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A couple weeks ago, I visited Louisville, Kentucky’s Speed Art Museum where I got to experience Amy Sherald’s portrait of Breeona Taylor: In the Garden. The 26-year-old emergency room technician was murdered by police who illegally entered her apartment, which triggered widespread social protests across the globe.
Sherald’s portrait devastated me and so many of those who were present. Black women, in particular, gathered in silent, awed reverence. I watched quietly as they were photographed in front of the image as if it were a religious icon, which is what paintings like this one become, I think — symbols of something so much bigger than one person’s tragic end — instead a way to commune with collective pain and trauma and fury.
What’s the last piece of art you experienced — fine art, music, cinema, TV, literature, whatever — that shattered you?
Myself, I can’t stop thinking about how Sherald depicted Breeona in such radiant, beautiful, colorful glory…a stark contrast to her violent murder by America’s alleged law enforcement.
I haven't had the chance to see the portrait in person. Unlike previous years, I didn't travel home during the summer. I can't wait to see the exhibit; it's at the top of my must-see list.
Did you have the opportunity to see any other sites while in Louisville? The "Bourbon trail" stops are a great time, with the Evan Williams experience being particularly top-notch. Equally impressive is the Muhammad Ali Museum. Ali's personality and global impact were both larger than life.
I also tried numerous times to upload the "What Lifts You" mural. Substack needs to allow image uploads in their comments and notes feature. It would help boost engagement.
I spend three weeks in Louisville every year, with my in-laws. I've seen a lot of it at this point. I love brick-and-mortar cities, being a Detroit boy myself. This time around, we actually did the Evan Williams experience (amongst others). Muhammad Ali Museum will be next time. My favorite thing to do is a Louisville Bats game; I've lived abroad since Trump's election and live baseball is something I still miss.
Having visited Detroit multiple times, I acknowledge the resemblances it shares with Louisville The remnants of industrial grit are still visible in these cities even as they transform themselves into contemporary cultural hubs with varying levels of success and setbacks.
The Louisville Bats are a rare minor-league gem. The team's inventive marketing and nostalgic stadium have been making the city proud for decades.
I've always had a desire to live abroad. I admire you for taking the leap of faith.
The last thing that shattered me and had me weeping like some homeless grandmother on Thanksgiving was the season finale of the OA season one. It stayed with me much in the same way the last 15 minutes of Six Feet Under did, I would tear up just thinking about it months after seeing it. Two perfect examples of profound Art. In my opinion.
It will horrify you to know I have never watched "SIX FEET UNDER". I can't even explain why this is the case. As for "OA", I still mean to watch that first season, which so many people have told me is brilliant.
This wasn't the most recent but Eve Ewing's poem "I Saw Emmett Till at the Grocery Store" is always a gut punch. The way it makes you yearn for something so mundane & pedestrian with all your heart but you know it's a tragic impossibility is incredible.
Okay, this poem...this poem is...I understand why you cited it. I'm going to return to it a couple more times this week, to swim around in its strange pedestrian melancholy -- as you put it, the "tragic impossibility" of it. But it's stunning and heartbreaking and I am, yes, shook. I'm now also going to go down the Eve Ewing rabbit hole, so thank you so much for introducing me to her work!
I'm terrified of what this poem is going to do to me. I'm getting children ready for school right now, but as soon as I am able to be quiet with it, I'm going to give it a read (and listen).
I was in Paris in May and I went to a concert at the Louis Vuitton Foundation, we had also the right to visit an exhibition portraying the works that Basquiat and Warhol created together. They were all stunning!
I'm extremely jealous of the fact that you got to attend that exhibition. Also, that you were in Paris. It's been too long for me. I spent 2017 to 2021 in England, and we traveled extensively through Europe...but somehow Paris kept getting pushed back as we had already been there a few times. The scope of its relationship with art is only rivaled by Rome's, as far as I'm concerned.
I totally agree with you. I had the luck to live in Rome for ten years from 2001 to 2011 and loved every single day of it. But I also like my calm and peaceful spot of wild nature in Brittany now!
As a Black woman born and raised in Louisville, Sherald’s portrait carries deep meaning. Through her art, Sherald reminds us of Taylor's beauty and ethereal presence, a life that was taken too soon.
A few years ago, I traveled to Nashville for a health and fitness conference. During my morning coffee run, I spotted the “What Lifts You” mural. I was at a professional crossroads, unsure if I should continue as a wellness coach due to my perceived lack of impact.
Witnessing this mural felt like divine intervention.
It made me reflect on how everyone has the ability to do something important and meaningful, no matter how small it may seem. We all have hidden wings that can assist us in taking flight and soaring.
It was a highly emotional experience that I still remember vividly.
Have you been lucky enough to see the Taylor portrait in person? "Ethereal" really is an appropriate description. The other pieces in the exhibit were equally startling for unique reasons. One of my favorite exhibits in quite some time, in fact. (I've tried to attach a photo of "What Lifts You" here and, despite photos being enable in comments, Substack isn't permitting them. More than a little frustrating. I've had to include a link instead).
I haven't had the chance to see the portrait in person. Unlike previous years, I didn't travel home during the summer. I can't wait to see the exhibit; it's at the top of my must-see list.
Did you have the opportunity to see any other sites while in Louisville? The "Bourbon trail" stops are a great time, with the Evan Williams experience being particularly top-notch. Equally impressive is the Muhammad Ali Museum. Ali's personality and global impact were both larger than life.
I also tried numerous times to upload the "What Lifts You" mural. Substack needs to allow image uploads in their comments and notes feature. It would help boost engagement.
I spend three weeks in Louisville every year, with my in-laws. I've seen a lot of it at this point. I love brick-and-mortar cities, being a Detroit boy myself. This time around, we actually did the Evan Williams experience (amongst others). Muhammad Ali Museum will be next time. My favorite thing to do is a Louisville Bats game; I've lived abroad since Trump's election and live baseball is something I still miss.
Having visited Detroit multiple times, I acknowledge the resemblances it shares with Louisville The remnants of industrial grit are still visible in these cities even as they transform themselves into contemporary cultural hubs with varying levels of success and setbacks.
The Louisville Bats are a rare minor-league gem. The team's inventive marketing and nostalgic stadium have been making the city proud for decades.
I've always had a desire to live abroad. I admire you for taking the leap of faith.
The last thing that shattered me and had me weeping like some homeless grandmother on Thanksgiving was the season finale of the OA season one. It stayed with me much in the same way the last 15 minutes of Six Feet Under did, I would tear up just thinking about it months after seeing it. Two perfect examples of profound Art. In my opinion.
It will horrify you to know I have never watched "SIX FEET UNDER". I can't even explain why this is the case. As for "OA", I still mean to watch that first season, which so many people have told me is brilliant.
Both life affirming but in different ways. One is life, life and the other is Art-life affirming and inspirational.
This wasn't the most recent but Eve Ewing's poem "I Saw Emmett Till at the Grocery Store" is always a gut punch. The way it makes you yearn for something so mundane & pedestrian with all your heart but you know it's a tragic impossibility is incredible.
Okay, this poem...this poem is...I understand why you cited it. I'm going to return to it a couple more times this week, to swim around in its strange pedestrian melancholy -- as you put it, the "tragic impossibility" of it. But it's stunning and heartbreaking and I am, yes, shook. I'm now also going to go down the Eve Ewing rabbit hole, so thank you so much for introducing me to her work!
You're welcome! She's absolutely brilliant and just a really cool person in general
I'm terrified of what this poem is going to do to me. I'm getting children ready for school right now, but as soon as I am able to be quiet with it, I'm going to give it a read (and listen).
I was in Paris in May and I went to a concert at the Louis Vuitton Foundation, we had also the right to visit an exhibition portraying the works that Basquiat and Warhol created together. They were all stunning!
I'm extremely jealous of the fact that you got to attend that exhibition. Also, that you were in Paris. It's been too long for me. I spent 2017 to 2021 in England, and we traveled extensively through Europe...but somehow Paris kept getting pushed back as we had already been there a few times. The scope of its relationship with art is only rivaled by Rome's, as far as I'm concerned.
I totally agree with you. I had the luck to live in Rome for ten years from 2001 to 2011 and loved every single day of it. But I also like my calm and peaceful spot of wild nature in Brittany now!
As a Black woman born and raised in Louisville, Sherald’s portrait carries deep meaning. Through her art, Sherald reminds us of Taylor's beauty and ethereal presence, a life that was taken too soon.
A few years ago, I traveled to Nashville for a health and fitness conference. During my morning coffee run, I spotted the “What Lifts You” mural. I was at a professional crossroads, unsure if I should continue as a wellness coach due to my perceived lack of impact.
Witnessing this mural felt like divine intervention.
It made me reflect on how everyone has the ability to do something important and meaningful, no matter how small it may seem. We all have hidden wings that can assist us in taking flight and soaring.
It was a highly emotional experience that I still remember vividly.
Have you been lucky enough to see the Taylor portrait in person? "Ethereal" really is an appropriate description. The other pieces in the exhibit were equally startling for unique reasons. One of my favorite exhibits in quite some time, in fact. (I've tried to attach a photo of "What Lifts You" here and, despite photos being enable in comments, Substack isn't permitting them. More than a little frustrating. I've had to include a link instead).
file:///Users/colehaddon/Desktop/whatliftsyou.webp