‘Heart and Soul’ is a photo installation project that was created to elevate the voices of some of Cincinnati’s amazing Black Womxn. These are Womxn who are working to help the community grow and heal. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter Movement I had to take a hard look at my own life and how I have subconsciously contributed to oppression and racism. With an open heart I started listening and learning as much as I could about how we can work to dismantle systematic racism. It hasn’t been easy. Racism is embedded in the consciousness of humanity. America was literally built on racism. This is a pill we all need to swallow even if it hurts going down. We need to be more than just allies to our brothers and sisters of color, we each need to be working diligently to tear down our old beliefs and create something new, a life that celebrates everyone equally, and lovingly.

My art is about empowering Womxn and helping people heal. I had to ask myself some tough questions. One of the questions was, why aren’t Womxn of color represented in my work? I was so wrapped up in my own little world that I didn’t let anyone else in. By doing that, I was depriving myself and others of the beauty of a shared experience. As I was contemplating all of this, Artworks, an amazing art organization that creates powerful public art and employs artist of all ages, approached me to create a photo based project for them. This was the perfect opportunity for me to use art to help make the changes I hope to see in the world and in myself. Within a few days of being contacted I dreamed up ‘Heart and Soul’ and got to work right away.

Over the course of a month I photographed 18 Womxn. I connected with some of the Womxn through my own circle, and some by simply asking strangers I found via local business. A few of the Womxn connected me to their friends and this amazing chain of love became the link that tied the project together. Now, I have all of these beautiful new friends who I hope to stay connected to forever.

I heard stories from a Mother who went through years of depression because she feared her teenage son would be a victim of a police shooting just for being Black. I spoke with a Womxn who had to have a talk with their son at 6 years old about how he cannot go shirtless, or wear a hood, or put his hands in his pockets, she had to talk to him about what to do if a police officer ever questions him, about what to do if he ever gets pulled over when he is older. I listened to a Womxn tell me how she saw her mentally ill mother get beaten by police as a young child, and another young Womxn shared her experience with racism in what is thought to be a very liberal school. I listened to a very well educated Womxn tell me about growing up in a neighborhood that she was pushed out of and could no longer afford to move back to due to gentrification. I heard about the shockingly high mortality rate for Black infants/Mothers, because racism even exists in the medical field. One of the Womxn was worried about using her real name because she is afraid. These are just some of the stories I heard. Ask any Black Man or Womxn you know about how racism has effected them and I am positive they have a heartbreaking story to tell you.

These stories cannot be ignored anymore, they shouldn’t have ever been. We cannot create the change we need to make without looking at the truth. We have to understand that if some of us are hurting, we are all hurting. We are humans, we are family, we are brothers and sisters, we have to unite, we have to heal, together. It is beyond time we open our hearts to empathy.

When I share the photo stories over the next couple of weeks, I will be focusing on the healing and joy, but please keep in mind that the reason this healing has to happen is because of the pain created by racism. We are at a point where we all need to finally commit to do our part to end systematic racism. We have to have tough conversations about these truths, we have to speak up when we see it. We have to open up our worlds to unconditional love for everyone.

Crystal, owner of Grace and Grit and co-owner of Cream and Sugar Coffee

One of the benefits of creating a project with Artworks, is that I got to collaborate with 8 young artist on the final pieces. Teaching young artist is a passion of mine, so this was just perfect. I asked the artist to add their own art to the photos I took. It was a risky decision, I had no idea what the artist would create, but the results are better than I could have imagined. During the first week of the project I did a small presentation introducing the Womxn, with a brief talk about art as a healing tool. That theme stayed with us throughout the project. Some of the artist felt a personal connection via a common experience and that is how they chose the person they wanted to work on. This made everything even more personal and extra special for all of us.

A screenshot on my apprentices with Artist Annie Ruth

The Womxn I photographed have not seen the photos yet, I wanted to wait until the project wrapped up to start sharing some of the images. I only used one photo of each Womxn for the project, but I have so many more to share. Over the next couple of weeks I will be sharing all of the extra photos I created. I hope you will tune in to help me celebrate these AMAZING WOMXN and to learn about the awesome things they are doing to make the world a more loving place. Once the project is installed I will post photos and map of locations so they can be seen in person. This project has been an absolute blessing for me. The gratitude I feel in my heart is endless. There are so many layers of love being revealed to me with each step in the process of creation. Thank you so much to everyone involved. <3