color pencil; 20×16″
“As an American citizen, what demographic of people do you associate most with racial inequality? Most people who are approached with this type of question, often answer with White and Black people, or people of color. Although times are different now, there are still some generational curses that need to be lifted, and people who need to realize that there is more to a person than just the tone of their skin. I title my piece “A Dip in my Water.” My choice of words is synonymous to the metaphor, “Take a walk in my shoes,” spreading the message that you’ll never know what someone else is going through without taking a splash in their puddle. My piece presents a person of lighter complexion dipping their hand into the water of another person. The further their hand goes in, the darker their skin becomes, however, the limb remains the same. This resembles empathy and understanding a person can have for another, with the ripples acting as an obstacle that can be overcome.”
ARTIST BIO: Ameree LACKEY is a grade 11 student at Butler Tech School of Art studying art under art teacher Mary Catherine Ruby.