In ‘Safe Place,' a Dallas Artist Places Black Women at the Center of Her Oak Cliff Show

Ari Brielle woke up recently to find influencer Kimberly Drew had posted a recent work from Brielle’s show on her Instagram account. Drew is the former social media manager of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, writer and advocate for contemporary black art. Her Instagram page, @museummammy, boasts almost 240,000 Instagram followers, and she founded the popular blog Black Contemporary Art. The co-sign from Drew had Brielle "shook," like it would any of the young black artists trying to be seen right now. The piece Drew posted, Homegoing (Am I Next?), was from Brielle’s art show "Safe Place," which has made a home at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center until Aug. 30. Brielle, 25, is a Dallas-Fort Worth native and lives in the Bishop Arts District. She says the idea for "Safe Place" started a year ago when she met with OCCC cultural programs coordinator Gerardo Robles and talked to him about doing a show at the center. In short, Brielle says, "Safe Place" is about the politicization of black women and their bodies. The show features colorful gouache-painted wooden planks that depict black women in various personal settings, such as bedrooms.   Continue reading...