Emancipation Arts LLC Elevates Black Artists Across Arizona
Photo: Elaine Thomas Campbell
Clottee Hammons, owner of Emancipation Arts, left Arizona as a young adult because she was tired of the racism.
When she returned a few years later, she dedicated herself to collaborating with others to promote Black artists and correct the narrative of civil rights issues in Arizona. For Hammons, her challenge has not been a pivot during COVID-19 but a career of learning how to pivot through an environment that excluded her and other black artists.
The Power of Ancestry
Emancipation Arts focuses on not only featuring Black artists but also Black history and raising awareness about Black issues while honoring enslaved ancestors. Hammons is the granddaughter of a Ninth Cavalry Buffalo soldier, meaning a black soldier who served mainly along the Western frontier after the Civil War. Hammons is deeply driven by this connection to her ancestors.
“I have to think of myself as a modern African woman whose history has been obscured. So I turn around, and I look as far back as I can. I name those names of the ancestors that I know, and I share it with my children and anybody else that's willing to do it with me,” Hammons said.
You Will Learn
The motto of Clottee Hammons and Emancipation Arts is “I promise you will learn what schools will not teach.” One of the exhibitions that Hammons helped curate was titled, “ The Spillover Effect.” This exhibit focused on the psychological effects of police brutality and it was put together by four Black artists. Another exhibition she has curated is “The Great Migration: Indiscernibles in Arizona,” which focused on Black migration to Arizona.
In addition to these exhibits that provide opportunities for Black artists, Hammons presents performances and has done workshops on deflecting student debt for young people preparing for college. She also facilitates the Emancipation Marathon. This is an annual literary event where volunteers read works aloud to honor the victims of slavery in the United States. This year’s event took place on the weekend of Juneteenth and you can find videos of the readings on the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts’ YouTube channel. These readings help to shed new light on our nation’s history and share realities about the Black experience that have been glossed over or ignored.
Moving Forward
In an interview with AZ Central, Hammons said, “If your child's school has no Black history in its curriculum, now’s the time for you to scrutinize it and push for more expansive and more appropriate teaching. If you are marching with someone Black, and your children have no exposure to anything Black other than slapstick comedy, now’s the time to change that. If you're marching alongside a Black person, and you have never sat down and had a cup of coffee with somebody Black, now's the time.”
Living and moving in both the arts and activist movements is no easy task but it is one that Clottee Hammons has risen to. During a time of national change we should each be scrutinizing our thought processes about race and help our nation make one of the most important pivots it can make: towards true equity.
How You Can Support
A great way to support Emancipation Arts and continue to learn about the Black experience is by attending their art exhibitions throughout Phoenix as the venues reopen. In the meantime, check out their community page to learn about other ways you can get involved such as past webinars and readings. You can learn more about Clotte Hammons and Emancipation Arts exhibitions on their Facebook page.