About the Curator
Angelita Hampton is a mixed media artist, writer, and teacher. An Indianapolis native,
Angelita divides her time between creating new work in her studio on the near Eastside, and working as a teaching artist, curator and art event planner. Her undergraduate and graduate studies in African American Studies, along with her time living abroad in Mexico, deeply inform her creative work as an artist-activist. Her work grew out of and continues to remain engaged with issues of social justice, community empowerment, and authentic representation. Angelita’s art making practice is centered in experimentation and innovation of techniques.
In 2021 she was awarded the CICF Individual Artist Grant and Neighborhood Grant, as well as the On Ramp Fellowship through the Indiana Arts Commission. In 2022, she was an Indy Convergence fellow and curated her first exhibit at Newfields.
How do you visually express the language around race?
How the exhibit came to be?
The Truth of Freedom exhibit came about through genuine connection and by speaking dreams out loud. I met Jerry Wise, then interim President of Newfields, in March 2022. We had a lengthy conversation discussing community engagement and access to the Newfields and the arts. He mentioned the community gallery that often sat empty and, I seized the opportunity to propose using the space to feature local Black artists for a Juneteenth exhibit. A month later, the process began and, working with a great team at Newfields, I curated the first Truth of Freedom exhibit which opened June 3, 2022.
Last year the theme was “Past, Present, And Future” and 10 local Black artists showcased their work. Building on the entrée in 2022, this year, the exhibit has grown to feature 27 Black artists from Indiana displaying their response to the theme “The Language of Race.”
“For me, art and community are inseparable “says Hampton. “I believe in lifting as we climb and this exhibit has been an opportunity to share space at the table, to build community, and to use the power of art for change.”