Black joy, artistry, and resilience are woven deeply into the fabric of New Orleans. Our beautiful people, our rich history, and our deeply personal stories of both pain and progression remain alive and well in the Crescent City, thanks to local artists who, through their creativity, meticulously reflect on how far we have come, how far we still have to go and how we can get there. This is precisely why the “Stories of Us” exhibition was created – to discover our shared past, understand our shared present, and reimagine our shared future.
ESSENCE has joined forces with “The Stories of Us” to curate an exhibition of 10 talking drum-shaped sculptures made out of fiberglass that share deeply personal stories of African Americans through the themes of purpose, grace, courage, and hope. “The Stories of Us” exhibition is traveling all over the country and using artists from different parts of the country to tell the stories of the people from those areas. For its New Orleans stop, this immersive, visual experience is displayed in New Orleans at the historic Louis Armstrong Park through July 2. In partnership with the Ashé Cultural Arts Center (ACAC) Kuumba Academy – a seven-week program that uses cultural arts as a vehicle for youth development – New Orleans artists, like Ayo Scott, were tapped to create pieces that give people of all ages more insight into the city’s African roots, culture, and heritage.
“Kuumba Academy is founded on creativity,” says Ramona Graham, creative programs administrator for ACAC. “That creativity is also rooted in African ancestry and spirituality, so when we cultivate and nurture our children, we do that through creativity and art. Couple that with ‘The Stories of Us,’ and we have a match made in heaven.”
ACAC has been part of the New Orleans community for over 25 years, and the Kuumba Academy has lived under the ACAC umbrella for more than a decade. What started out as a welcoming place for Black folks to meet and plan and create art in 1998 has since become a mecca for Black New Orleans creativity, whether it be theatre productions, art exhibits, community events, or intimate cultural gatherings. “To sum it up in three words, we are a place for love, community, and culture.”
It is primarily through ACAC that New Orleans’ “Stories of Us” exhibition came about. “I saw a ‘Stories of Us’ exhibit in Atlanta while we were there for a conference, and that is when I met the co-founder, Ashley [Adjaye],” Graham recalls. “We talked about how beautiful it would be to bring this to New Orleans, and then Ashley reached out to ESSENCE, and here we are.”
Kuumba Academy students step off of the school bus one by one with water bottles in-hand as the sun shines brightly, entering the Louis Armstrong Park filled with curiosity and excitement as they are seconds away from viewing the captivating work of their art teacher, “Mr. Scott,” and his peers, which they have learned so much about already.
“When we get to see our artwork and our stories displayed right here, it gives us a sense of empowerment and unity because everybody can relate to what they’re seeing, what they’re feeling, and how it speaks to them,” Graham shares. “And we want the kids to have that experience too because they are going to grow up in this world and in this community, and they need to know how to express themselves. And this is one of the beautiful ways they could do it.”
Graham and the ACAC team provided Adjaye’s team with names of potential artists, like Scott, to collaborate with for the New Orleans exhibition. “We submitted Ayo’s name because he’s worked with our kids, and he’s a great artist,” Graham adds. “He works in the schools, and he’s always giving his time regardless of anything. Art is very important to him, and his passion is shown when he’s in the classroom with the kids. His artwork is amazing.”
“All artists’ work is very, very different,” Scott shares with the students, ages five to 14. “From one piece to the next, they look very different, so I want to tell you about some of the techniques used to do that, as well as some of the stories behind them.”
Coincidentally, as Scott is speaking with the children, some notice various colors of bright, effervescent paint splattered along the side of Scott’s pants – colors strikingly similar to those found throughout his artwork that sits just feet away. A Kuumba Academy student asks Scott, “So does that mean your art pieces are inspired by your pants?” He, in true artist fashion, responds, “My pants are inspired by my art pieces.”
Scott’s “Stories of Us” piece depicts the late Allison “Tootie” Montana, a New Orleans cultural icon who helmed the Black Masking Mardi Gras Indian tradition for more than 50 years, as well as his son, Darryl Montana, who replaced him as Big Chief of the Yellow Pocahontas Tribe in 1998. Scott knew both “Tootie” and Darryl Montana personally through his late father, renowned artist and MacArthur fellow John Scott.
“My dad and Darryl were friends, and not only that…my dad and Darryl’s father [Tootie] were friends as well,” Scott shares as he describes the inspiration behind his artwork. “I want to be able to give our people their flowers while they’re still here. A lot of people waited to give [Tootie] his flowers when he died. I don’t want the same thing to happen with [Darryl]. I wanted to celebrate him while he was still here.”
This was also a way for Scott to give back to a family that has given so much to him. “When my father died, Darryl beaded a vault to hold my dad’s urn. In life and in death, they celebrated my dad, so I feel a responsibility to do the same for their family.”
Titled “Echos of the Spirit,” Scott says as he was creating the piece, it made him think of his own father. “If you told my dad, ‘thank you,’ he didn’t say, ‘you’re welcome.’ He would say, ‘pass it on,’” Scott shares. “If you wanted to pay him back, you had to do something for somebody else. He felt that you can’t just be nice to someone because they were nice to you…you gotta go be nice to somebody else so that the world gets better. He passed on lessons to me, and I’m trying to share a couple of those with the kids and other people.”
Scott’s abstract painting also speaks to legacy and the spirit of New Orleans. “The culture here is the reason I paint the way that I do,” says Scott. “A lot of my paintings are influenced by the music here. And the music here also influences things like the suits that the Black Masking Indians make and the dances that they do and the chants that they do with them.” He also adds, “Our parents’ or grandparents’ spirits echo through us. We get to carry their spirit with us and bring them forward. So this is all about echoing the spirit of our ancestors.”
Scott and four other New Orleans artists were selected for the “Stories of Us” exhibition, including Ashley Teamer, Annie Moran, Monique Lorden and Teneille Prosper. “To be able to do a piece and share a space with other artists is a big deal to me,” Scott says. “I grew up in my dad’s studio, and being around other artists while they create…there’s a certain magic in it. It’s an honor and a blessing when I get to work next to other creatives and ask them questions. I’m excited about the whole thing.” All of their work will be displayed at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture® Presented by Coca-Cola® from July 4-6 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
“I am so grateful for the platform, for ESSENCE, and for ‘The Stories of Us,’” Scott says. “One time, I had a booth for [ESSENCE Fest] in the Convention Center, and I was able to sell some artwork, but that was many years ago. To now be able to have my artwork there – and not even for the sake of selling something but just to see how people engage with it – is pretty awesome.”
While he will not be in town to see just how his work resonates with visitors, more than anything, he hopes it makes them ask questions surrounding the beloved, sacred New Orleans’ Black Masking Indian culture. “I’m not even a practitioner,” Scott says, “but I believe that just in understanding this ‘story of us,’ it gives you a really good understanding of a lot of things about New Orleans culture that is so magical. Other New Orleans artists’ pieces, like Teneille’s, actually have a call to action, and while all of these are about celebrating what already exists, I think it’s also about showing people who absorb the culture that they, too, can be part of this movement and have a voice in the celebration.”
