Year: 2018
Media: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 30” x 36”
Art Work Details: The African Drummers series celebrates African women musicians as the unique individuals which they are, even though society does not recognize their greatness. This painting was inspired by African art and music concerts in Ethiopian and Rwanda, where women artists have great talent but are ignored by society. These women drummers cannot find work in a field dominated by men. They have sound but no voice, hence the masks on their faces. Society does not see them as individuals, but as resources to be exploited. They are heard only as a backdrop to others, but not as the center of the music. Even though their message is strong, their legs and hair fade into the background as society fails to appreciate them.