‘Resting Our Eyes’ Exhibit at ICA SF Gallery

By Kim Christensen and Polina Smith

’Resting Our Eyes’ uplifts the practice of rest, beauty and adornment of Black women as radical acts of resistance, pleasure and power. Tahirah Rasheed and Autumn Breon co-curated this art exhibit, featuring over 20 multigenerational Black artists, to focus on the ‘liberation and celebration of Black women through the lens of leisure and physical adornment.’ A timely take on the personal is political maxim, Resting Our Eyes has drawn enthusiastic audiences to the new ICA gallery in San Francisco where it runs through June 25, 2023.

Curators Tahirah Rasheed and Autumn Breon celebrate ‘Resting Our Eyes’ exhibit at Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco. Photography: Vikram Valluri. © BFA

“Collectively, these works invite us to see Black womxn as fully realized and free.”

— Exhibit co-curators Tahirah Rasheed and Autumn Breon

Installation view of ‘Resting Our Eyes’ exhibit at ICA San Francisco gallery in 2023.
Photo by R. Tsai for Seismic Sisters.

Self-care as a political strategy is a trending topic among feminist resisters on social media; but of course, it has been known and used by Black women going way back. The curators cite specifically as inspiration the Combahee River Collective – a group of Black lesbian feminist activists and intellectual thinkers who gathered regularly in the 1970s in Boston. They met up as an intentional sisterhood for years, carving out time to cook suppers together, discuss books, make art, dance, talk politics and culture, as well as wonder and envision what the world would look like – and society feel like – “If Black women were free”.

Installation view of ‘Resting Our Eyes’ exhibit at ICA SF gallery in 2023.
Photo by R. Tsai for Seismic Sisters.

“If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free, since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all systems of oppression.”

— from the Combahee River Collective Statement

In 1977 they were invited to write down their ideas for a book challenging capitalist patriarchy; known as the ‘Combahee River Collective Statement’, it has since become famous and studied by feminists worldwide. In it, the Collective came to assert a guiding philosophy, namely that the successes of any movement centering Black women would naturally bring rewards to the greater society. This concept is vitally relevant today. Creating a politics that centers Black women’s experience and needs - of the body, reproduction, family, relationships, jobs, infrastructure, education, community, health and safety - and that emphasizes joy and happiness - would likely improve conditions for other marginalized groups and the whole of society.

Artist Adana Tillman, “Wild Thoughts” quilted fabric, on display in ‘Resting Our Eyes’ exhibit at ICA SF gallery, 2023. Photo by R. Tsai for Seismic Sisters.

This exhibit confronts the legacy of subordination and colonization that Black women face daily. It challenges that subordination by celebrating the physical acts of rest and beautification, two acts that are as radical as they are ordinary.

Artist LaKela Brown, “Doorknocker Earring Composition with Multiple Clusters and Impressions” 2022, plaster and acrylic. Courtesy of the artist and Reyes | Finn. Photo by R. Tsai for Seismic Sisters.

The secondary theme of the exhibit – physical adornment – is captured through several thoughtful artistic media. Artist LaKela Brown’s “Composition With 35 Golden Doorknocker Impressions,” references the big, bold and gold door knocker-style earrings that many Black women wear as a fashion symbol of resistance and proud celebration of their cultural heritage.

The symbolic earrings are celebrated not only within this art exhibit space, but also by partnering with Sucré, a popular jewelry brand now selling this historically-inspired original merchandise.

Artist Genevieve Gaignard, “Look What We’ve Become” 2020 on display in ‘Resting Our Eyes’ exhibit at ICA SF gallery. Photo by R. Tsai for Seismic Sisters.

The advancement of the voices of Black women, in spheres both political and artistic, is not and has never been a zero-sum game. Curators Breon and Rasheed have created ‘Resting Our Eyes’ to reflect and reify this important axiom.

‘Resting Our Eyes’ has garnered the attention and enthusiastic praise of such media outlets as Vogue, The Cut, and Artnet. Such large-scale attention has delivered a powerful platform to these Bay Area connected artists and curators. ‘Resting our Eyes’ is a powerful, challenging and thought-provoking multimedia exhibit uplifting themes of rest, beauty and adornment all centered within the context of a radical politics. ‘Resting Our Eyes’ is showing at the ICA San Francisco gallery from January 21 to June 25, 2023.

Street view of new ICA San Francisco art gallery, 2023. Photo by R. Tsai for Seismic Sisters.

About the authors: Kim Christensen is the founder and executive editor of Seismic Sisters; Polina Smith is a staff culture writer at Seismic Sisters.

By Polina Smith

Navigating these times can be difficult, especially for professions that concentrate on the arts. With shelter-in-place restrictions and cancellation of live performances, it can be extremely difficult for businesses that rely on hosting classes and public events. One such organization, Dance Brigade is going through exactly that. We recently caught up with Stella Adelman, Managing Director, to see how Dance Mission Theater is making adjustments during this time of Coronavirus.

What was Dance Mission Theater working on before the shelter-in-place went into effect?

Stella Adelman: Dance Brigade runs the venue Dance Mission Theater in San Francisco. We had shows booked every weekend, and we’ve had to cancel everything through the end of April. Now things are starting to seep into May and June 2020.

Things are changing so fast that it’s hard to know how to predict and how to plan. Everything pertaining to the theater has been closed through the end of April, and now people are cancelling for May and June little by little.

We had several projects coming up that we were doing off-site. We had a show May 8th at Mission Cultural Center. We’re trying to figure out when we can do it. We want to do it again, but we don’t know - we don’t have a date yet. We have had so many programs either cancelled or postponed to a later date.

Another big unknown that we have is our Grrrl Brigade show, which is our youth leadership program. We have a huge show in the beginning of May every year. We were trying not to cancel it. That’s going to look very, very different than how we originally planned it, and we’re trying to do some online classes with the girls.

We had this festival, which we did two years ago. It’s an every other year event that was looking at inequity with health disparities and trauma, specifically HIV and AIDS. That was going to be in correlation with the International AIDS Conference, which has its 30th anniversary this year, in Oakland in early July.

Dance Brigade performing Butterfly Effect at Dance Mission Theater, photo by Robbie Sweeny

And so, there are huge questions as to when - or if - that will be held. Everyone is in triage mode. No one can focus on working on our project now, even though maybe this is the time when it is really needed. Our partners have so many different priorities than what they originally had.

And what about your classes?

We’ve also had to cancel all of our adult classes and all of our youth classes at the studio, and then also classes that take place outside of our location. We offer free adult classes with a partner organization, and we have youth classes that we offer in a school.

Have these changes impacted your budget?

We’re having to re-figure the budget because we can’t predict anything. It felt very unwieldy to continue as normal. We are constantly readjusting the budget for all these new factors.

Are you moving anything online?

A lot of our teachers are offering adult classes online. Of course, you still need Internet access, and some people just don’t have a lot of space to move around because they live with a lot of people. But we’re all trying to set up adult classes online and maybe also some youth classes. As of now, we’re not planning on doing any performances online.

So, I imagine what would be most supportive for you right now is financial support?

Cash is first, right. We’re collecting donations online for our teachers and our independent contractors, so that we can give them support. This is a situation where artists are worried that this might be it for people - thinking that maybe they should just call it quits.

Are there other ways that people can be supportive of you as an organization?

There are other ways to support us, such as writing senators and representatives to make sure that the art community is included and also that freelancers and gig workers are included in the relief package in terms of unemployment. When you think about it, a lot of folks can’t call out of work, even if they are sick. Think of the safety net everyone would have if we had a universal healthcare system.

What do you think we can learn from this time?

One thing I am really thankful for is seeing how it is when things are shut down and everyone is willing to change their lifestyle. People are not going outside. Everyone - the whole world - has changed, right? The levels of carbon dioxide have plummeted, and think about how clear the skies have been.

So, the earth can clean itself, and there are ways that we can interact with the environment that can be helpful. There are ways that we can disrupt the systems enough to heal the planet. Hopefully, we can figure out a way to do it so that it will not be at the expense of all these lives - and livelihoods.

Dance Brigade performing Butterfly Effect at Dance Mission Theater, photo by Brooke Anderson

What do you see as the role of artists during this time?

I love that Toni Morrison quote: "This is precisely the time when artists go to work. . . We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal." This is the time for artists to roll up their sleeves and not to despair. It is the role of the artist to imagine a new world - it’s a mirror oftentimes and draws the artist to inspire. Another quote I love is: “The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.” I think this is a time that artists can do a lot of good and have a chance to rest a second.

So many times the hustle is so real. Artists are fighting to make it work and produce and meet a need and uplift your community. And uplift yourself. And to do all these things and agree they’re good. And so, you do have to put on your oxygen mask first, so that you can then put it on others.

At the same time we want to give the artist the permission to just rest a second, and see how their work can inspire themselves and others so that we don’t all collapse. Many people tried to move so quickly and figure out how to be even more creative. They figured out their medium and then had to decide whether to switch online or just how to respond.

For example, if you are being super creative and thinking about how to go mobile. A musician could go mobile and do music concerts. Such as driving from place to place and giving mini concerts. Amazing artists are creatives like no other, and they need creative thinking to think outside the box. I encourage that.

And also, if you need to rest, rest. I do want to acknowledge that a lot of people can’t do that because they have to figure out how to continue to make a living, how to pay rent, how to pay these bills. It’s a delicate balance. How can you take care of yourself when the reality of life hits? It could be really hard.

Stella, what would your message be to artists - especially young artists - right now who are thinking about how to get creative and resourceful during this time?

One thing that I really enjoy seeing is how people are showing up for one another. People are still trying to be connected. The minute I switched from emailing people to Zoom, it was life-changing because I need that connection with other people. You see their face and hear their voice and feel that there is an energy versus email.

I’m also still trying to reach out to folks. There are a lot of people who are trying to collaborate and share ideas. One thing that’s been really helpful in terms of art organizations is that everyone’s coming together and asking - how are you doing this? What do you suggest? We are all sharing our best practices.

It also helps to have somebody hear you out when you’re freaking out and to have somebody in the same boat. I think that is a really great way to prevent utter despair. It’s hard.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Sometimes I think about the 1918 influenza that wiped out so many people. I wonder what happened then. More people were killed by that flu than were killed in World War I. I also think about my great grandfather.

He was set to fight in the war. He was drafted, and then he got the flu so he couldn’t go. Then he got well. He was sent out again and that’s right when the war ended. So, for him, the flu saved his life. It makes me think - okay, how can we flip the script a little bit?

Also, we had this group visit us at Dance Mission from New Zealand. It was this amazing company that did a whole show about the 1918 flu in 2018, when it was the centennial anniversary. And so, I was looking back at that footage, because they were very inspiring. That wiped out 22% to 25% of Samoa’s population. It’s also just recognizing the devastation of everything.

People talk about a new world, and I encourage you to just keep dreaming into that possibility. That’s kind of anxiety-provoking but it’s much better than if it was only guaranteed f*ing doomsday. Also, I want to go surfing . . . I’ll still stay six feet away from people.

Thank you so much to Stella for chatting with us. We know times are hard, and we want to give a huge thank you to the creatives who have shifted gears so quickly. They keep us inspired, connected, and moving forward with their artistic offerings.

For more information about Dance Mission Theater head to their website. If you are an artist and need resources during this time, check here. If you are interested in taking online classes with Dance Mission Theater during COVID-19, see their offerings here.

This interview was lightly edited for clarity.

Polina Smith is the Executive Director of Crecent Moon Theater Productions creating original, thought provoking new work that spans across the disciplines of theater, dance, music and circus. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Inquiry from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Smith is an art event producer for Bioneers and Seismic Sisters. 

The Radical Act of Rest

‘Resting Our Eyes’ Exhibit at ICA SF Gallery

Art Making in the Time of the Virus: An Interview with Stella Adelman, Dance Mission Theater Managing Director

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