Visual art has the ability to convey messages to us in ways that can be easier to understand than through traditional ways of learning. As a White and Puerto Rican woman, I grew up seeing images of White women in advertisements that conveyed to me what the ideal woman was, and I looked nothing like her! But times are changing – at least in some advertising. I stopped dead in my tracks in Target one day when I saw the 2019 swimwear ad in the store. It was nothing like the images I saw growing up. Some of the women had my hair texture, some even had my body shape and size. To see this as an adult did something deep for my psyche – I felt seen and valued. High five, Target!
When a client requested art for his gallery wall that would speak to the cultural experiences of his two children, I could not have been happier. Just thinking about his Multiracial (White and Black) son and daughter growing up surrounded by images that celebrate and honor their culture filled me with excitement, especially during this cultural moment. I felt honored to participate in this deeply personal and developmental art display.
I chose to source the majority of the work from society6.com because I wanted to support Black artists and society6 has a page exactly for this purpose. Society6 makes it easy for new artists to put their work out there since they take care of all the sizing, shipping, and processing of orders. Artists just do the art, which is great for someone just starting out.
There is so much out there to choose from but I narrowed down the gallery wall selection by color of artwork, variety in the design and content. Since the client has a son and a daughter, I wanted to make sure both men and women were represented, and since they are children, the gallery wall had to speak to both the young and grown. I landed on the four fabulous works here and then added in a few other things for variety. In order to create the shape I wanted for the gallery wall, I had to order the Andre and the Justice artwork as prints so I could customize the size of the frame.
Society6 has some standard sizes that they print and frame in, so this made things a little tricky to get exactly right for the gallery wall but I made it work. The result is playful, deep, and beautiful. This project has inspired me to be more thoughtful about artwork and what is displayed around my home, to not just see artwork as an aesthetic but as a method of communication. For help on your gallery wall, check out my services page!
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