Shani Peters is the people’s artist. Walking past Tappan and UMMA on one of the first sunny spring afternoons of the year in Michigan, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Once everyone arrived, Shani requested that we rearrange the seating into a circle to encourage a more informal and relaxed discussion. It was at that moment I began to understand what her artistry is all about. Continue reading →

No one can deny that post-affirmative action, black enrollment has, for lack of a better term, decreased at the University of Michigan. So it should come as no surprise that  Shani faced a challenge when she sought to actively involve the Black students on campus in her exhibition The Crown, a project that heavily focuses on community engagement.  Continue reading →

Thursday March 12^th saw the official opening of The Crown: Contemporary Construction of Self in America by artist Shani Peters at the Institute for the Humanities.  An event was held to celebrate the opening, and was attended by the artist, her family, University of Michigan faculty and staff, and several students.  For many of the students, myself included, this was the first official art opening we have had the opportunity to attend.  Additionally, many of us hope to pursue a career in the museum or art world following our time at the University of Michigan, so with this in mind, we arrived at the Institute eager to observe and participate.  Continue reading →

Marianetta Porter, David Doris, Kwasi  Ampene, Ray Silverman, Robin Grice, Franc Nunoo-Quarcoo (l to r)

Team #GalleryDAAS turns out for the opening of The Crown with artist Shani Peters at the Institute for the Humanities.  A great show! We’ll be back together next Wednesday March 18 at 4 to celebrate the opening of part 2 of the Peters project at #GalleryDAAS. Join us!

Artist Shani Peters has begun her residency with #GalleryDAAS and the Institute for the Humanities! In this video she explains the vision that drives “The Crown here.

When everyone went back home for a relaxing break or headed south to embrace the sunshine and sea breeze, I had to stay in my apartment to work on my thesis. One thing that I was excited about on this empty and snowy campus during the break, however, was the installation of The Crown in the Institute for the Humanities Gallery.

Although I have seen pictures of people standing under the paper crowns in the Harare show and imagined tripling the scale of the installation, I was still surprised to see so many crowns in the IH gallery on Thursday morning. They piled on the tables and the floor, along with four giant ladders occupying the room corners, leaving barely enough space for us to walk through.  Continue reading →

GalleryDAAS is a small gallery affiliated with the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan dedicated to exploring and celebrating contemporary Black art. Each year the gallery organizes two exhibitions, one featuring the work of an artist from the continent, the other the work of an artist of African descent living elsewhere in the world. GalleryDAAS is a space for exhibiting creativity, a space for learning, and most importantly a space for meaningful dialogue. The gallery’s current exhibition, The Crown: Contemporary Construction of Self in America, features the work of social and political activist, Shani Peters, who uses the vernacular of contemporary art to communicate with her audiences.  Continue reading →