Jeanna Penn has been creating art for over twenty-five years in various forms, including documentary film, curating art exhibitions, designing public murals, and working as an arts manager. She received her BA in African American Studies from Morgan State University and continued graduate work in African History at Howard University. She grew up in Columbia, Maryland, moved to Los Angeles in 2001, and now lives in Oakland with her husband and son.

STATEMENT

I was trained as a historian and that practice mirrors the way I approach creating visual work. Research is foundational when exploring subject, media, and process. I am most interested in material history and the idea of activating archives and collections for alternative narratives.

These pieces are part of a larger body of work in progress. I work by incorporating found imagery in the form of collage with other media. My intention is to recontextualize the subject amidst the controlled chaos of watercolor and ink on paper. Gold is significant for its warmth and luminescence, as well as a symbol of power and value against the complicated relationship with people of Africa and the diaspora.

With The Coming Storm (2018), it is the elders who speak to us of the concerns of now and the near future. They direct us to be prepared. Eclipse (2018) and Youth Dem A Rise (2018), are in response to The Coming Storm. They represent change, resistance and a call to action. Justice, Uplift, Progress and Freedom (2019) make up the “Souls of Black Folk” series. They illustrate the cornerstones of liberation as outlined by W.E.B. DuBois. In His Fullness (2019) is our collective spiritual centeredness which must be protected while Peaches (2020) expresses that protection by any means necessary.

@jinamae