Abstract
The image is of a multi-colored background with crochet thread radiating across the canvas. White Fleece letters are quilted onto the canvas spelling out the words ‘Hands Up, Don't Shoot’
Keywords
art, Black Lives Matter, shooting
Artist Statement
I was inspired to name this piece Black Lives Matter: Hands Up, Don't Shoot (2021) from the rallying cry from Ferguson, Missouri residents who took to the streets to protest the fatal shooting of a Black 18-year-old by a White police officer, Darren Wilson. Witness accounts spread after the shooting stating Michael Brown had his hands raised in surrender, mouthing the words “Don’t shoot” as his last words before being shot execution-style. The gesture of raised hands became a symbol of outrage over mistreatment of unarmed black youth by police.
Media
Mixed Media – acrylic, oil, oil enamel spray paint, ink, pastel, polyester fleece, sewing thread, embroidery thread, crochet thread on canvas
Image
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Citation
Wilkins, G. T. (2022). Black lives matter: Hands up, don't shoot. The International Journal of Equity and Social Justice in Higher Education, 1. https://doi.org/10.56816/2771-1803.1014
Artist Statement and Description