BLACKFULLNESS Fort Frederik Museum

The masterful art exhibition BLACKFULLNESS has taken over the historic walls of the Fort Frederik Museum in Frederiksted. This brilliantly curated group show, set in motion by Monica Marin, Chief Curator for the Division of Libraries, Archives and Museums, a division under Commissioner Jean-Pierre L. Oriol’s Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), beckons every art enthusiast on St. Croix to view a collection that not only seeks to enunciate the Black Experience through art, but acts to enlighten the path of Black artists worldwide. 

Ms. Marin called on artists from across the Virgin Islands, the African-Caribbean Diaspora, along with artists who are connected to the region, to submit their work for the third annual ‘Emancipation Art Exhibition’ presented by DPNR.

“This year’s exhibition spotlights the spirit of resistance that is at the core of Virgin Islanders’ identity and that is etched into everything that makes Virgin Islands’ cultural production so powerful. It calls attention to how Black protest and art activism in our region have influenced international Black brilliance and liberation,” stated Ms. Marin.

BLACKFULLNESS is a word coined by the late Black feminist Audre Lorde to describe what she loved about her chosen home of St. Croix. Specifically, her beloved majority Black community provided her with a sense of belonging and purpose that transcended place. In an interview entitled ‘Above the Wind,’ Ms. Lorde speaks to her experience of coming to St. Croix to heal and to be actionable as both an artist and as a human-rights activist.

Audre Lord (1934-1992) was an American writer, professor, philosopher, intersectional feminist, poet and civil rights activist. She was a self-described “Black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, mother, warrior, poet” who dedicated her life and talents to confronting different forms of injustice.

Ms. Lorde moved to St. Croix in 1986, after being diagnosed with liver cancer. She lived on the Big Island with her life partner, Black feminist Dr. Gloria Joseph. The couple remained together until her death. Together they founded several organizations including the Women’s Coalition of St. Croix, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence through education, prevention and support for survivors.

The exhibition at Fort Frederik Museum features works by Waldemar Broadhurst, Jeffrey Rezende, Victoria Rivera, Elisa MacKay, Danica Davis, Niarus Walker, Adrian Edwards, Ray Llanos, La Vaughn Belle, Quiana Adams, Elwin Joseph, Stuart Rames, Mike Walsh, Danielle Kearns, Rob Gigsun, Therese Trudeau, Eric Paxton, and the A’we Study Group featuring: Sayeeda Carter, Kemit Amon-Lewis, Oceana James, and Nina Mercer, among others.

The BLACKFULLNESS exhibition will run through October 2024. Mon-Fri 9am-4:30pm. Admission is $10, students 17 & under Free.