April Anue Shipp picked up sewing as a young child.
Over the years, the 62-year-old spent countless hours experimenting with paint and paper, mud and paint, fashioning quilts that honor Black icons such as Barack Obama, Rosa Parks and Josephine Parks.
For the Emerge! art festival, Shipp entered a 24-inch-tall sculpture, “Harriet Tubman, Jedi Warrior.” Shipp designed all of the clothing, including Tubman’s Jedi rope. The clay sculpture took home second place in this year’s Emerge! art festival.
“Harriet Tubman” was among the more than 130 art entries exhibited in this year’s Emerge! art festival at Hannan Center. This year, the New York & Michigan Solutions Journalism Collaborative partnered with Hannan on “The Art of Caregiving” exhibition, and introduced a “Next Generation” category for artists under 54.
Anousha Baqai of Corona, California, was one of two 16-year-olds who entered, the youngest artists exhibiting. Anousha’s painting centered on caregiving for her younger brother, a cancer patient. It captured the second-place award in the Next Generation category. (Here are the other entries.)
Jurors for the contest were caregivers as well. Collage artist Judy Bowman captured the final years of her mother’s life on canvas. Angelena Taylor began caring for her father after the Vietnam War veteran had a stroke in 2016.
The Hannan Center, which turns 100 next year, celebrates adults 55 and older with social services and creative aging opportunities in Detroit. Programming includes workshops and classes, the Daybreak adult day program for older adults living with dementia and the Ellen Kayrod Art Gallery. See the exhibit at Kayrod until Sept. 11.
Emerge! (55 and older) winners:
First place: “Meal Time” by Yvonne Simmons
What the artist said about the piece: Unconditional love through the act of caregivers is the ultimate and can’t be fake. An elderly woman who can’t cook for herself anymore but enjoys a meal served out of love for her. … Care motivated by unconditional love is the best ever!
What the juror said about the piece: “This piece took me back home of an elderly person who has lived a good and wise life. Her home is warm and inviting. She looks like if you visited her, she would make sure you had a plate to eat and if you had any worries, she would listen to you and make you like comforted. She appears to be a natural giver of care.”
Second place : “Harriet Tubman, Jedi Warrior” by April Anue Shipp
What the artist said: Tubman was one of the most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad. Known as Moses, Tubman used her caregiving skills to keep people safe as she assisted the enslaved Africans to freedom in the north.
What the juror said: “This piece was as intricate as it was creative. The quilting of the cape was creative. The title of this piece, Harriet Tubman, Jedi Warrior represented the spirit of caregiving of a people past and present. The wand was also a nice touch.”
Third place: “Contemplating Secrets” by Laura Gabriel
What the artist said: “My work reflects the emotions we feel while going through difficult times in life, and how we handle them. Some of us become sad but soldier on. Others curl up and try to work it out on their own.”
What the juror said: “I liked the calmness of the young lady’s contemplation. It reminded me of the value of being able to meditate and self-reflection. This is an important element of self-care.”
Honorable mention: “The Echoes of a Left Behind Place” by Boisali Biswas
Honorable mention: “Granny Caregivers” by Robert Evans
Honorable mention: “Family Engaged” by Linda Laster
Honorable mention: “Commitment” by Maurice Sanders
Next Generation winners (54 and younger)
First place: “Bathroom Portrait of Accessibility” by Amaranthia Sepia
What the artist said: My Mom and I both have invisible disabilities: C-PTSD, agoraphobia, and panic disorder. We’re also both immunocompromised and neurodivergent. We took care of each other, and when she had cancer, my caretaking duties became much more intense. In 2022, my Mom ceased to walk. We learned she had a gigantic tumor wrapped around her spine like a donut, constricting it, and that she had a 50% chance of paralysis. Within seven months, while being treated for lymphoma, my Mom did what was supposedly impossible and learned how to walk again. A doctor told her only 1% of patients regain the ability to walk after such a procedure. In October 2022 we launched a grassroots project to help marginalized creatives, Sista Creatives Rising, as a way to heal.
What the juror said: This piece stood out to me because I immediately thought of reflections of caregiving. The bathroom setting and mirror split between reality and digital was unique. I loved how the artist talked about how and why she set up the bathroom for her mom’s accessibility during her care journey. This is a real view for many caregivers.
Second place: “Peacock With No Feathers” by Anousha Baqai
What the artist said: My piece centers around my brother, who was diagnosed with cancer. His diagnosis came with many complexities, one of them being that I now had to look after him and be a caregiver. The painting symbolizes these complexities, portraying the physical acts of caregiving and the emotional weight carried by both the caregiver and the recipient. Ultimately, it is a beacon of hope and strength that is evident in every caregiving relationship.
What the juror said: This piece radiated a mix of emotions that were described beautifully by the artist. It embodies the care, nurturing, and fragility of caring for a loved one with cancer but also radiates hope.
Third place: “Breathe” by Quinlyn Morgan
What the artist said: This piece visualizes mental and physical anxiety and depression. A common symptom caused by these mental health issues is the feeling of being trapped without an escape. This is why the fish and butterfly are stuck inside the hourglass. Water draining from the top to the bottom of the hourglass slowly makes it harder for each creature to breathe. This represents the physical feeling of anxiety. The water also makes it harder for the fish to swim and butterfly to fly. This represents how depression can make simple tasks like getting out of bed in the morning or cooking a meal feel impossible. Flipping the hourglass might solve this kind of anxiety and depression. But, while it can seem simple to an outsider, to the fish and butterfly it is unobtainable. Caregiving-through-mental-health-awareness.
What the juror said: “I couldn’t take my eyes off of this piece. Caregiving often makes others feel that they can’t breathe and function, often feeling like they are drowning. Nice connection between mental health and caregiving.”
Honorable mention: “Angel Among Us” by Jill Hemme
Honorable mention: “Beautifully Exhausted” by Sherrita Jones
People’s Choice award (selected by online voting): Ida Hawkins
Randall Charlton award: Carolyn Bell, an artist diagnosed with dementia and beneficiary of the adult daycare services at Hannan Center.
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