We continue to honor Black History Month by spotlighting Black artists whose work the Escalette Collection of Art acquired this year as part of the Engaging the World: Leading the Conversation on the Significance of Race Initiative. Thanks to a generous donation from the Ellingson family this week, we would like to introduce you to April Bey, a Bahamian-American visual artist and art educator. Bey incorporates Afrofuturism into her artistic practice as part of her interrogation of black culture, the African diaspora, post-colonialism, and social media. April Bey’s Afrofuturist work is centered around Atlantica, a fictional world where “power dynamics are destroyed” and where “people who may be seen as less than [on Earth] are more than [in Atlantica].” In Atlantica, those who would be oppressed on Earth are celebrated as deities and creators.

The two works acquired are April Bey, They Say “I’m so jealous” but They Really Mean “Envious” and “You About to Lose Yo Job ‘Cause You Are Detaining Me, for Nothing.” (click on art below for more information).

Read more about artist April Bey …

We invite you to explore all the works in the Escalette Collection by visiting our eMuseum. 

Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences is the proud home of the Phyllis and Ross Escalette Permanent Collection of Art. The Escalette Collection exists to inspire critical thinking, foster interdisciplinary discovery, and strengthen bonds with the community. Beyond its role in curating art in public spaces, the Escalette is a learning laboratory that offers diverse opportunities for student and engagement and research, and involvement with the wider community. The collection is free and open to the public to view.