Witnessing becoming
Watching people come into their greatness
2023 was artistically one of the most eye-opening years in all of my years on this planet. Hands down. Maybe it’s because I’ve not only gotten to witness people coming into their seasons while I simultaneously was experiencing my own growth.
It was something to behold for anyone who was on a creative path and being a part of history as it was occurring.
One of those experiences was Throughline, an art and culinary experience hosted/curated by Taylor Smalls and Xavier Cunningham.
The exhibition was a limited run on weekends during November 2023 through December 2023 as a full multimedia experience.
Poetry lined the walls of a smaller room with the discarded writings of Sir Michael Wayne. A room playing an interviews of painter Taylor Smalls and songstress Mara Hruby played.
Five Bay Area artists from different disciplines combined their talents to give an elevated immersion of music, culinary, poetry, painting and photography. Taylor Smalls, Brandon Ruffin, Michael Wayne Turner III, singer Mara Hruby, and the Last Supper Society.
This was one of those exhibitions that I didn’t really want to take pictures of. I wanted to fully immerse myself in it and for others to experience it on their own. But there was no use resisting capturing some moments.
Sir Michael Wayne lead the crowd through each section, singing his own freedom song. “Maybe you’ll join me down,” became infectious as each us the crowd following began to sing along.
Each time he stopped to read a poem dedicated to each creative as they stood in front of the renderings both in portrait and photos from Brandon I watched the women swoon and at moments hold each other.
Last Supper Society small bites were served Songstress Mara Hruby closed the night with her timeless vocals surrounded by musical artifacts and clothing of her own collection.
Black women holding on to each other, sharing tears and swaying while being honored in is a good start to what feels like a slave to the work full of sweat and tears that drives change work.
While a portion of the environment felt as if I was standing in a room of Bay Area elites in the community, another felt that I was seeing with my own eyes Oakland celebrating itself. Seeing people I had written about and seen around town in one space gave them all a larger than life persona.
These women were change makers and trendsetters in a world that pushed Black women to the brink of insanity. Somehow they persisted and created something that marked time for other people in not just Oakland but in the world.
I believe others who experienced it felt the same.
For a brief moment, I found myself wondering how was I in this room. There have been a number of times when I found myself battling imposter syndrome as I interviewed or had a casual conversation with creatives who are six degrees from THOSE BIG NAMES.
This room convinces me that we aren't so far away as we think we are. Someone I know has told E-40 to look at something I shared on social media. My delusion is eventually going to convince me Jay-Z has read something I wrote and taken pause to acknowledge my name on a byline.
Who knows.
My conversation with Robin McBride about wine, taking photos for Goaple and hugs from Dr Akilah believe anything was possible. The best part of this exhibit was everyone who performed or created something, whether they were the subject of the art or the creators of it or in the room celebrating as participants, none of them were waiting for external validation from Los Angeles, New York or London.
Oakland was celebrating those who created IN Oakland while in Oakland.