Beyond The Brush: How Black Artists Foster Connection and Conversation

By: Jocelyn Hockaday

When you first enter Philadelphia, what catches your eye are the large public murals that breathe life into the city’s buildings and graffiti that is sprayed at the highest of heights. Philadelphia has been a home for Black creatives and Black art since the early 1800s, playing a crucial role in the history of Black art in the United States; both serving as a creative space and a battleground for racial and artistic expression.

At Temple University, a reflection of the city’s rich art history is showcased where artists specializing in all mediums flood the campus with their artistic expression through physical art on buildings and through creative events.

As Black History Month ends and with social and political climates continuing to heat up as new administration flows in, the push for racial democracy has risen and has been reflected through Black-curated art.

“I feel like it’s important to support Black artists and shop with them because we already aren't supported in society,” local artist Mecca Jacobs said. “We kind of get put on the back burner or we're not taken seriously when it comes to things we wanna do ourselves or things we wanna organize and put together.”

Jacobs is a photographer, filmmaker, and painter at Temple. In her work, she compliments Black features, making her art relatable to her audience. She was one of 10 Black artists who came together to hold a Black art exhibition sale at the end of February.

Sparked from a conversation with a friend, Amadi Williams Wells, a senior Africology major gathered 10 artists to hold the Black Art Sale. Wells is a fluid mixed media artist, working with music, painting, screen printing, and recently glass blowing.

“I was trying to make Black queens and kings, and I was like, you know we should have a Black art sale,” Wells said.

This collective of Black artists planned and organized this event in 15 days, with help from the Temple University Glass Department. The sale was in the lobby of the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, and lasted from Feb. 24-28, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Each artist that participated in the events organization had the opportunity to market their art for sale. The art took hold of all mediums, including crochet clothing, screen printed tee shirts, prints, paintings, art booklets, and so much more.

“A lot of artists don't really see the value and the work that they're making,” Wells said. “You know, there was great, amazing art that was coming out. I want to make sure that artists can know their personal value and their connections have more of a connection to be able to sell that to other people.”

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This event fostered the relationship between Black Art, the artist and the buyer, as each artist took shifts tabling. Buyers asked questions about the art, allowing a space for conversation about what Black art means to the art community.

However, organizing local events like this can come with difficulties, from the setup, getting approval for the space needed, and communicating with various entities.

“I really learned more about how to talk to people, how to communicate, and how to organize”, Wells said. “Organizing is really, really hard and involves multiple people with different skill sets, but I've been doing this a little bit of the time now and I feel like the more I do it, the more I'm starting to get used to things and start to understand why I use it differently.”

Logan Crompton, a second-year MFA student in painting at Tyler School of Art and Architecture and a graduate assistant at makerspace at Charles Library, conveys subjective messages through their symbolic paintings which blend internet, digital, Black, and consumer culture through exploring various textures.

Many artists' work, such as Crompton’s, allow a space for a more open conversation on the controversies the art brings to the table.

“Just making connections between all the different things,” Crompton said on her inspiration when using sequins as a texture and material. “I think I'm really inspired by online algorithms and the way culture is just really sped up when it's in the online space. So, what are the ramifications of that, outside of that, you know.”

Whether you’re buying a hand-blown flower vase, a new painting for your living room, or a new graphic tee as an addition to your wardrobe, shopping Black helps more than the community itself, but also the economy.

Black-owned businesses revenue has increased 56.9 percent from 2017, despite only making up 3 percent of U.S. businesses, and Pennsylvania holding 1.1-3 percent of firms, reported by The Pew Research Center in February 2025. This accounts for more than half of the growth in national business applications.

In addition to the increasing number of small businesses in the U.S., their revenue has risen as well. In 2022, Black-owned businesses contributed 65.7 percent more in revenue, hired 34.6 percent more employees, and paid 69.5 percent more in payroll than five years ago, reported Governing.

“People already look down on minority communities, so I feel like it's up to us in the communities to uplift others,” said Ty’Shon Cromwell, a senior graphic designer at Temple University. On a project basis, Cromwell focuses on clothing design, with inspiration pulled from vintage styles and music, conveying messages from Black history to unity and freedom.

Social media and the rise of technology has been a concern for the art community, especially as AI becomes more normalized in various professional industries. However, instead of seeing it as a threat, it is used as inspiration.

“Since I've been really into that subversion, I think for the layering, I've been thinking about them as embeddings,” Crompton said as they compare it to when you send something online, and it carries the history of its first iteration. “Like in each layer that a piece has more information is being built up the same way.”

As technology continues to redefine artistic practices, more immersive and digital art surfaces. Artists such as Deren Snead, Chidi Nwauban, Mattaniah Aytenfsu, and Iddris Sandu creatively combine new technology with traditional artistic measures.

The global AI market is expected to reach $190 billion this year, a 38.4 percent increase from 2020, and the global AI art market size is expected to reach $1.4 billion this year with digital art in demand, according to AI Art Kingdom. The question remains whether new technologies will be damaging to the community or serve as an inspiration.

Challenges and obstacles will continue to rise in the art industry as artists adapt to new changes in the industry. This process can be grueling, but the lessons learned are rewarding.

“People are gonna have opinions and they're gonna perceive it differently,” Jacobs said, “You can't really change the way that you go about it based on that because the outcome isn't gonna be as genuine as it would be if you were to just do it on your own, go about it the way that you want to.”

With a large increase in first year-first enrollment and 9,143 students enrolled in creative schools at Temple University, the art community continues to grow on campus. However, many individuals who seek creative careers in non-creative majors, such as Wells, do not go unnoticed.

Additionally, with the recent purchase of former University of the Arts’ Terra Hall, Cromwell urges us to focus on the youth as new generations take part in the art industry and the advantages that technology offers.

“In my community, amongst the designers I know, it's a push for the young Black kids that's using these programs to try to create clothing,” Cromwell said. “I think it's just teaching, you know, like I said before, it's another gateway or another way to express yourself, you know?"

You can support local Black artists in the next Black Art Sale, occurring Apr. 14-17 from 9am-5pm at Tyler School of Arts and Architecture. To follow the event and learn more, you can follow @nwartscollective on Instagram.

“It's like we're in this place; people are longing for human connection and friends, but then at the same time don't want to talk to other people,” Wells said. “I don't know what that's about. So, I want to remind people that they ask the community and that there's people here and we're stronger together.”