Echos of the Spirit
5 artists from new orleans were chosen to be a part of a growing, traveling national sculpture exhibit that is a part of The Stories of Us. Ayo was honored to be one of those 5 and had the great pleasure of working along side 4 incredible women who each had a unique style and story. Check out the exhibit and even listen to the artists speak about each off their respective works Im attaching a few progress shots and a snippet from the studio. Essence magazine was a partner for the exhibit and while the sculptures stated out in Congo Square in Armstrong Park, they ended up in the in Essence Fest and have since moved on to another city. Essence wrote an article about the partnership.
The Inspiration for the piece was captured by an interview that was formed into this artistic statement.
My father – John T. Scott – had a mantra: “Pass It On”. If anyone said thank you to him, he would reply – “pass it on”. He embodied the idea of paying it forward. If you want to pay me back for something, do it by doing something for somebody else. It’s a mantra he received from his mother and he has passed it onto me. I am an artist because he was an artist. But I am not the same artist. So, as I thought of the idea of culture – and how it is created – I considered what it meant to pass on and preserve our cultural practices and traditions across generations. And how each generation makes it their own, adding to tradition so that culture evolves, dynamically.
That is what you see in Echos of the Spirit. It centers the cultural tradition of Black Masking Indians that originated in New Orleans. On Mardis Gras day, Super Sunday and other festive occasions, you will see Black people parade through the streets in elaborate, handmade suits. The suits feature a headdress, apron, chest plate and arm pieces. They are embellished with intricate beadwork, feathers and other glorious creations that represent different themes or characters. They are created in tribes and festivities feature ceremonial ‘run-ins’ with other tribes, to showcase creativity, craftsmanship and community pride.
There are many stories on the origins of the tradition, passed down orally. One that resonates deeply with me is that it was in part developed as a way to honor native indigenous populations, who had taken in enslaved people who had run away. They did so in the most meaningful way they knew how – the masking traditions of West Africa and influences from Haiti, blended with features of the indigenous culture they sought to honor. Through generations, it has continued in spirit and evolved in how it manifests.
That is the culture that Echos of the Spirit centers. Feature in it is a generational dialogue between father and son – icons of the Black Masking Indian culture.
