Your day in court
Quotes and Black Art | Thursdaysº
Quotes and Black Art
Your Curated Art Museum
“Come for the art, stay for the quotes.”
“And fantasy it was, for we were not strong, only aggressive, we were not free, merely licensed; we were not compassionate, we were polite; not good, but well behaved. We courted death in order to call ourselves brave, and hid like thieves from life.” — Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye
A Snippet:
Did you know that Toni Morrison, born and raised in Ohio, was a Black Catholic and that her pen name “Toni” wasn’t her birth name (it was Chloe)?
Learn more . . .
Quotes and Black Art
Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 (week 72)
Trying to keep up with these damn resolutions!
214. “Sunday Evening” (2023) by Samuel Oni Balogun
Nigerian artist Samuel Oni Balogun (b. 1993) on finding inspiration:
“My artwork is inspired by past and current events, happenings in my country and the world.”
215. “Your Day In Court” (1971) by Warrington Colescott
Oakland, California, artist Warrington Colescott (1921 - 2018) on satire and Creole culture (which Colescott once described as, “A rich tradition of cuisine and music, of skeptical judgments, and of irony and humor”):
“I’m interested in the black zone between tragedy and high comedy, where a little pull or push one way or the other can transmute screams into laughter.”
216. “Curls Galore” (1994) by Boscoe Holder
Caribbean artist and polymath (e.g., painter, piano player, costumer designer, actor, dancer, and choreographer) Boscoe Holder (1921 - 2007) on the perils of neglecting your biggest fan:
“If you don’t respect yourself, how the hell are you gonna respect someone else? And a lot of people, because of economics, because of impurity, complexity, don’t respect themselves.”
Reader Testimonials:
“Friends take different paths in life, but you always remember the ones who touch you the most. This newsletter reads like that old friend finding their stride. Highly recommended.”
— I. M.
The Silver Lining?
“Young man -- Young man -- Your arm's too short to box with God.” — James Weldon Johnson, God's Trombones (The Prodigal Son)
(Breathe In . . . Breathe Out)
Your day in court
Quotes and Black Art - A Newsletter
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