In the vibrant heart of Atlanta’s art scene, Joshua Love has orchestrated a cultural revolution that began with a simple yet powerful vision: creating spaces where Black artists can truly shine. From its humble beginnings with 15 artists in 2019, Love’s initiatives – Black Boy Art Show and Black Girl Art Show – have blossomed into a nationwide movement, touching thousands of lives across 25 cities. This Philadelphia native, whose personal journey from struggling with speech to finding his voice through art, has built more than just exhibitions; he’s created a home for artistic expression and cultural celebration.
How did you come about this brand, and what does it represent to the culture and art community?
I am the founder of Black Girl Art Show and Black Boy Art Show, which originated and was birthed here in the wonderful and colorful city of Atlanta, Georgia. I’m not originally from Atlanta, I’m from Philadelphia. Born and raised in the theater is where I spent most of my days. I actually went to school for acting and theater and storytelling. These art shows are really, a stage for black excellence, and so I took a lot of my passions from theater and all of the discipline that I learned in theater, and was able to create a stage for black people and black artists, and in 2019 I just knew so many black women artists that were so talented. And I figure, why aren’t there enough spaces where they’re seen and celebrated and explicitly spotlighted, and for me, if I don’t see a door, I’ll build a door.
Why is it important for individuals to collect art that looks and feels and is created by themselves?
Art is a window, a lot of people are not practicing what I’ll call mindfulness and self-awareness on a daily basis. I feel like that’s the key to conquering the world or our world is conquering ourselves and seeing ourselves and knowing ourselves and loving ourselves. What art does is art gives you a picture of potential of what you can be. And subconsciously, art is speaking to your soul in ways that you can’t even fathom. It is healing you in ways that you can’t even see. It is ministering to those traumas that you forgot, you even had but a certain brush stroke, a certain depiction of who you can be and how you can be, is healing in ways that we can’t even quantify, and I’m a product of that.
I couldn’t speak, between the ages of 3 and 12, I had a severe stuttering disorder, my parents, they tried to put me in speech class, therapy class, nothing ever worked. Once I started studying music and art and theater, I could speak. It wasn’t a stuttering issue, it was a mental health issue, it was a self esteem issue, and what art does is, art gets to the core of your soul in ways that books, really can’t sometimes, and movies kind of can’t sometimes, and so it’s a powerful thing. I know the power of it, and I see what it does in the community, and I see how many people it has touched through our platforms.
How does Afrofuturism show up in art as you see it now, as a movement?
Afrofuturism is in the way that I said, that art helps show us potential. Afro Futurism is potential of who we can be and not just who we can be, but who we are. And so when I see it, it’s empowering. It helps me, and it helps the viewer step out of their current reality and puts them subconsciously in another reality. And for me, it’s healing, it is a revolutionary, and I think that the world needs to see more of it.
What were the three things you mentally overcame when you removed fear?
When I removed fear, I replaced that with self-esteem and self-esteem, looked like looking at the gift that God gave me, and looking at the favor that I have on my life. It told me that there was already a yes for anything that I wanted to put my hands on. Was it going to be successful? Yes, because I’m gifted. If I have a gift, there is room for me, and there is space for me to create, and all I have to do is build it, and they will come. And it really is that simple. So self-esteem.
Number 2, I would say community, the moment you decide and say yes, somehow, some way, the people and all the tentacles that are supposed to make it happen come. The moment you rise up and you put that first foot forward somehow somebody comes alongside of you and grabs your arm and say you was the right person I was looking for, but I had to say yes first, and then you look to your right, and there’s another brother or sister that comes and say you was the right person I was looking for. Many times, we’re looking for everyone else or looking for support when we haven’t said yes first.
The third thing is probably the word humility, and as you grow, and as you grow your team, there’s a sense of humility that comes because you know that there is something outside of you that is really responsible for this growth, and there’s something higher and bigger than you that is moving things around, and so I’m humble, and I can’t even take all the credit. There’s something outside of me that is making this happen in collaboration with me, saying yes, and so both are important.
How do art and culture play a role in how we can actually see ourselves as successful?
Culture, it is a word that is thrown around a lot. For me, culture is expression, culture is style, culture is authenticity, it’s you making a very firm decision on what you see and how you see it, and how you’re going to do it. And when you do that it’s attractive, and people start to take on that same sort of personality and values, and it spreads, and it becomes culture. Black people number one lead when it comes to expression and color and possibilities, and the more we do it, the more our community sees it, the more we heal, and the more we prevail over the things that systematically we are told we can’t do, or we can’t be.
What have artists whispered to you after experiencing their first art show?
It is so inspiring, these shows never get old. I think we’ve done close to 250 over the last 5 years, and every single show I’m always touched by, maybe a few artists who this was their first show, and because the thing about our shows is that we have artists who’ve been doing art for 30 years, and then artists who’ve only been doing art for a year, and they’re like exhibiting right next to each other, and there’s this unspoken subliminal, just encouragement and mentorship that happens at the show that is beyond anything that I could try to orchestrate. There is community that happens, and it’s empowering, a lot of these artists, they’ll do a show with us, and that would jump, start their art career, and the next thing you know, I’ll see them in all kinds of magazines and all kinds of places, but there was something that was encouraging and empowering about them being a part of this particular show.
How do you encourage those who are incarcerated to embrace their artistic expression?
Number one, art is for you, I think that that is critical to understand, as an artist, the art, that gift is for you. It is a mechanism, it’s a tool to help you navigate your feelings and your emotions. It doesn’t matter what you’re experiencing, there’s a color for that right. It doesn’t matter what you’re feeling, there’s a song for that, and many times we can’t put into words what we’re thinking or how we’re feeling, but there is a creative expression for that, and self-expression is so critical to self development, your spirit and your self-esteem.
What is your vision for your legacy and institution building?
The word legacy is, something that I think about all the time, and I think about what it means to me and for me, I know that I have been here before. I know that there is a past life that I once lived, and I know that I’m coming back again in some way, in some form of expression and every single lifetime that I say, yes, I am contributing to my future self, my future self. I have a like an 11 year old son, he’s my future self, I am him, he is me and him witnessing the time and the diligence that I put in is speaking to his soul in ways that are going to influence, how he feels about himself when he turns 36 and his future child.
What is your perspective on life as a blank canvas?
Every day is a blank canvas, every day is a new life, I don’t say every day is a new day when I wake up, every day is a new life. Today can be completely different from yesterday by one decision, and not just that, but every breath is a new life and it is an opportunity. We are the creators of our own destiny. Black Girl, Black Boy, Art show is such a powerful expression of how much power we have.
Even if you’re not a painter, a sculptor, a designer, you know it doesn’t matter what you do, you are still a creator. You create your thoughts, and your thoughts are shifting and creating your reality, whether you see it or not. The people that you’re attracting is due to your thought life, and it really does get that very specific, and when you understand that it gets that specific, then you start to become more intentional about what you’re thinking and what you’re telling yourself.
What welcome message do you want visitors to receive at your shows?
When people come into Black Girl, Black Boy, Art Show whether you’re an artist and attendee. Our statement is welcome home! Welcome home, you made the choice to see something different. You made the choice to see yourself, see yourself through the people who also came and see yourself through art, and so welcome home.
