* ACCEPTED BY JURY FOR LIVE EVENT

This is my original painting, "Painting With Robert Duncanson ". It is oil paint on canvas paper. The artwork is 12 inches (width) x 8.5 inches (height). Painting With Robert Duncanson: My work focuses on where the intersection between race and class has informed my and many of our collective childhoods. As an African-American coming from a lower class, I'm specifically looking at the place where these intersections have led to deficits and examining how we have had to "make do" as children. This pieces focuses on the inaccessibility of imaginative play materials/ spaces due to fiscal deficits and the inaccessibility of the arts for these groups. I want to acknowledge the inaccessibility of some children to a truly fruitful childhood. In these childhoods we can't remain blissfully unware of the impact of our adversities. I overcome these deficits as I create a realm where I create a fantastical painting with one of the first black artists I was introduced to, Robert Duncanson. My paintings create this fantastical fruitfulness that gratifies my inner child but also often acknowledges the "making do" in the past and the unconventional charm these memories have. Although these adversities were present there is a nostalgic lens I look back on my childhood memories with that points towards resilience.