Black Nouveau

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Fatima

Five Points is the neighborhood that we're in, it's a historical neighborhood on the north side of Milwaukee. Five Points Art Gallery and Studios has been open for about two and a half years now. This is my childhood neighborhood. I grew up in the Harambee Five Points neighborhood, and so I wanted to move back into, this area to kind of be nostalgic about my childhood and also bringing back a, resource to the area, that had you know, had influence on my upbringing. And so the the space is actually a former funeral home, titled Johnson and Goolsby's Funeral Home and Services, so a lot of people from the area recall it as such, but when they come inside, they're surprised to see the transformation to what is now a mixed use art space. -

Narrator

This neighborhood art gallery tells not only a story of transformation, but collaboration. Weaving together different art mediums and generations, like those featured in the exhibit, "Don't Call It A Comeback". -

Fatima

Oh, it's lyrics from LL Cool J's "Mama Said, Knock You Out" song, but it really is honoring elders and it's not meant to be like, tokenistic or exploited to, but what elders mean in a community, and it's about them being masters, them, having longevity, and being worth honoring, in their practices and in a community setting. -

Anne

My work tries to present a visual component, to history, that talks about the maintenance of tradition, the amount of agency that enslaved people had, and the fact that the myths are that we didn't have any culture, what we had was lost and that we, we lay down without a fight. Those are the basic myths that surround us and our history and that we had nothing to bring, but it's as Carrie Marshall said, "we might've come empty handed but we did not come empty headed". And so the traditions and aesthetic we brought are those that I referenced. (upbeat music) -

Narrator

And it's that cultural history that still centers and inspires ceramicist and long time cardinal stritch instructor, Darryl M. Payne. -

Darryl

You're never too old to learn. I mean, I, I'm 71 years old and I'm still creating works of art. And I think as long as you have the gift, and the talent you have something to share and give to the world and your community. So, it's an ongoing process, every time I create a body of work, I start researching and doing something different, or adding onto what I've done. The, see it's a process. -

Fatima

The collage exhibition is called "More Than Pasted Papers" and "Conversations Through Contemporary Collage", and it brings together six collage artists, all with different and very distinctive aesthetics. (upbeat music) -

Chrystal

My inspiration was what was going on all around me, George Floyd, and just all of the police killing. -

Narrator

Artist, Chrystal Gillon uses collaging to spark conversations on generational traumas endured by Black Americans. -

Chrystal

As of late, I've been having a stronger voice in my works, and that's based on the times that we're in, and how and being the age that I am, which is 68, I've come up through like, the Civil Rights movement and it's like the same issues that keep cropping up and it's frustrating. And so, I want to kind of teach in my pieces about our history and that things, although they've changed somewhat, the root causes are still there, they need to be addressed and I want people to look at my work, and question what's in it and become informed. -

Fatima

There's value in being able to sustain a practice and, and you know, becoming of age and getting to an age where you can just take it easy, but still be of influence to other people, and then show people, you know this is how it's done, and have true integrity behind your work. -

Narrator

And although she is the owner of Five Points, Fatima Laster has found mentorship and connection with the artists she features. -

Fatima

Like for the "Don't Call it A Come Back" and even the artists in the collage show they're older than I am, and so they are also teaching me as well as me providing a platform for them. So I feel like it's mutually benefit, beneficial and there's a lot of reciprocity, and how the gallery approaches this practice. So it's not necessarily about, me providing the additional platform which it is for that, and showcasing works, because sometimes we are still overlooked, but also me learning from them, and just having a moment to share in this, this space and in this industry, where sometimes we're still left out. So it's a very, while formal space it's very communal and very, relationship oriented. If they're happy, I'm happy, so it's doing it's job and if it's reaching the community and this is, if it's being impactful for them, then I'm happy.