Creating New Narratives Around the Black Experience Through Art

Post and artwork created by:
Tay Butler

My work utilizes the historical and diaristic experiences of myself and Black people in America.

Beginning with my upbringing in the midwest, my family history in the Mississippi Delta, my becoming in Houston TX, and my professional emergence in Arkansas, I repurpose the Black archive via photographs and documents to update and construct new narratives around the Black experience then and how it has influenced the conditions we see today.

From confronting the myth of the “South being more racist than the North” to questioning where do Black Americans belong, I bring scenes to life to pay homage to Black worlds left out of the mainstream or critique both past and present.

I also consider popular media and its representation of Black people, and how activities, such as basketball, become a tradition in the Black community. All of this is done through vivid colors and abstract layering of both 2-D paper cuts and original photography.

You can find out more about Tay Butler’s work online:
https://www.stayclosetay.com
https://www.instagram.com/stayclosetay/