The Race Issue and My Issues With Race

Quinlan lewis-mussa

My work is an exploration of my racial identity in today’s “post-racial” society. I explore what it means to be a mixed black and white woman, and the difficulties of feeling between two worlds. I am constantly questioning the socio-political system of today’s America, and attempting to understand how I fit into it, asking my viewers and myself, “Am I black enough?” At the same time, I am a fierce advocate against misconceptions and stereotypes around black people, using any and all mediums to rage against what I know is wrong. The main goals behind my work are to help myself work through and understand this important part of my identity as an aspect of myself, and to make my viewers think on what I’m talking about, as well as to humanize the issues and individuals I depict. I strongly take into consideration the stereotypes and burdens that come with each part of myself, or what I am trying to be, and question their necessities through these works.

QUINLAN LEWIS-MUSSA is a second-year senior visual arts major at Interlochen Arts Academy. She is from San Diego, California. She is highly socially engaged and is interested in exploring the role of race in her life and in society at large. She received an Honorable Mention Award for her portfolio in the 2017 YoungArts Competition. She has received a National Silver Key from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. She has received an Outstanding Achievement Award and a Fine Arts Award from Interlochen Arts Academy, and her mixed media door piece received an Honorable Mention for the President's Award for the 2018 Interlochen Visual Arts Juried Show.