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 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
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 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
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
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
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”
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
Ajanaé Dawkins
Revival
church pew
2024
Ajanaé Dawkins
Revival
Footage of my grandmother preaching
2024
Ajanaé Dawkins
Revival
Footage of a tarrying and Holy Ghost filling service with Mother Frances Kelly.
2024
Ajanaé Dawkins
Revival
a collection plate
2024
Ajanaé Dawkins
Revival
Communion
2024
Ajanaé Dawkins
Testimony
scanned film, filter
2024
“What is your testimony? All of our children can read.”
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.”
"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”