In this photographic series, Paradise Gray observes the erasure of visible black culture and history in shared public spaces throughout Pittsburgh.
Activist Print: Paradise Gray: The Disappearing Black Culture in Pittsburgh Series
September 1 – December 31, 2016
In this series, one pair of images reveals the transformation of an outdoor facility adjacent to a North Side public school—a cracked overgrown basketball court gives way to a manicured green baseball field. In the second diptych, before and after images show the removal of a Negro League tribute from Pittsburgh’s baseball stadium—statues of players from the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords are replaced by banners and trash receptacles.
Paradise Gray is a community organizer, author, artist, producer, hip-hop artist, historian, and chief curator of The Universal Hip Hop Museum, New York. He was manager and promoter for the hip-hop club “The Latin Quarter” in New York City, a teacher of the 1Hood Media Academy, professor of hip-hop at Monroe College, New York, and a founding member of 1Hood, the Coalition Against Violence, and the Alliance for Police Accountability.
About Activist Print
Activist Print is a collaboration between The Warhol, BOOM Concepts (a creative hub for artists to incubate ideas), and the North Side printmaking studio Artists Image Resource (AIR). Activist Print is inspired by the history of artists using silkscreen and print-based media to raise awareness of contemporary issues and inspire change.