Thesis Collections
Thesis Collections present material artifacts, research notes, visual essays, and audio records as products of study. This artistic and archival practice of sharing in study intends to know our histories, imagine our futures, and ground us in the present. Research Thesis are ongoing and collaborative to provide community the opportunity to deeply engage with a particular theory or idea.
[FW22]
[SU20]
Before The Harvest
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Before The Harvest is a collective commemoration of the work that is being done in our hearts and communities to reunite Black people and people of color with the planet we’ve historically loved and nurtured as much as our own bodies.
This study is intended to honor the patience required to continue to care for ourselves and one another in the face of great adversity and spiritual warfare. It honors the abundance that is cultivated year round, often unacknowledged, when we commit ourselves to our collective growth even when the land is not fertile and seeds are struggling to grow.
This is a celebration of communal resilience and an invitation to end our suffering by transforming western notions of codependency into the seeds from which interdependence and love will grow. We invite you to explore all of the possibilities of abundance available when our community aligns with the gift of human nature and the planet that sustains us.
Revisit the Before The Harvest thesis exhibition →
Material Artifacts
Physical objects designed to retain the findings from contemporary studies and inform continued conversation.
ITS-IN-SCOPE
[Archive]
ITS-IN-SCOPE
[Archive]
ITS-IN-SCOPE
[Archive]
ITS-IN-SCOPE
[Archive]
Research Notes
A collection of subjective research that provides context for contemporary studies — this mix of ancestral and intuitive documentation is curated communally in support of figuring it out together.
by Altagracia Alvarado
[Original Research]
→ Nature
→ Time
by Kayla Jones-Dudley
[Original Research]
→ Nature
[Research Citation]
→ Space
→ Abundance
[Research Citation]
→ Space
by Altagracia Alvarado
[Original Research]
→ Nature
→ Abundance
by Kwaku Beke
[Original Research]
Visual Essays
Indian Springs Farmer's Association
"To farm, you gotta have faith. Once you plant that seed out there, you ain't got no control over it." -Ben Burkett
Ben Burkett lives on the same plot of land as family dating back to 1889. Ben works with The Indian Springs Farmer’s Association, a farming cooperative founded in 1979 by his father and local farmers in Petal, MS. Ben advocates for cooperative economics and Southern Black farmers' land retention, working with multiple small farmers and policymakers. He grows several crops including okra, watermelon, collards, and radishes.
Starring Ben Burkett. Photography by De Tigre.
beeing
Photography by Kyela.
Dearly Departed
Photography by Ryan Hoyle.
Audio Records
Nature Visual Pack
12 tracks, 46 minutes, featuring Pharoah Sanders, Tame Impala, Tyler The Creator, and The Sven Libaek Orchestra. Curated by Khris Virgil c/o Visually Audible.
Nature Studies
9 tracks, 38 minutes, featuring Sunday Service Choir, Hiatus Kaiyote, Salaam Remi, and Lil Keed. Curated by Marvin James.
thesis
Before The Harvst
seasons
Spring 2021
contributors
Altagracia Alvarado
Annessa De La Cruz
Marvin James
Khris Virgil
Ryan Hoyle
De Tigre
Kyela
Kayla Jones-Dudley
Kwaku Beke
Mary D