Schnitzer Museum Displaying Art From 20 Washington Artists In BLM Grant Exhibit

By Rachel Sun

A new exhibit at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of art at Washington State University is shining a light on racial injustice and the Black Lives Matter movement with the works of 20 artists from around Washington.

When Jasmine Iona Brown first started a series of memorial icons following the murder of Trayvon Martin in 2012, she says she was reminded of her own son who was quickly approaching his teenage years.

Brown, whose art is on display at the Jordan Schnitzer museum of art in Pullman, used her son as a model for all three works at the museum. It was inspired by a conversation with a white neighbor, who admitted to Brown that she was afraid of black men.  “I asked her, I said, ‘Would you be scared of my son?’ And she’s like, ‘Oh, I know him.’ And I said, ‘The last time you’ve seen him, he was six years old. He was a cute little boy when last you saw him. Now he’s a teenager wearing a hoodie. How would you see him now? Would you be automatically afraid, and why?’ So that’s what prompted that series for me.”

Brown is one of 20 Washington artists funded through a $50,000 grant started by Schnitzer last summer. Her work, and the work of the other artists, will be on display at the museum through December 18th.