every black woman has a hair story. from braids to press and curls to relaxers, many of us have done it all. the beauty of black hair is that it can be manipulated into every style imaginable.
however, despite the strong relationship that many black women have with their hair, we rarely see it celebrated in mainstream spaces. sure, there’s the random “black hair” aisle at cvs or the asian-owned beauty supply stores in our neighborhoods, but the cultural significance has historically been ignored.
READ: Workplace Adornment: A Rebellious Black Girl Speaks
thankfully, the smithsonian’s hirshhorn museum is changing the narrative around black hair. for six weeks, the museum’s digital art studio for teens, ARTLAB, hosted the salon. girls of color were taught skills in video editing and production, and their culminating project was a documentary that explores black women’s hair stories.
to unveil the documentary, the ARTLAB team turned two floors of the hirshhorn into a black hair salon. yes, y’all. the hirshhorn was black AF last saturday.
the vibe during the salon was absolutely amazing. folks enjoyed art installations, photo pop ups and live hair art with little bacon bear from 93.9 spinning in the background. it was black girl power in motion.
one of the best parts was the vip documentary screening that included a panel discussion with shani crowe, aka crowezilla, lesley “the lady clipper” bryant, a’lelia bundles, madame cj walker’s great-great granddaughter and a young person from ARTLAB. the discussion added a social and political lens to the black hair journey that was perfect context for the evening.
next up? stay tuned for the digital documentary release and the traveling exhibition. in the meantime, follow @artlabplus on instagram for the latest.