Pause a while
Quotes and Black Art | Thursdaysº
Quotes and Black Art
Your Curated Art Museum
“Come for the art, stay for the quotes.”
“Sometimes we love the people we should hate, and we hate the people we love, and we’re topsy-turvy, but it’s like the song my dad likes to put on the record player when he’s had a little too much to drink: ‘It’s a thin line between love and hate.’” — Christina Hammonds Reed, The Black Kids, 2020
A Snippet:
Did you know that shortly after publishing The Black Kids, Christina Hammonds Reed wrote in an article for Elle magazine, “I am lucky in many ways. Amid so many nightmares, a dream of mine is coming true: I wrote a book and it’s getting published. All my parents’ sacrifices are coming to fruition.”
Learn more . . .
Quotes and Black Art
Thursday, July 16, 2026 (week 29)
Take care and be safe.
208. “Dance Composition No. 35” (1978) by Eldzier Cortor
Richmond, Virginia-born and Chicago, Illinois-raised painter and master printmaker Eldzier Cortor (1916 - 2015)—best known for his celebratory depictions of African-American women—on trying to get people to pause a while:
“The idea is to get someone to try and pause a while. Try to just get them to stay with that painting . . . don't just burst past it. That's the idea.”
- Eldzier Cortor
209. “Golden” by Dr. Nettrice Gaskins
Baltimore, Maryland-born digital artist, educator, cultural critic and advocae of STEAM fields Dr. Nettrice R. Gaskins (b. 1970)—best known for using AI-generated images to create stunning portraits of famous and historical Black figures—on embracing “techno-vernacular creativity”:
“Machine learning seems futuristic but, strange to say, it helps artists like me to rediscover humanity.”
- Dr. Nettrice R. Gaskins
210. “Philis III” (2023) by Oliver Okolo
Suleja, Nigeria-born contemporary artist Oliver Okolo (b. 1992)—working primarily in oil on canvas and using charcoal and paint to capture the subjects of his striking portraits—on artistic expression:
“Art is the only way I know how to speak and air my opinion.”
- Oliver Okolo
The Silver Lining?
On this day in history, July 16, 1945, at 5:29:45am, the Manhattan Project successfully tested the first atomic bomb in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Let's pause a while and take a moment of silence for all the lives lost to war and its consequences.
Cancer Birthdays!
(June 21 - July 22)
July 15 - Forest Whitaker
July 15 - Eddie Griffin
July 15 - Ernie Barnes
July 15 - Stokley Williams
July 15 - Jim Jones
July 16 - Assata Shakur (today!)
July 17 - Diahann Carroll
July 18 - Nelson Mandela
(Breathe In . . . Breathe Out)
Pause a while
Quotes and Black Art - A Newsletter
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