April 27, 2018 -June 3, 2018
Aryel (Ar-y/ee-el) René Jackson (they/them) (b. 1991, Louisiana) Jackson currently works in Austin, Texas, is an American artist originally from New Orleans, currently living and working in Austin, TX. Her work takes a look at the cyclical nature and layering of systemic injustices and histories pertaining to the African diaspora through narrative and spatial aesthetics and material. Her work has appeared at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, DePaul Art Museum (Chicago), the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, The Studio Museum in Harlem, amongst others. Jackson got her BFA from The Cooper Union in New York City in 2009 and is currently attending the University of Texas at Austin for her MFA in 2019.
About Round 7: In 1928 the Koch and Fowler City Plan proposed the creation of a “Negro District” in Austin, TX which segregated Black Americans to areas with the weakest zoning restrictions allowing a series of systematic development abuses. In 1935 the New Deal program further reinforced segregationist boundaries through restrictions on mortgages for Black and Latinx homeowners. Working in tandem with the government, the Home Owners Loan Corporation created a map of “Hazardous” and “Desirable” areas. In Color Composition, Jackson considers this history of redlining in Austin through a system of colored balloons that match the general layout of HOLC-designated areas from 1935. Throughout the duration of the installation, weather and natural effects will reveal the balloons’ true color, thus initiating dialogue between the past and the present.
For more information about the history of redlining in Austin visit: http://projects.statesman.com/news/racial-geography/
https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/columns/first-look-ariel-rene-jackson-63606/