 Photograph courtesy of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Instagram Hank Willis Thomas had a retrospective show of his artwork at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art from Feb 8th until April 20th, 2020. Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, Crystal Bridges Museum shut down for part of that time, so the show was held over until July. The exhibition at Crystal Bridges included Mr. Thomas’s branded series, unbranded series, sculptures, and films. There are many individual pieces of art that this artist has created that would fall into the category of Activist Art, including a piece titled, 14,719, from 2018. This piece of art is made of 28-foot dark blue fabric panels that are embroidered with 14,719 individual stars. Each star represents a person shot and killed in the united states in 2018. This is a powerful statement and a new way to visualize the epidemic and extreme health crisis of gun violence plaguing our country. I feel that is why the fabric color choice and stars are reminiscent of the stars used on the United States flag. Mr. Thomas is quoted in the New York Times, stating that, “The most likely way for young African-American men to die is by gun violence.”Sometimes when you hear a number, it is hard to wrap your brain around that concept. Seeing all the stars on such large fabric panels was a visual representation. Guests to the exhibit walked through and around the panels looking up to the tall ceiling to fully be immersed and overwhelmed in the created canyon of the iconic stars. The artwork is both very partonic in its symbolism but also can leave the viewer with an overwhelming aspect of a problem.  Photograph courtesy of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Instagram Mr. Thomas has a personal history with gun violence, as his dear cousin was killed in a robbery and murder in 2000. Mr. Thomas discussed his work, his inspirations, heartbreaks that propelled him forward, and activism in an Opening Exhibition Lecture at Crystal Bridges Museum in the video linked below.
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