Issue 136 - July 2020 – Guest Curator, Aziza Murray

Dear friends,

We are living in strange and difficult, unpredictable and unprecedented times. We wear masks and stand six feet away from each other, we FaceTime and Zoom and TikTok to stay connected. We are being challenged in ways that harken back to the Civil Rights Era and the Stonewall Uprising. Some of us are awakening to a new level of consciousness about the conditions our brothers and sisters have been living in for a very long time. I fervently believe that artists have unique opportunities to expand this consciousness by telling stories that have been historically silenced and overlooked in the art world and popular culture.

I was recently challenged to imagine what I want the future to look like, using my own work. The future I want for this world is one of inclusion, visibility, support and representation for people of color and for LGBTQIA identifying people. It is for this reason that I am honored and pleased to present Issue 136 of Fraction as a guest curator. While a common thread of this issue deals with identity, each photographer has a unique point of view and method of visual storytelling. From multilayered imagery of family roots to luminous portraits in nature, each artist gives a voice to communities they are a part of, honoring their own identities and, demanding that we pay attention.

– Aziza K. Murray

View the Print Sale Fundraiser for The Okra Project.
Learn more about the Okra Project here.