Arlene Turner Crawford

Orisha Dreaming (2017)
acrylic, mixed media
24 x 18 in.

“I define myself as a Visual Artist, Curator, Educator, Muralist and Cultural Activist. In my journey I became a Classroom teacher, University Administrator, Faculty member & Student Affairs, Unit Head; a Grants Developer & Institution builder of Cultural organizations; a Collaborator and Mentor. I endeavored to integrate my creativity into service and the beautification of my community. My mission is inspired and ignited by the intellectual thrust and purpose of the Black Arts Movement. My commitment, as an artist, is to examine, elevate, and speak to what is beautiful, whole and authentic within my community. My art is ritual, an attempt to express higher interpretations of life. My work is expressed in both realistic and symbolic forms, in an effort to inform the viewer, of a cultural continuum. I create art through the manipulation of form, design, color, assemblage and collage.”

“Throughout the history of the African American people in this country, Black Women have been a dynamic force in forwarding our struggles for freedom, human & civil rights and personal dignity. Beyond that, women the world over, have taken up the mission to struggle for equality and justice. Perhaps it is part of the feminine nature, which drives women to nurture, to protect and to defend. My commitment as an artist has been to examine, elevate, and speak to what is beautiful, whole and authentic within my community. I do this in my own attempt to be about my people and our highest aspirations.”

For more information visit: www.arleneturnercrawford.com

© Arlene Turner Crawford