and medicine tell us they have to be treated with , which is then another layer of trauma .”
Disturbed by the constant doom of gun violence and death in Homewood , German created Stop Shooting , We Love You signs as part of neighborhood movement to
spread the power of love , which she fundamentally believes can revolutionize any form of negativity — both big and small .
With the onslaught of racism , sexism , misogyny , misogynoir , policy brutality , gender-based violence and anti-LGBTQ sentiments , German ’ s gun-toting , power figures not only represent Black women and girls writlarge , but also , the women of color in her neighborhood of Homewood , who also experience violence first-hand . Here , German ’ s personal , physical , emotional , and spiritual connection to artwork and to Homewood induce Sojourner Truth ’ s powerful “ Ain ’ t I A Woman ” speech ; as everyday , German ’ s work reinforces that even through turmoil , Black women and girls have a place in this world . Their strength and agency is undeniable . They are loved . Their lives and agency matters . They are divine . And they too , are women .
“ We are reconnecting places that are ruptured ,” German says . “ Even in girls that are so young , there is this rupture of understanding of their inherently beautiful value as a human being . And I make these figures to show that as a Black female , there is an immutable remarkability ; that you are just remarkable all by yourself .”
This is one of the reasons why she created
ARThouse , an artistic sanctuary for radical , holistic healing and self-care in Homewood . Promoting love , nonviolence , and justice , ARThouse is an extension of not only German ’ s affinity for all things artistic , but for all things transformative and all things beautiful .
“ It took me a long time to walk along the street again where one of the [ shooting ] murders happened . A kid in the neighborhood wanted to talk about the hurt and fear , but there weren ’ t a lot of places for that to happen because they are told not to talk about if for several reasons , you know ?” she says . “ So I had to learn to talk about these difficult occurrences with young people .”
Covered in glass mosaics and colored in a deep , electric blue , ARThouse serves as a refuge for young people to create art , to feel beautiful , to be transformed , to be joyous , to engulf themselves in the fantastical elements of art and engage in both communal and individual supreme healing . Providing women of color and queer people free art workshops , classes , and a safe space for folks in the neighborhood to simply thrive , German asserts ARThouse is an intentional and strategic forum to uplift the minds , the bodies , and the spirits of the people in her neighborhood through artistic expression and the imaginative . To her , this is the very essence of what she calls “ citizen artistry .”
“ I honor the fact — and when I say honor — I honor my place and my identity as a citizen artist ,” German says . “ To be a citizen is to be active . To be a citizen is to be responsive . To be a citizen is to be generative .”
In rebuilding confidence , trust and promoting nonviolence , German also expresses there is a side of her artistry that is invisible ; an intangible aspect that she describes as the “ work of the soul .” While German recognizes the pain and resistance of talking about the gun violence that persists in her neighborhood and beyond , ARThouse , her power figures and her overall work promotes art as an intrinsic and potent vehicle to healing and accessing spaces of sorrow which are suppressed , unnoticed , or not discussed . Her space is a conduit for people in Homewood to express both their conscious as well as their unconscious selves . This is the invisible side of her work . And it is this very side of herself and her artistry that she wants to share with the world .
“ My neighborhood is a majority Black population that is being actively gentrified ,” German says . “ It is considered to be “ economically depressed ” but I know what “ economic depression ” means for those who have Black and brown skin . So , when I talk about my neighborhood , I don ’ t talk about it like there is something wrong with Black people or as if there needs to be work done that is anything separate from deep justice and love .”
German has a lot of heroines in her life , many of them being other pioneering , Black female artists like Carrie Mae Weems , Betye Saar , and Renee Stout . However , German says that it is the women in her neighborhood who inspire her the most and they serve as some of the ultimate power figures in her life . It is these women who carry a unique type of healing power . It is these women who are using the power of their femininity to foster change and hope in countering gun violence in their communities and beyond .
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