Endia Beal, an artist, educator, and photographer from North Carolina is coming to Davidson.
Endia Beal is no stranger to Davidson College. Her film Mock Interview was featured in the Van/Every Smith Galleries’ spring 2020 show “True Likeness.” Always pushing the boundaries and hoping to bring to light social and racial injustices, in Mock Interview, Beal confronts the racism and misogyny women of color face everyday in the workplace. Beal started by collecting questions young women of color entering the work force were asked during interviews, all of which consistently pointed to discrimination and misogyny. Beal then flipped the narrative, and asked those same questions to young white men. By juxtaposing discriminatory comments on non-discriminated men, it illuminated the true reality of the social and racial injustices in the workplace.
(You can view Mock Interview here: https://vimeo.com/458819367).
Her previously acclaimed work, Am I What You’re Looking For?, features similar narratives. She once again confronts misogyny and discrimination in the workplace, but this time through juxtaposing young professional women of color in the comfort of their homes, photographed in front of an artificial backdrop of a plain, sterile office environment. Titling the series Am I What You’re Looking For? makes the viewer confront their own internal biases and to advocate for social justice in the workforce.
Beal’s upcoming project with Davidson will once again confront racial and social injustice. Throughout November and December, Beal will host one-on-one sessions with 30 Davidson students advocating for social and racial justice. After meeting with students, Beal will then go around campus and take pictures of environments that either promote or deny social advocacy. Similarly to Am I What You’re Looking For, Beal will then schedule photo shoots with students in front of artificial backdrops of these environments. These pieces will then be generously given to the gallery’s artwork collection of portraits, previously almost entirely white and male, to finally illustrate the true diversity of Davidson.
As Davidson College confronts its dark and tumultuous past with racial and social injustices, Beal is hoping to advocate for change whilst also encouraging students to finally make Davidson a truly inclusive community for everyone.
To learn more about this project and how to be a part of Beal’s listening sessions, join the Van/Every Smith Galleries via Zoom at 11 am on Thursday, October 28th and follow @davidsoncollegeartgalleries to receive updates.