It is said that “silence is golden”, but the dignity of silence has compelled us to tell our story of struggles in order to be transformed. Forgetting is what we do all the time, and therefore it causes pain; but now the forgotten is being remembered and it is hoped that memory will bring healing, and lower the pain in the lives of black artists living in Maine.

The black people around the world all began their journey from Africa many generations ago. Before then, all activities were centered around family, community, healing rituals, and art. There was a shared sense of harmony and connectedness to the earth, to spirits and to the countless gods and lost souls. The root of all this devotion was for the worship and veneration of the One Great God.

The African world’s view was that African people did not come from some other place to conquer a people in order to reside on that land. We believe that we were created from the African soil. Our ancestors were born, lived, died and were buried there. Our pride is that we are rooted on that land, and so it was until the first European ship sailed to the shores of Africa, bringing a spell of doom to the continent.

With the beginning of the trans-Atlantic slavery era, some of our people were forced out of the land. Our communities began to fall apart and our joy, happiness, and orderly way of living in community became disorganized.  Disorder reigned on the continent and disintegration followed us to America.

This project grew out of the recognition of this disintegration and dismemberment among the artists of African heritage in Maine, and the unrecognized talent germinating on this continent. All of the artists represented in this project carry the echoes of that shattered history in their creative process as seen through their art. And all of them deserve to be recognized for their artistic contribution to the culture we now all share.

Africans have lived in the state of Maine for many centuries and no doubt many of them were artists. Sadly there is little history, documentation or recognition of these talents. There is no legacy left for the new generation, to learn from their experiences. Almost all of the artists have been forgotten, as well as many other Africans in America who have made significant contributions but have gone unrecognized in this new era.

The recent explosion of African Diaspora in Maine is creating a reformation of the dismembered African artists. There is healing and new growth happening as the artists recuperate from the past by remembering the past, and expressing themselves through the creative process, making art that speaks and educates us all about the past, and gaining recognition as artists.

All of this will encourage continuity and continued healing and growth for the next generation.

The Black Artist Forum is a collective of artists who encourage each other to create art, offering support, and collaboration among each other in order to increase their visibility and recognition as black artists. The Black Artist Forum is a community forming through art, a re-grouping, a re-membering of a scattered people for many generations, who now live, work and contribute to the communities and culture of Maine.

We are using visual arts, literature, story telling, illustration, music, dance, photography, fashion, traditional ceremonies, journalism, and so many other artistic expressions to convey the deep and dark feelings of insulation, isolation and death, as well as the spirit of life and light and hope.

Many of these artists create work that is free of oppositional representation, and embrace the universe as one with all people equal. Through the arts and educational endeavors, the Black Artists Forum celebrates diversity.

As the State of Maine becomes more internationally rich, the contributions of these artists, when recognized, will continue to add to the creative economy process potentially generating millions of dollars.

Today, many black artists who have made their home in Maine have made an impact on the creative art process, internationally and nationally.

The Maine Arts Commission has continued its mission to see that the

presence and impact of these artists in Maine does not disintegrate as

the world becomes globally integrated. The contributions of these artists are

critically significant to our history in America and Maine and in today’s world of the Arts and Humanities.

The categories of art forms represented in this project are:

Dance, literature, poetry, photography, music, jewelry design/creation,

traditional art, story-telling, visual-arts, design/illustration, performance

art, film –making and other artistic inventions.

The artists who participated and whose work are incorporated in this

study are: Daniel Minter, Michael Wingfield, David Driskell, Ashley Bryan,

Rebecca Hershey, Olkriil Remengasey, Lissett Melendez, Alfinodah Farriah,

Archie Davis, Asaata Sheriil, Ciprano A. Ie, Ebeneza Akapko, Miekie

Jennesee, Lee Donaldson, Willie Nelson, Kwabena Owusu, Kieta A.

Whitten, Godfrey Banda, Michelle Estell, Samuel James, Dekah Doubao

and Oscar O. Mokeme. This list will continue to grow.