Bs of the Beach

by Karen Anderson

Artist’s Statement:

If we tell our own stories, no one can steal our history, or our confidence or our self-worth. My artwork is about telling the stories of the marginalized life and the people who live it. I cover the past, present and future. The images tell stories that can inform to the way of life in the community, uplift with the beauty that comes from the community and educate the rest of the world about the community.

“Bs of the Beach”

BIO: Karen J. Anderson is an artist, writer, photographer, publisher and filmmaker. She uses a variety of methods to uplift, inform and educate African Americans and people of color. 

Her artwork has been published in Obsidian, Levitate and Mamas, Martyrs and Jezebels. It has also been part of the group exhibition, Pullman Laboring Together in 2022 with took place at the Pullman National Monument. Her work was also part of Going Dutch Festival in Elgin, Il and Protests Signs at the CAB Art Gallery at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2022.

She is currently an Illinois Road Scholar speaking on the history of beauty in the African American community in her presentation “More Than A Color: The Marginalization of African American Beauty”.