Black Be Nimble. Black Be Quick. Black Be Dead. White Magic Trick.
Taped on the ground immediately outside the Humanities building Tuesday night, these were the words used in an attempt to start a conversation about racial discrimination on UW-Madison’s campus. Above the lettering hung an upside-down hooded sweatshirt symbolizing a person in the “hands up, don't shoot” position.
Artists Jay Katelansky and Alex Jackson said the piece was meant to portray their belief that racial inequality continually plagues people of color in America.
“It doesn't matter how quick you are or how smart you are or who you are, if you're black you're pretty much at the hands of white people,” Katelansky said.
Second-year graduate painting student Katelansky and fourth-year undergraduate painting student Jackson said they chose the Humanities building to showcase their art due to its placement in a highly trafficked area.
However, though the artists had permission from police to display the piece, it was taken down and thrown away by an unknown individual only two hours after it was put up.
Katelansky said her inspiration for creating the piece stemmed from a class in which not one student knew of the 1955 lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till.
“From there I kind of just broke, and I've been making this type of work ever since,” she said.
Jackson spoke of the importance of getting out of his studio and expanding his work beyond galleries.
“We wanted to, especially in these times and what is going on in Ferguson, bring [this issue] to this campus and put it out there and really try to start a conversation,” he said.
Though the events surrounding the Michael Brown case in Ferguson had a hand in inspiring the work of art, the artists said the message it portrays is deeper than just this event.
“This is not just about Ferguson, this is something that happens to us every single day. I mean, every week two black people are being killed, for the last 28 years, statistically,” Katelansky said. “Ferguson has ignited us to put this work out publicly, but we’re not just discussing Ferguson.”
