Arsimmer McCoy’s large photo mural visible along the windows on North Miami Avenue is presented as part of an initiative to invite local artists and organizations to activate Locust Projects’ Mobile Storefront Studio. The image is a still from a film by McCoy created in collaboration with filmmaker Terence Price II and an excerpt from a poem written by McCoy and artist Reginald O'Neal:
My child,
built from crabgrass and concrete.
You are constructed of things
that cannot die.
so I won't let you.
from You can Always Come Home, 2021
The project amplifies the importance of Black health and wellness—this year's theme for Black History month. Through this project McCoy seeks to “give honor to people of color in this city that push every day to be better for themselves, their communities, and above all, their children. My health and wellness come from my heritage, my child, and creation. My black child standing tall and strong is a message to all that see it, that we are here and will continue to persevere for generations to come.”
The powerful image depicts McCoy's daughter standing alone, shown in profile, looking ahead. It was shot in the Parkview Elementary school field in Carol City as part of a short film created in collaboration with filmmaker Terence Price II and stylist Margo Hannah, entitled "A poem for My Black Baby" that was featured recently in the New Orleans Film Festival and at the 2022 Miami Film Festival.
The poem excerpt is from a joint piece written by McCoy and Miami-based artist Reginald O'Neal.
RELATED PROGRAM - SIRG Closing Program: A Higher Power hosted by Arsimmer McCoy
Friday, April 8 | 6PM
A Higher Power is a live performance, audio, & visual homage to Miami’s sovereign storyteller Will “Da Real One'' Bell.
Bell transformed the Spoken Word plane by cultivating spaces of belonging, through creation, space, and practice. Bell’s voice of resilience, through hard-won experience, resounds as the familial anchor for Black and brown communities across the city of Miami and beyond. Will Bell is the embodiment of Miami’s culture and artistic innovation. Bell honored the vulnerability of a people, seeking rooms that embraced expression, liberation to silenced hearts, and rest to the anxious and exhausted. Will “Da Real One” Bell was murdered in front of the Literary Cafe on May 29th, 2011. The Cafe was one of the collective hubs Bell purchased for poetry events, workshops, and education.
Delving into the revolutionary intricacies of sound, this celebration closes the series of programs on the SIRG platform.
For Reference:
"The theme for 2022 focuses on the importance of Black Health and Wellness. This theme acknowledges the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western medicine, but also other ways of knowing (e.g., birthworkers, doulas, midwives, naturopaths, herbalists, etc.) throughout the African Diaspora. The 2022 theme considers activities, rituals and initiatives that Black communities have done to be well." https://asalh.org/wp-content/
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Arsimmer McCoy is a 34-year-old storyteller, from Miami, FL, by way of Richmond Heights. McCoy is a collaborative artist, educator, & cultural worker, who has been dedicated to these disciplines for over a decade. As a writer & poet, Arsimmer’s work is centered around her reflections on accountability, obligation, community, the power of transparency, and the nuances of living in this city.
Presented in conjunction with SIRG (Sonic Research Insurgency Group) exhibition, If the Source is Open (Megamix) in the Main Gallery.
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