I’m a firm believer that our childhood experiences impact the adults we become. How did your early life influence the work you’re doing today?
I’m a post-civil rights baby. I grew up in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s in Atlanta, which is like a Mecca for Blacks. I saw a lot of Black people doing well. I had a really different perspective on what race was like. My parents did a fantastic job educating me without sheltering me. They instilled confidence in me to believe that I could do what I wanted, but to know the game. I started working with at-risk youth through art education because I wanted to be a mentor for some of these young African American boys. Model for them or tell them like my dad told me. If you're gonna navigate this society, you have to know how to behave. I'm so grateful to my dad for being what I thought was a hard ass at the time, but now I get it. I understand what he and my mom were trying to do.
For many, race in America hasn’t been a conversation we are comfortable having. You’ve opened the conversation with art and found internal healing. How do you hope your work is empowering others?
In my artwork that is more political, I've tried to do it through giving a voice to what I think some people are feeling. Because I know if I'm feeling it, then more than likely there's some other African American people that are thinking the same exact thing. And if they can see that illustrated in a piece of artwork then they can say, “Ah, ok. That's what I'm feeling. I'm not crazy.” It's a relief that someone else is articulating what they may be unable to express. And a lot of the African American experience is about not saying things and suppressing our emotions, and that's extremely unhealthy.
That's where I think the real empowerment is, being able to live a fully expressed life. I am creating work that stops people
in their tracks. It makes them think. I want to create work that is healing. That ignites people and inspires people.
Mark Harris is an award-winning artist, activist, and educator. His artwork examines critical issues facing America today. A native of Durham, North Carolina, Harris grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and now lives in San Francisco, California. His current work can be seen at the Stories of Change exhibit through November. You can follow Mark on Instagram @markharrisart.