Blackbird

This project, created by New Jersey poet Dimitri Reyes and Ana Maria Island graphic designer Curry Mendes, was the first in which an artist and a poet collaborated and created new work based on a jointly chosen theme. It was a turning point for our work as curators because we witnessed the creative energy generated when two artists engage in a live “collaborative conversation.” As a result we decided all subsequent collaborations, with rare exceptions, would be live ones. 

Dimitri’s statement: My work couldn’t exist without community and the stories my work aims at archiving. This poem was another one of those situations in which I used metaphor as a vehicle to reflect social justice and navigate the inner workings of race and law enforcement relations.

Curry’s statement: I created this piece to pull the viewer into our present day space, to feel emotions of what is happening not only around us but also, unfortunately, to some of us. Empathy for others is what is meant to be felt, but ultimately you should feel what you want. This is art made for you, the viewer.