When you visit our Contemporary Project show "Njideka Akunyili Crosby," be sure to look closely at all the details. 👀 "Potential, Displaced" has a specific historical source: Seneca Village, a community of predominantly Black Americans in New York City that was torn down in 1857 to build Central Park. One of the few areas of the city where Black people owned property, Seneca Village was home to approximately 300 residents before the city seized this land through eminent domain. Akunyili Crosby made this painting in response to a commission from the @metmuseum to create wallpaper for an Afro-futurist “period room” conceived to address this history and connect it to the larger Black diaspora. In this work, the artist combines reproductions of a historical survey map of the village, portraits of a descendent of the village, and Nigerian fashion models. Its layered, puzzle-like composition evokes the fracturing of communities and displacement of Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous people in this country. Akunyili Crosby chose okra as a motif to symbolize the African diaspora. A staple of Southern cooking, okra was introduced to the U.S. by enslaved people who brought it from Africa. "Njideka Akunyili Crosby" is on view through December 4, 2022. Visit the link in bio to learn more about the show and to register for an upcoming artist talk taking place 12pm CT, Wednesday, October 5, 2022. #NjidekaAkunyiliCrosby #BlantonMuseum #ArtInAustin #ATXMuseums #TexasMuseums #WomenInTheArts