The first artist whose work I watched was Kevin Beasley. Kevin’s work deals with confronting the history and dark past associated with who you are and your identity, specifically the history of slaves and black americans. He rejects the notion of “moving on” and “forgetting” simply because it was so long ago. He challenges the viewer to confront the American south for what it was and how those effects are still seen and heard today. He deals with not only what history looks like in the material sense but what it sounds like. His work is a powerful confrontation with the daily lives of people who lived not so long ago. The second artist I watched was Doreen Garner, another black American whose work deals with racial relations in this country. Her work is disturbing in physical nature and is mostly very realistic, skin-like body parts bloody and sewn together. Like Kevin, a large part of her work deals with the slave trade and how that history has shaped all of us. It was interesting to hear her talk about how since she has shifted to dealing more with whiteness as opposed to blackness, she has been getting less of a reaction and her art hasn’t been selling. She grapples with what that says about the art world and whether she feels more at home as a sculptor in a material sense or as a tattoo artist personally with the community. The last artist who I explored was Leonardo Drew who focuses on the importance of travel and his work is largely a reaction and an outward expression of his experiences. All three artist as black americans all have one thing in common: their work is an expression of how they see the world whether it is challenging history, confronting the realities of one’s identity, or turning views into sculpture.