Before the Americas: Art as Resistance, Memory, and Truth

Manuel Mendive, Barco negrero, 2012, serigraph,18 x 24 in  / 46 x 61 cm, Collection of Adlai L. Pappy, MD

A visual declaration of ancestral memory, resistance, and unapologetic truth, and an insightful essay.

Curated by Cheryl Edwards, Monte Azul alumnus

In a time when censorship is becoming more aggressive and the specter of White Christian Nationalism casts a long shadow over cultural discourse in the United States, and similar movements attempt to assert fascist principles in their respective countries, Before the Americas arrives not quietly, but defiantly. This exhibition is not merely a collection of works—it is a living archive of ancestral memory, a chorus of voices long silenced, and a radiant act of refusal and love.

Curated with extraordinary insight and unflinching resolve, this catalog and exhibition stand as a testament to the power of art to confront erasure and reclaim space. It is a manifestation of truth—unapologetic, complex, and deeply rooted in the lived experiences of Afro-descendant artists across the Americas.

These works do not ask for permission to exist; they assert their presence, their lineage, and their right to shape the narrative.

I commend the curator not only for her scholarship and vision, but for her endurance. In the face of political headwinds designed to suppresss and sanitize, she has carved out a space for radical beauty and historical reckoning. Nevertheless, she persisted—a phrase that, ironically, originated from the mouth of a right-wing extremist attempting to silence a woman speaking truth to power. It has since become a feminist rallying cry, and here, it finds new life in the curator’s refusal to back down, her insistence on making this exhibition happen despite every obstacle placed in her path.

This exhibition is not just timely—it’s necessary. In a moment when truth is under siege and historical amnesia is being legislated, Before the Americas reminds us that art is not decoration. It is declaration. It is resistance. It is memory. And it is a call to action.

I urge you to engage with this work—not passively, but actively. Read the catalog. Share it. Talk about it. Support the artists whose voices have been systematically excluded. Acknowledge the labor and brilliance of the curator who refused to back down. Let this exhibition be a reminder that truth-telling is a communal act, and that art—when wielded with courage—can be one of its most potent forms.

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