Respect the crown!
A Black creative duo recently launched The Black Hair Experience in homage to Black women.
Visual artist Alisha Brooks and world-renowned photographer Elizabeth Austin-Davis are the curators of The Black Hair Experience, an interactive art and photo exhibit empowering Black women through the celebration of our hair. The exhibition features galleries highlighting Black hair across the diaspora and throughout the generations with 13 different art installations and a vibrant retail suite curated for women of color.
Brooks, digital creator and founder of Hello Tee, came together with Austin-Davis, a buzzing photographer who has been featured in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, and the like, inspired by the desire to utilize their gifts to create a safe space to celebrate Black hair culture.
“We wanted to create a visual celebration of the experiences that tie us together regardless of how you wear your hair. Our goal was to create something that promoted self-love and celebrated the beauty of Black hair. The Black Hair Experience brings these similarities to life by combining art with beauty, stories, and culture through the universal symbol of hair,” Brooks told Because Of Them We Can.
Exhibits include a magazine wall composed of Black hair mags, a showcase boasting more than 1,000 hair care products harnessed from the ceiling, and an installation honoring Black childhood hair experiences. There are also photo exhibits celebrating beauty supply stores and salons, a self-affirmation installation, and more. Brooks and Austin-Davis agree that the goal is to celebrate Black women, empower Black hair, foster self-love, and spread joy.
Photo Courtesy of The Black Hair Experience
“Whether you are relaxed, natural, have locs, or you are bald, there is something in this experience you can connect to, and we look forward to seeing a variety of styles,” said Brooks.
The duo hopes to eventually open a permanent flagship of the exhibit in 2021 while also touring The Black Hair Experience across the country.
“As a society, we need to see our versatility represented. We live in a world where, in most cases, people must see something repeatedly before they accept it, before it is normalized. We need to send the message that Black hair is beautiful the way it is regardless of how we choose to wear it,” Austin-Davis said.
The Black Hair Experience is currently open to attendees with heavily enforced PPE requirements due to COVID-19 restrictions. The exhibit is located in Atlanta and runs from November 20th to December 20th. To purchase your tickets visit www.theblackhairexperience.com.
Congratulations, ladies!
Photo Courtesy of The Black Hair Experience