Healey-Driscoll Administration Welcomes Boys and Girls Clubs to State House for Black History Month Art Celebration

Healey-Driscoll Administration Welcomes Boys and Girls Clubs to State House for Black History Month Art Celebration:

Boston, MA -- In celebration of Black History Month, the Healey-Driscoll Administration hosted students from the Roxbury and Dorchester Boys and Girls Clubs for a tour of the State House and a special art-focused tour to showcase the two new loans from Black artists in the Governor’s Ceremonial Office, as well as temporary installments of four additional works by local Black artists provided by the Mass Cultural Council. The tour also included an artist-talk visit with Robert Freeman, the artist who painted “Black Tie” which is currently on loan in the Governor’s Office.  

“Black history is American history and Massachusetts history. We’re thrilled to welcome our local Boys and Girls Clubs to the State House and showcase our history, as well as the new art we have installed throughout the office," said Governor Maura Healey. “We know how important it is to support the arts and we’re thrilled to be able to celebrate Black History Month with local artists and with young people here in the State House. We're grateful to Mr. Freeman for joining this exciting event and to the Mass Cultural Council for arranging the temporary art installments.” 

“The State House is the people’s house, and we love welcoming students of all ages to learn more about our state’s history,” said Lieutenant Governor Driscoll. “It is important to our entire administration to acknowledge our history and celebrate the contributions of our Black communities in Massachusetts – especially their art.” 

“It was a pleasure to be at the State House to talk about art with the kids of the Boys and Girls Clubs. It’s clear that this administration has a deep desire to ensure that everyone who walks into the State House feels comfortable and represented, especially as they see themselves in the art that hangs in this office,” said Robert Freeman. “I’m grateful to Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll for their efforts to include representative art in this space, and for the opportunity to come and speak about the importance of this art.”    

Photos from the tours can be found here.  

Additional information about the temporary installments:

About L'Merchier Frazier:

L'Merchier Frazier is a Boston-based visual activist and artist/educator/consultant and currently serves as the Executive Director of Creative and Strategic Partnerships at SPOKE Art. She also serves as an art commissioner for the State of Massachusetts. She is also a twenty-five year member of WCQN, Women of Color Quilter’s Network. She utilizes the healing power of art as Director of Creative Engagement for the Transformative Action Project to address trauma, crisis and violence.  

Her work provocatively traverses the mediums of fiber, beads, metals, poetry, performance, or work with community, serving as threads of memory, reclaimed from the icons that bring recognition, salvation, redemption. Through her visual artwork she creates and has lauded support and praise for her evocative fiber and metal sculptures, innovative mixed media installations, hand-crafted beaded jewelry, and powerful quilt series, the “Quilted Chronicles.” Her work is currently represented by Halsey McKay Gallery. 

Her work “Lale and the Children” by L’Merchie Frazier, Dorchester, MA (2019) is on display in the Governor’s office. It is made of nylon fiber and is from Frazier’s Quilted Chronicles Series. It features the image of a Black man embracing his adopted, orphaned daughter. Lale and his wife created orphanages to take care of abandoned children and here we celebrate a Black man who goes beyond the survival of his own family disproving the mythology generally held about Black men. 

About Karmimadeebora McMillan:

Karmimadeebora McMillan is currently a part-time faculty member at SMFA at Tufts and pursuing a painting career in Brooklyn, New York. She was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina and is based in Brooklyn, New York. She has an MFA (2013) and Post Baccalaureate certificate (2011) from The School of the Museum of Arts, Boston. She also holds BA in Visual Arts, (1999) from Fayetteville State University, an AFA (1997) from Peace College. McMillan's paintings are influenced by her southern childhood through brightly colored fragmented quilted landscapes combined with characters from racist’s propaganda and black dolls she finds in southern flea markets. McMillan is currently pursuing an Interdisciplinary PhD focusing on Black Women of Power, women that were Goddesses, Priestesses, and Queens. 

Her work “Sowing Seeds” by Karmimadeebora McMillan, Cambridge, MA (2023) is on display in the Governor’s office. It is made of acrylic on canvas. This piece speaks to how she's uncovering their stories so they may continue to be told and will encourage others to research and look back on their African ancestry with pride.   

Her work “Imaginary Landscapes” by Karmimadeebora McMillan, Cambridge, MA (2023) is on display in the Governor’s office. It is made of acrylic on canvas. McMillan creates fantastical landscapes to transport viewers to words where they can imagine themselves within the spaces. She uses walkways and openings to allow the viewers their own path through the illusion of choosing their own adventure. 

About Elisa Hamilton:

Elisa Hamilton is a socially engaged multimedia artist who creates artworks and community-centered programs that emphasize shared spaces and the hopeful examination of our everyday places, objects, and experiences. She holds a BFA in Painting from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and an MA in Civic Media from Emerson College. 

Her work “Love Bravely (For Mom and Dad)” by Elisa H. Hamilton, Malden, MA (2021) is on display in the Governor’s office. It is made of crayon and black gesso on paper. The drawings in the Love Bravely series are a celebration of joy, an embrace of love, and a call to action. Through brave love, we can find joy in our current moment, we can find courage within ourselves and one another, and we can push forward towards a more just future.