ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum in Annapolis holds a lot of history, some would even call it a sacred space.
That is also the name of the new exhibit at the historic landmark, "Sacred Spaces."
This will be the debut museum exhibition for mixed media artist Jabari Jefferson. The work is divided between three floors, with the first giving you a personalized look into Jefferson's life.
"Through this [pointing at his work], I introduced my mother's side of the family that migrated from North Carolina. My father is on the back and his side of the family that came from Virginia when we first came here. And the bottom shows me growing up in different areas," Jefferson explained.
Every artist has a unique creative process and Jefferson's is no different. He uses recycled materials like fabrics or actual dirt from historic areas in Maryland.
"Through the material, I'm able to not only talk with the narrative, but I'm able to actually use real objects that our time period utilizes and also deemed obsolete. I use paper collage as a main source. But all the paper I use are from children's book illustrations, because I grew up reading those," Jefferson said.
He also uses clothes, many of which were donated by the Annapolis community.
"It's very important to me that the material had been previously owned and used and interacted with, rather than buying something sterile and brand new because I believe in the transfer of energy."
"So how I look at is, I have 200 sources of lived people that have all been added to this piece to give it another layer of magnetism, to have it feel alive," Jefferson added.
The museum's executive director says this exhibition is an incredible opportunity for them.
"It showcases the power that museums have with emerging and mid-career artists, like why it's so important that curators are collaborating with artists to contextualize and document their work for the public," Chanel Compton-Johnson, Executive Director of the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum said.
Jefferson was selected because he matched the museum's theme, African Americans in labor.
"This is a very dramatic time in Black history, and we thought his work really encapsulates the power and strength of Black, spiritual, intellectual spaces throughout history," Compton-Johnson said.
"First of all, every month is Black History Month, but if we are going to put it under something, then I believe in coming correct. So I'm so grateful that I was able to unknowingly align this amount of energy, this amount of integrity, this amount of intentionality during a time period where it's most needed," Jefferson said.
Every one of his pieces tells a different story, whether its historic figures like Harriet Tubman and Benjamin Banneker or just everyday people.
"These are faces that most people are familiar with, but they may not be familiar with all of the wonderful and courageous work that they did," Martina Dodd, Curator of collections and exhibitions at the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum said.
Just like an old song you haven't listened to in a while, there are multiple layers to analyze when looking at Jefferson's work.
"So when you're looking at works like the work behind me, featuring Harriet Tubman, you can look at details where he is giving us hints of some of the things that she accomplished, you will see references to quilts, thinking about how quilts had secret languages and motifs that helped people guide them to freedom," Dodd explained.
The exhibition opens to the public on Feb. 8, noon to 4 p.m. and its free.
It will be up from February to December.
For more details, click here.
