Ashley M. Freeby

My mother is white, my father was black. I was brought up in a small predominantly white town - a place and a time where I was made to be "the black girl." The society around me forced me into giving a performance of identity in which I was aware of how I acted, dressed and spoke. This performance was the ticket to social acceptance and assimilation. Today, the work I create allows me to speak my authentic voice, a voice that was silenced for many years. My work explores history, culture and race to create a collective, more inclusive story about humans. My process combines personal experience with research and conversations with others, along with learning how to use new materials. Ultimately, I often come back to the skin I live in. A site of complexity, this skin conjures the emotions and contradictions I have needed to address as someone who is both white and black. Creating these works takes courage and vulnerability. My hope is that this work touches others and starts conversations.