Meet Kara Walker - Artist

I love African American Art, I picked up a serious appreciation for the genre from my mother who is an avid collector. I think that black artists are just that, black folk that make art, so I can't stand isolating them by calling them, African American artists. These are highly talented folks that use African American history, people, and culture as the "muse" for their art and they should be celebrated for it. I would like to introduce you to one of my favorites, Kara Walker.

Kara Walker is a contemporary American artist that is known for her exploration of race, gender, sexuality, violence and identity in her artworks. Walker is best known for her room-size tableaux of black cut-paper silhouettes. See an example below -

In 1997, Walker, who was 28 at the time, was one of the youngest people to receive a MacArthuer fellowship also known as the "genius" grant, which comes with a 500,000 dollar financial prize. In 2007, Walker was listed among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World, Artists and Entertainers.