Black Women in Art: Restorying the Canon — Conversation with Robin Wilson

Transcript - Black Women in Art: Restorying the Canon — with Robin Wilson

Deneen L. Garrett:
Hello and welcome back to CAA Conversations. I'm your host, Deneen L. Garrett. In this final episode, we wrap up our exploration of how Black women have historically been excluded from the art historical canon and highlight another Black woman in art working to re-story that narrative. Our goal is to showcase strategies for representation, visibility, and sustainability in the arts, and to honor the ways Black women artists, gallerists, scholars, curators, center heritage, craft, and community in their work. I'm thrilled to be joined today by Robin Wilson, founder of Vessi Lane Goods, a creative practice that blends artistry, entrepreneurship, heritage, and community impact. Robin's work is deeply informed by her family legacy, and she embodies the intersection of craft, culture, and purpose. Robin, welcome to CAA Conversations.

Robin Wilson: I am excited to be with you. Thank you for having me.

Deneen L. Garrett: Absolutely. So let's start at the beginning. How did your upbringing, especially the stories and crafts of your maternal great-grandparents and mother, shape your sense of art, craft, and identity?

Robin Wilson: Yes. I come from a long line of creatives and educators. family, the women especially, were instrumental in shaping my identity from an early age. I have a baby blanket that my great-grandmother actually made in preparation for my birth, and so I still have it, and it is a crochet blanket that she made. My great-grandmother, Nara Velvise, she was both a crocheter and a quilter, And she also was a farm owner. And so one of my earliest memories of her was not only experiencing her in my hometown of Inkster at my grandmother's house or at our house, but also sometimes in the summer, we would actually go up to her farm. And when I say we, I'm referring to my mom and my grandmother. They would put my sister and I in the car and we would go up to her farm. And so being around her, I really got a sense for not only her creativity, but also her resourcefulness because my great-grandmother was born in the early 1900s. So, you know, her and my great-grandfather, they had 13 children. 12 of which lived into adulthood. And so in raising such a large family, she had to be resourceful. And so one of the earliest stories that I also recall hearing is that my great-grandmother, she once sold dresses out of potato sacks for my grandmother and her sisters And that was just an example, that's just an example of how women in my family, their creativity and their resourcefulness was often intertwined into how our family was able to sustain themselves over periods of time when maybe there wasn't as much because as you can probably imagine, in raising 12 children, there's a lot of responsibility that comes with that. But I also really enjoy being raised in a family where I had a lot of cousins. And my mother and my father, they had myself and my sister. And so in terms of my immediate family, our family was smaller, but in terms of our extended family, it was quite large. had quite a few cousins, needless to say, because my great-grandparents had a lot of children. And my grandmother, my great-grandmother's daughter, her name was Vondell Bailey. That was my grandmother. And she was a milliner. And so she made these beautiful dress hats. And one of the things that we would do when we would go up to my great-grandmother's farm is my great-grandmother would set aside all of the peacock feathers that have fallen to the ground. She would set them aside for my grandmother so that she could clip them and she could use them in some of her hat designs. So that's also an example of like how the women in my family not only were committed to their craft but they also were committed to working with one another. It wasn't uncommon for me to see my mother, my grandmother, or even my great grandmother working together in some way. And so whether that was cooking, that was the most common form. I remember one time when I was at my great grandmother's farm, it was like each person had a task that they were completing. My mother had a task, my grandmother had a task, and my great grandmother had a task. So I had a front seat to this experience of what it was like to grow up in an intergenerational family with women who were not only resourceful, but they were creative. And that said to me, from what I witnessed from an early age, that one, I come from resourceful and creative women. Also, it cemented in my mind that it was possible to use my creative talents to sustain myself and to build a career because my grandmother, who was a milliner, she made a living from making her hats and I would often go with her to local market days to to help her sell her hats. And so in many practical ways, and also through osmosis, I really absorbed a lot of those skills too, to know how, whether I realized it or not, they were business skills. They were not only creative skills, but they were business skills. So that's how I would say being around my mother, my grandmother, my great grandmother really informed my identity from an early age.

Deneen L. Garrett: Yeah, and what an amazing experience, right? To be raised around so many different family members, right? There's community right there. You were raised in community with your family, so naturally that would stick, you said, by osmosis. And so how specifically is that showing up in your mission with VC Lane Goods?

Robin Wilson: Yes. When you walk into my store, there are four portraits that hang on our wall, on one side of the wall. And often when people come in, they are struck by these portraits and they ask questions. And that's intentional on my part, because even before I had my brick and mortar, when I would go out to market, local market days to sell my goods, I always had a portrait of my great-grandmother and great-grandfather. It was a portrait of them when they were very young. They married very young. They were 16 and 18. My great-grandmother was 16 and my great-grandfather was 18 when they married. And it's a picture of them together. And my great-grandfather is holding their firstborn child in his lap. And this is the only picture that I have of them from that time period, from that age, you know, and I always like to display it because it gives me an opportunity to share with customers and with visitors about where the VC name comes from and a little bit more about my family history. And so when. people come into my store, they not only see that portrait, but they see three other portraits that shows my grandmother and one of her siblings when they were children. Then there's another portrait of my grandmother when she was in her early 20s. And then there's a fourth portrait that shows my mother when she was a child, surrounded by siblings and cousins. It's a gateway for me to share my family's stories, but I've also found it to be a connecting point for myself and for my customers because what they will ultimately do is they will not only ask me questions about my family, but then they will share where their families are from. And we've had people come into our store from different places from around the world because people from around the world visit Detroit and when they're visiting our area they are coming from different places and so I consider it a privilege to be able to also hear their stories. It gives me a sense of who they are and I would say that they feel more connected to what we do here at V.C. Lane Goods when they understand who I am and when they understand who my family is. And so that's what I would say. It informs what I do because a large part of what I do is creating space for other people. I don't simply sell goods. That's part of it. But really, V.C. Lane Goods is about relationships. We're a gathering place for our community. We're a space where people can come and they can hear local authors do book signings and readings, or they can participate in an art workshop. And I think that's something that's really special about V.C. Lane Goods, and I think that's how it's connected.

Deneen L. Garrett: Absolutely, and we'll talk a little bit more about that, but I want to kind of pivot. You've spoken about a life-changing event in 2022. What did that moment teach you about risk, purpose, and fully committing to your creative and self-employed path?

Robin Wilson: Yes. So I'm 41 now, but one week before my 37th birthday. I actually had an ischemic stroke and it was surprising for me because I was relatively healthy. I was vegan at the time. I worked out at the gym Monday through Friday and I was really proactive about my health. I've always been really active because even in high school I ran track. In fact, I ran varsity track. And so While it caught me off guard, it definitely was an opportunity for me to grow. And I say that because I've always been a really calm person. I've always had a really calm temperament, even when I was a child. So I think some of my early childhood experiences with going through challenges, to some degree, it prepared me for that major challenge, even though I don't know anyone who would tell you that they want to experience having an ischemic stroke. My expressive speech was impaired for almost 48 hours. And so in that time, while it may sound strange, I didn't panic. I was focused on keeping myself very calm. And I think in a major way, being calm is almost like my way of being protective of myself is I understand that when I can be calm, that's actually helpful because sometimes when we get really stressed out and we get really worked up, we can actually cause more harm to our bodies. And so I think perhaps on a subconscious level, that was my reasoning is that I wanted to stay calm so that I could heal. And I could get through that, that moment, but most definitely like there was a time, there was a moment during that time where I thought to myself, I wonder if I will be able to continue to speak. I wonder if I will be able to continue to teach because at that time I was a full-time teacher teaching online. I taught first grade English and I was enjoying that life. but there were also other things that I really desired to do. And I had these latent passions such as wanting to start my own greeting card line. And so it did make me fearful. The experience didn't make me fearful. I wasn't paralyzed by it, you know, emotionally, but I think that it kind of lit a fire under me. I was intentional about how I lived my life before that happened. But I think when you are 36, getting ready to turn 37, you recognize that that's not old. And sometimes when you're younger, you think that you have so much time to do certain things. And even though I knew even then that, okay, tomorrow's not promised to any of us, I took that more seriously. After that experience, and I'm grateful that I'm still here, but it really changed my perspective about time because I understood that while I was grateful that I was still here, I was still able to do the things that I did before. And I've gone on to do things that I've long wanted to do, like starting my stationery company and my business. I didn't want to waste time because I was no longer operating from the viewpoint of, well, when I'm this age, I will do this. It was like, no, I'm going to do it while I can. And God willing, I will do those other things later, if that makes sense.

Deneen L. Garrett: Absolutely. It's, I mean, you had a different perspective and, and what you thought was unlimited, you know, you realize that not necessarily. Um, and so let me go ahead and take advantage of it. Now, let me go and take those risks. Let me focus on my purpose and let me just commit to, you know, the things that I want to do now. So health wise, everything's good.

Robin Wilson: I'm doing well. I'm doing really well. Um, and I'm, I'm so, um, grateful because you know what, I, I have met people who share with me that they've lost family members who have had ischemic strokes or, um, who've had different, you know, health challenges and, um, I'm still here. So for me, the fact that I'm still here, it means I have work to do. And so I'm determined to do that work, you know, and it's important to me to leave a legacy. It's important to me to live my life with purpose and that's what I strive to do every day.

Deneen L. Garrett: Yeah, absolutely. So running a business while maintaining an active artistic practice is no small feat. How do you balance creative work with the demands of entrepreneurship?

Robin Wilson: I operate from a place of understanding that I will sometimes have to give myself grace and I also have to delegate. I'm grateful because I do have a shopkeeper. So her name is Deborah Walters and Deborah is also an artist and she's someone that I've come to depend on. She's dependable, she's reliable and I'm so grateful for her because she's here actually right now so that I can have this conversation with you and being able to collaborate with her and work with her in the space has been a blessing but also I try to be reasonable about what I can get done in a day and sometimes I'm not able to complete everything that's on my list but in those moments I give myself grace And then it rolls over into the next day, but I absolutely prioritize getting rest, getting sleep. And there was a time where I would just work and push myself just to get something done. I'm now at a point in my life where I'm like, no, you know, I need to honor my boundaries and I need my rest because when I'm well rested. I find that I can get more done. I'm more productive. And then I'm also able to operate in more excellence, which is what I want and I've always wanted to do is to operate in excellence. But I make sure that my days are balanced between administrative tasks and actually creating. Where I'm sitting right now is my workstation here in my store. And I have a sewing machine and I have all of my supplies around me that that I use to make my handcrafted greeting cards and this is my creative space and I intentionally created that space inside of my store because when I'm not serving customers or I'm not doing an administrative task I'm creating and so it's just for me it's about prioritizing my time. Sometimes I have to set my phone aside or whatever else might be a distraction. I will tell you this is that in the latter part of my 20s, I was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. And for me, what that means and what that looks like is that sometimes I'm actually hyper-focused. I'm so focused that if I don't set timers on my phone, I can time can pass me by, and I don't even realize how much time has gone by. And that can be a good thing, or it can be a bad thing, but for me, because I have so many other things that I have to do, I set timers on my phone. And then when I can sense that I need a break, maybe I'm working on something that's requiring more focus from me, But it's really detailed in nature. Then I say, OK, I'm going to give myself a couple of breaks. And then I'm going to come back to this and finish it so that it's done right and it's done on time. But it's just a dance. It's a dance for me.

Deneen L. Garrett: No, you know what? So the scheduling, that's very important. It helps. The rest is definitely needed. So kudos to you for incorporating that. So I do want to get into restoring the canon because the purpose of this conversation is really to teach others. It's to give actionable steps as to how they can help to uplift and to make sure that Black women are not excluded and that they're, you know, not seen. So we really want to, you know, have some takeaways as to what things people can do. So people who are in institutions, educators, et cetera, how they can support Black women in arts. So when you think about restoring the canon, what gaps do you most want to see filled and how does your own work contribute to addressing those gaps?

Robin Wilson: Yes. So, one, I first want to acknowledge that in this time period that we're living in, there are a lot of challenges that I've seen for myself and for other women artists, especially Black women artists, because there is a lot of resistance to our narratives during this time. And we're living in a period of time of erasure. There are artists who are canceling shows because they are being censored. And our stories and our narratives, especially as black women, they've always been important. But I think that historically, we have not always been invited to the table. And so we've had to, in many cases, create our own tables. And we've had to advocate for ourselves, and often in male-dominated spaces, especially in the art world. And so for me, I would like to see more women, especially women of color, engaging in public dialogues, as well as of having more solo shows and in spaces that have been dominated by by European or white audiences and artwork. Our narrative is a part of the broader conversation and is part of the broader narrative. And I think about some local artists that I really admire like Takesha Jefferson. I really admire her work and she recently had a solo show and she works heavily in photography and she deals with topics of family and women and she will incorporate her actual family members into her artwork too. Um, so you'll see images of her family and in the artwork that she's creating and in those narratives. And I think her work also really speaks to me because I strive to do the same in my artwork. Now, I don't tend to take a lot of the photos that I use in my artwork, but I do. It is a part of my practice to incorporate vintage family photos or even more current portraits of family and the work that I create. So there's a work that I created last year, and it's called Bloodline. And I create what I call crocheted story quilts. And it took me seven months to complete this crocheted story quilt because it's 17 feet wide and it's nine feet. It's 17 feet long and it's nine feet wide. So It was a labor of love, but I incorporated my family into my practice, into my process in creating that work. Even though I crocheted the base of the quilt, and I also sewed the border, I invited my family to submit photos of the different branches of my family that they wanted included on the base of it. And then we tied, I had a friend of mine who's also an artist. We tied the ribbons into the piece and we also stitched each photo that was printed onto cotton onto the base of this piece. And it was in a show last September. It was a part of the Detroit Month of Design. And I got a lot of feedback from that exhibit and it was, there were a lot of family members of mine that came and that also meant a lot to me too, but how that fits into the overall narrative of the canon and what I feel is somewhat missing today is that we, especially as Black women, we bring our own stories, whether it's stories of our families, stories of our community, stories of our heritage, it's important that those histories are not forgotten. And I think one of the ways that we can preserve our histories is through visual storytelling. And for me, when I'm creating, whether it's a crochet story quilt or a handcrafted greeting card, I'm consciously thinking about what story do I want to communicate? What narrative do I want to communicate and why? Because even when I'm gone, my hope is that when people look at my work, they can understand something about my family, my community, my heritage, but hopefully they can take something away from it themselves that resonates with them and reminds them that they're important because representation is important.

Deneen L. Garrett: Yes, definitely, and absolutely. So what you've talked about is some of the things that you would like to see are just us continuing to share our stories, us uplifting one another, amplifying our stories. That's us, right? You kind of talked about how circumstances, life in the past and back, we're back to it, has pushed us into creating our own, right? Yes. we don't have, or we get out there and we make things happen for ourselves, which we do very well. And again, we're not a stranger to that. But how can institutions and educators, how can they help with this?

Robin Wilson: Yes. So I think it's going to take courage. And I say that because right now, given the current state of affairs, and especially here in our nation, here in the United States, funding is being cut to institutions for putting forth diverse voices and diverse narratives. And that's intentional and it's strategic because most of our institutions rely on some form of public funding or government funding to sustain themselves. And so I think what has happened is that it has created this this situation of trying to decide and determine the best way to move forward, because while certain funding has been cut, I do believe that certain institutions do still value diversity and diversity in narratives. I believe that wholeheartedly, but I think that what it's going to take for certain institutions that have relied heavily, especially on government funding to sustain themselves, is that they're going to have to be more strategic about how they connect with the public. And we have to, as the public, and those of us who consider ourselves art patrons, we are going to have to pour into those institutions in ways that allows them to sustain the work that they have done and that they want to do and that we want to see. But it definitely is going to take institutions, institutional leaders having courage to say that, no, our patrons and our community is diverse and our country is diverse. And that should be reflected in the exhibits that we have. We are not going to participate in erasure. And I think that how those institutions take those stands is going to be dependent on the leadership that they have. But I also think what would help is that for institutions that maybe historically have had diverse narratives and the art that they've presented, but maybe not diversity in their leadership in terms of who serves on their boards. That's also another way that institutions, I believe, can really contribute to this conversation around equity and inclusion, because their leadership needs to be reflective of what their aims are and their goals are. for many institutions, they don't have as diverse bodies as you might think that they have. And so I think that we have to start there. And then we have to be intentional about the ways that we're connecting with the people that we seek to serve. Because long into the future, I think that people who live in the communities where these institutions are, they're gonna remember that. And I think that we have to ask ourselves on an institutional level, how do we want to be remembered in history too? Because people don't forget what stances were taken when things got hard. And there are a lot of hard decisions that need to be made in this moment, in this time. But I think it's going to take a collective effort to ensure that no one is left out of our nation's narrative, especially when it comes to art. It's really important.

Deneen L. Garrett: Absolutely. And so you mentioned future. And so I do want to kind of look forward. So in these remaining, as we wrap up, a couple of questions I do want to ask. So what is your vision for how Detroit and makers like yourself can influence not just the local art scene, but also national or global conversations around Black women in arts?

Robin Wilson: Yes. Well, I am so honored that I'm connected to not only a lot of women artists in Detroit, but I'm also connected to other artists globally. And what I would say to that is that our world is much smaller now that we have access to technology and in the way that we do. And there are so many different ways for us to stay connected even when we're not in one another's presence. And so I think that it's important for us to stay connected and to continue conversations even when we're not in one another's presence. I know several women artists here in the city of Detroit who I've brought into my space here to V.C. Lane Goods. We often have artist talks. And so that's one way that we keep that conversation going is we have artists talks in the space. We come together here to connect over issues that are important to us and that are truly important to our global economy, to be quite honest. But I think that one way we can support one another and move and moving forward is supporting one another's art, whether it's collaborating with one another on different projects or going to different art openings, whether it be locally or globally, if it's possible for you to travel to go to support artists globally. I've gone to Brazil and I've become connected to the art community in Brazil, particularly Salvador, Bahia. Having that experience has not only opened up doors for me professionally as an artist, but it's also given me an opportunity to support other artists, particularly women artists abroad. So I would say supporting one another through conversations and also supporting one another in action, actually going to different events that that are hosted and, if possible, even purchasing one another's artwork because that sends a message to the rest of the art world to that we're here and we're here to stay.

Deneen L. Garrett: Absolutely, and so what how you answer that is also an answer as to what advice you can offer young Black women artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs. But I want to ask a little bit differently. So what would you tell, what would you offer to a young Black woman artist, creative, and entrepreneur to ensure that they're not erased, right? So again, the whole purpose of this conversation is about restoring the canon. So what can they do now to ensure or better ensure that they're not erased, that they're not not seen?

Robin Wilson: Absolutely. I know it may sound simple, but putting yourself out there, I know so many women artists who they're phenomenal, but they are very private with their work. And I don't think it's because they don't believe in their work, but they um, are very protective of it. And they, I think that they're sensitive to criticism, but I think I would say if you know that you have something to say, and that the way that you communicate your voices is through your artwork. At some point, if you are not already doing this, you have to put yourself out there. you do not want to be the best kept secret, and people cannot know about you if you're not willing to put yourself out there, you are going to have people who give you criticism. And that's okay. Because I think, you know, we can learn from people's criticism, even if it's not corrective criticism. But It also doesn't mean that just because they're giving you a criticism, it doesn't mean that it's always true. And if you know who you are and you know what you want your work to stand for and you want it to communicate, if you're willing to put yourself out there, if you're willing to network with other artists and go to art openings and to show your work at places like the Detroit Fine Arts Club Um, those are spaces that I would highly encourage women, especially women artists to go into because those that's fertile ground for growth. And I think that. The other piece of advice that I would offer is to surround yourself with other artists who, who lift you up. It doesn't mean that. people are always gonna tell you, you don't want to be surrounded by people who just always tell you what you want to hear. But what I mean by that is that you want to be around people who you know deep in your heart, they really want to see you win. So maybe that someone can be a mentor, find someone within your arts community who you can bounce ideas off of, and you know that they're somewhat a safe space for you. But it takes courage because when you're first starting out, sometimes it's hard to put yourself out there, but you have to in order to be successful. And you also have to be willing to take risk and make mistakes. Everything isn't gonna be perfect, but sometimes the greatest work is created in messiness.

Deneen L. Garrett: Absolutely, and so for those that are not familiar with the Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club, it is a local, meeting place, a community for artists. It allows them to show their work, to connect with other artists, to connect with collectors, as well as some institutions. The Detroit Institute of Art, the director, he's there. His wife is there. Other leaders in the art community are there as well. So if you don't have something like this in your community or look for it, right? And if you don't have it, then this could be your opportunity to start something similar. So Robin, thank you for sharing your insight, experiences, and vision with us today. Before we close, I want to highlight a few key takeaways from our conversation. Family and Legacy as Foundation. Robyn's work reminds us that personal and familial history shape identity, artistic practice, and purpose. Artistry and Entrepreneurship. Balancing creative practice with business acumen can amplify, impact, and create sustainable platforms for Black women artists. community as catalysts, storytelling, education, and giving back ensure that creativity serves a broader mission, connecting heritage, craft, and empowerment. So again, thank you, Robin.

Robin Wilson: You're welcome. Thank you for having me.

Deneen L. Garrett: Absolutely. And thank you to our listeners for joining us for another episode of CAA Conversations. I'm your host, Deneen L. Garrett. Keep imagining, creating, and restoring the canon.