We [don't] Care: reclaiming our environment
Generations of black, brown and indigenous people were forcibly displaced from their native lands, severing them from their roles as caretakers of their natural environment. Ironically, this forced disconnection–rooted in capitalism, colonialism and white supremacy–has resulted in the myth that people of color are less inclined to care about environmental issues.
From Warren County’s 1980s anti-landfill protests for environmental justice, to Latinx-led efforts for equitable hurricane assistance in Texas, and the Standing Rock Sioux, people of color and indigenous communities have organized against forces that would poison and deplete vital ecosystems.
We don't Care: reclaiming our environment affirms the ancestral, spiritual, and physical connection to nature while rewriting false narratives about environmental apathy among BIPOC communities. Featuring works by Saba Taj, Derrick Beasley, Claire Alexandre, Jim Lee, Renzo Ortega, Jessica Clark, We don't Care is an open call show that invites artists in the community to share their work in solidarity with those committed to the protection and preservation of our environment.
An additional 24 artworks were selected through an open call review process by the following artists: Antonia Brown, Ashley Keen, Bethany Bash, Bevelyn Afor Ukah, Brian Behm, Catherine Edgerton, Charla Rios, Cynthia Jones, Eliza Redmann, G.R. Amaya-Baron, Jett Pavlica, JP Jermaine Powell, JP Trostle, Kathryn Desplanque, Kwaku A Osei, Leticia Clementina, Malcolm Goff, Marie-Louise Bennett, Meg Stein, Melvin Peña, Natalia Torres del Valle, Quay Weston, Samir Knego, and Shin-Yiing Yeung.
The curatorial statement for We don’t Care: reclaiming our environment is by Gail Belvett. The exhibit title references Sage Anifowoshe’s 2020 article, Environmental racism has 'ripped' black people away from nature.
Please join us for an opening reception on Saturday, April 22, 6-8pm (Earth Day).
The exhibit is open to the public April 22 - May 13 at 304 S. Driver St, Ste 102, Durham, NC 27703.
Open hours are Wednesday - Saturday, noon-6pm and during events.
Mavis Gragg will lead a Meet The Artists panel discussion on April 27 at 6pm.
Gail Belvett will lead a Slow Art Tour on Saturday, May 6 at 3pm.
Curatorial, administrative, and programming support for the exhibit is a collaboration between Gail Belvett, Laura Ritchie, and Mavis Gragg. Contact Gail Belvett at theartschoseme@gmail.com.
Community Show Participation
Our country’s orientation to the enjoyment of the natural environment has largely catered to whiteness and capitalism. We invite artists to consider these questions when selecting work for submission:
What is your understanding of how and why BIPOC communities have become divorced from the land?
Based on your understanding, how does your work confront, examine, expose, or pose a remedy to that forced separation?
Artwork submissions by BIPOC artists, queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming artists, and artists with disabilities are encouraged and welcomed.
Artwork must be finished and ready to hang or display at the time of delivery.
2D and 3D artworks in all media will be considered.
There is no submission fee. Artworks may be listed for sale by the artist. Artwork prices are determined by the artist. In the event of an artwork sale, money is exchanged directly between
the artist and the buyer. We do not take a commission.
We appreciate all submissions and will make thoughtful decisions about the work included in the exhibit. Considerations include alignment with the exhibit’s theme, alignment with the Pop Box
Gallery mission, organizational capacity, and available space. If your piece is not selected, we will notify you by April 20 to arrange pick-up. We will not provide feedback on submissions.
The deadline to participate has passed.
About Gail Belvett
Gail Belvett, DDS, a graduate of the UNC Adams School of Dentistry, founded Southpoint Family Dentistry in 2007.
In 2018, Gail sold Southpoint Family Dentistry to deepen her involvement in the arts. In 2020, she founded The Art Chose Me, whose mission is to dismantle the obstacles—real and perceived—that limit access to the potentially life changing experience of art.
The Art Chose Me provides curatorial and administrative services to value-aligned artists and institutions in the Triangle area.
Image: Portrait of Gail Belvett