SHEILA PHIPPS
Put Your Weapons Down, 2022, acrylic paint on canvas, 48 x 30 in.
This artwork creatively interprets the experience of Ivan:
“That I'm a strong man, and I'm blessed, and that God was with me still. He's with me. All that stuff I did. All the stuff I did. And no matter what, he’ll always show grateful forgiveness to you.”
My love for portraiture has always been a way for me to capture someone’s persona on canvas. Portraits also tell a story. The subject in this painting is an African American teenage boy growing up in New Orleans. In the city, there are many distractions, temptations, and crime all around our young people’s lives. It's sometimes very easy for them to fall victim to their environment. The inspiration behind this painting came from a young man's story. After listening to him, I was inspired to title this piece Put Your Weapons Down. In this painting, you can see that various weapons are laying on the ground at his feet, as he holds up a book.
It's been my mission to teach, to learn, and to inspire others through my art.
SHEILA PHIPPS AT THE TRAVIS HILL SCHOOL
In 2017, Sheila Phipps conducted the Steps to Freedom workshop at The Travis Hill School, located inside of New Orleans’ juvenile detention center and adult jail. This workshop offered space for creative expression, primarily through painting and writing.
Unthinkable Imagination, the exhibition’s main title, was drawn from a statement written by a young man participating in Phipps’s workshop.
Sheila Phipps (b.1957, New Orleans LA; based in New Orleans, LA) is an activist and self-taught artist best known for her stunning portraits and creative workshops. In her practice, Phipps addresses issues of justice and engages visual strategies that raise consciousness, empower, and educate. In 2017 Phipps became the first artist in resi-dence at Bar None, a multidisciplinary initiative that aims to transcend incarceration by offering opportunities for healing through the arts to people who are directly impacted by the carceral system. Exhibited internationally, her work was featured in States of Incarceration, a 2016 traveling project of the Humanities Action Lab. Her work has also been presented locally at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Antenna Gallery, and Newcomb Art Museum. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including prizes from the National Conference of Artists and the National Arts Program in New Orleans.