No One Teaches Us How to Be Daughters

Viewer takes photo of Ajanaé's work "Missing"

No One Teaches Us How to Be Daughters explores the intimate relationships between Black women through the artist’s disrupted matrilineal archive, Black literature, faith, docu-poetics, and Afrofuturist imaginings. It complicates the question, “Where do Black girls go when they go missing?” while considering the epidemic of missing Black girls/women and the metaphysical locations Black women find themselves in between girlhood and womanhood. This exhibition is a celebration of Black cultural and familial inheritance, a place of mourning, and an invitation to search for yourself.

This show is the culminating exhibition of poet Ajanaé Dawkins, Urban Arts Space’s Community Artist-in-Residence.

Ajanaé standing next to a photo of her great-grandmother included in her piece "Inheritance"

Three framed photos on a purple wall-on the adjacent wall there is a projected video. In the middle of the area there is a table with three chairs; a mink coat is draped over main chair.

Ajanaé Dawkins

Inheritance

mink, table, rug, scanned film

2024

I take the inheritance of memory as seriously as any heirloom. And so I work to preserve it. This installation includes:

An excerpt of an interview that I conducted with my great-grandmother during her rehabilitation on July 31st, 2016, shortly before her passing.
A mink coat that I inherited from her.
Footage of me in front of her the home she lived in for over 50 years.
A collection of photos of her at different points in her matriarchy.

Ajanaé Dawkins

Missing

digital photo, film photo

2024

How many ways have I lost myself? Metaphysically? Against my will? From willingly wandering away from my blood? Oh, how I miss me when I'm gone.

Matthew Pitts

Headshot Photo credits

Marshall Shorts

Headshot Photo Design

Several pictures hanging from the ceiling.

Ajanaé Dawkins

My Sisters

film

2024

What bonds a woman to another? For the women that I know and don’t

Ajanaé Dawkins

My Sisters

film

2024

Ajanaé and another woman holding each other in nature.

Ajanaé lying on a woman's leg as the woman caresses Ajanaé's head.

Ajanaé Dawkins

My Sisters

film

2024

Ajanaé Dawkins

Where are you?

mirror

2024

Ajanaé Dawkins

Discourse with Ghosts

collage

2024

“All research is just discourse with ghosts. All research, just discourse. Our ghosts and grief. Our accomplished bones. What is your legacy?”

Ajanaé Dawkins

Discourse with Ghosts

collage

2024

A vintage photo of different black women. The constellation of Big Dipper and Hercules are imposed over the image with a faint picture of the Moon in the background. The text says, “star-blood/space-line/veil thin as dust” and “here is my metaphysical location”

A photo of two black women and a black man in between them sitting together. The text says “Tell me about sisterhood. Before any man, she was mine. Already, I’d held her. Raised her. Her blood too. Kissed her face. In our youth, bruised her body. He doesn’t know it but she’s still mine.”

Ajanaé Dawkins

Discourse with Ghosts

collage

2024

“Tell me about sisterhood. Before any man, she was mine. Already, I’d held her. Raised her. Her blood too. Kissed her face. In our youth, bruised her body. He doesn’t know it but she’s still mine.”

Ajanaé Dawkins

Discourse with Ghosts

collage

2024

A photo comparing the all white girls chorus with the "colored" girls chorus. The name Ruth in the "colored" section is outlined with a green box. In the margins the text says “OH, HISTORY. YOU’RE SO CLOSE” and “THAT I CAN FIND MY BLOOD”

A poem on a light grey background. The poem says, “I never thought my voice had a color…only my God. Those folks who never met Him, clearly disagreed. You can tell though, if a sound is colored. Usually. The Spirit turns her neck in the direction of a colored song.”

Ajanaé Dawkins

Discourse with Ghosts

collage

2024

“I never thought my voice had a color…only my God. Those folks who never met Him, clearly disagreed. You can tell though, if a sound is colored. Usually. The Spirit turns her neck in the direction of a colored song.”

Ajanaé Dawkins

Discourse with Ghosts

collage

2024

A picture of Ajanaé photographing herself and her reflection in a mirror.

Video projection in red painted room. A recliner with a hair dryer attachment watches the video.

Ajanaé Dawkins

Where Black Girls Go

4:26

2024

Ajanaé Dawkins: Writer, Executive Director, Performer-Matthew Pitts: Director, Cinematographer, Video Editor, Set Designer-lyana Hill: Set Designer, Art Director, Creative Consultant-Kelly Harris: FX Makeup Artist, Stylist-Ayanna Fullum: Makeup Artist-Laila Brazell: Stylist 1, Alien 1, Assistant Videographer-Paige Khan: Stylist 2, Alien 2, Stylist, Creative Consultant-Tyiesha Radford Shorts: Stylist 3, Alien 3, Creative Consultant-Ebri Yahloe: Sound Engineer-Cierra Jackson: Score-Terron Banner: Creative Consultant. Thank You: Greater Columbus Arts Council, Urban Arts Space, MattyWithTheCam Films, Irrepressible Soul, Hanif Abdurragib, Kate Durham, and Ayat Ibrahim

Ajanaé Dawkins

For When You're a Field

vinyl, artificial flower

2024

“‘I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back’ -Shug Avery from Alice Walker’s The Color Purple”

A quote from The Color Purple on a purple wall surrounded by flowers. The quote says “‘I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back’ -Shug Avery from Alice Walker’s The Color Purple”

A quote from The Color Purple on a purple wall with words and sentences blocked out with white boxes.

This erasure pulls from Alice Walker's The Color Purple-repeating this famous quote from Shug Avery nine times before reimagining it.

“I think it pisses God off if you a field and don’t think God cares. fool the world can see it. I think it pisses God off if you purple somewhere and think pleasing God is all God cares about. the world always trying us. I think God walk where People living can see it. God cares about any fool living in the world God is all living always trying to please us back. I think it pisses God off if you the color purple don’t notice it. God please if you walk by us in a field somewhere notice us trying.”

Ajanaé Dawkins

Revival

church pew

2024

Church fans in the back of the church pew.

Ajanaé Dawkins

Revival

church pew

2024

Ajanaé Dawkins

Revival

Footage of my grandmother preaching

2024

A TV with a video of Baby Mama preaching.

A TV with a video of a tarrying and Holy Ghost filling service with Mother Frances Kelly. In front of the TV are two columns with a collection plate and Communion.

Ajanaé Dawkins

Revival

Footage of a tarrying and Holy Ghost filling service with Mother Frances Kelly.

2024

Ajanaé Dawkins

Revival

a collection plate

2024

A golden plate with Communion cups for viewers to take.

Ajanaé Dawkins

Revival

Communion

2024

Ajanaé Dawkins

Testimony

scanned film, filter

2024

“What is your testimony? All of our children can read.”

A vintage photo of Ajanaé’s great-great grandparents at their wedding. The text says, “How did you fall in love? Oh, who can remember how they were born? Ask us something we can name. We so familiar with testimony, it’s fraternal. Even this moment. We spent years saving for good buttercream and lived to taste it. What does it matter if we can read? The scriptures are in our mouths. God, here. The broom kissing the soles of our feet.”

Ajanaé Dawkins

Testimony

scanned film, filter

2024

“How did you fall in love? Oh, who can remember how they were born? Ask us something we can name. We so familiar with testimony, it’s fraternal. Even this moment. We spent years saving for good buttercream and lived to taste it. What does it matter if we can read? The scriptures are in our mouths. God, here. The broom kissing the soles of our feet.”

Ajanaé Dawkins

Tell Me

scanned film, hand collage

2022

This is an excerpt of an interview that took place between my mother and I in the summer of 2021. In the center text only discourse markers and filler words have been removed. The excerpt says, “Mom, can you name a memorable moment from my childhood? Okay, I got one. It’s not a good one. Do you remember when you were a baby and you were over Miss Jackson’s and how you got that thing on your eye and you had to get stitches, cause let me tell you. I wish I remember how they….Whatever age you were, they were carrying you in a baby chair. I feel like you weren’t even one yet No you were one. They were carrying you in one of those chairs. I was at school. I was at Wayne State. I don’t know if I was working. I remember they called and told me you fell out and I remember this girl rushed me over there to you because I was freaking out and I got there and we rushed you to the hospital and they said you needed stitches and they had to put you in a straitjacket and I remember feeling like I was about to pass out and you were just looking at me like I betrayed you and Miss Jackson….she felt horrible and she sent flowers and now that I think about it, I could have sued. I should have at least cursed them out but I sent you back. But yeah, that moment.”

A pink wall with an excerpt of an interview with Ajanaé and her mother. The excerpt says, “Mom, can you name a memorable moment from my childhood? Okay, I got one. It’s not a good one. Do you remember when you were a baby and you were over Miss Jackson’s and how you got that thing on your eye and you had to get stitches, cause let me tell you. I wish I remember how they….Whatever age you were, they were carrying you in a baby chair. I feel like you weren’t even one yet No you were one. They were carrying yo

A collaged picture of Ajanaé and her mother with the text “can you name a child? let me tell you. I wish I remember carrying you I fel like you rushed out and I needed you and now that I think about it, I could have sent you back.”

"can you name a child? let me tell you. I wish I remember carrying you I feel like you rushed out and I needed you and now that I think about it, I could have sent you back.”

“can you name me? I got a good one. you were a baby and your stitches, were carrying you. I was I was. I don’t know if I was. I remember me because I was a straight jacket and I remember feeling like flowers”

A collaged picture of Ajanaé and her mother with the text “can you name me? I got a good one. you were a baby and your stitches, were carrying you. I was I was. I don’t know if I was. I remember me because I was a straight jacket and I remember feeling like flowers”

“I’ve been writing about these things for a long time, and I think it used to be, I’m writing about all the things in the world. Now it’s like, dang, that whole time I was just talking about me. … But the more I explore [these ideas], the more centered I feel.”

- Ajanaé Dawkins