Sir, I am happy to inform you that you are not mistaken in the man whom you sold as property, and received pay for as such. But I thank God that I am not property now, but am regarded as a man like yourself, and although I live far north, I am enjoying a comfortable living by my own industry.”
- Henry Bibb

3. “Hero (Story of Us)” by Thomas Williams

Chicago-based artist Thomas Williams on the practice of capturing moments:

“My greatest affinity has always been with the proponents and masters of Realism and the Baroque Period, as I have deeply admired an artistic ability to capture the emotional and active essence of a particular moment in time, in media res.”
- Thomas Williams

You've likely heard of Harriet Tubman and The Underground Railroad, but did you know there were an estimated 100,000 Black Americans who escaped enslavement to freedom, including: Robert Smalls, Henry Bibb, Josiah Henson, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Jacobs?

Taurean Birthdays!

(April 20th - May 20th)

April 20 - Luther Vandross
April 22 - Sherri Shepherd
April 23 - William Shakespeare (today)!
April 24 - Cedric the Entertainer
April 25 - Ella Fitzgerald

(Breathe In . . . Breathe Out)