Spring 2021 - Artist-in-Residence Candice Davis

This spring, artist Candice Davis will be in residence with the Target Studio for Creative Collaboration, working on her book project, Where’s Mammy?, in which she approaches the subject of how to have meaningful conversations with children about race. The book began in 2017 as a response to the Mary Griggs Burke dollhouse in Minneapolis Institute of Art's collection. The dollhouse, located in the museum's community commons (and primarily intended for children’s viewing), included a “mammy-like” Black servant figure. The “mammy” doll was temporarily removed from the installation that same year, following some community discussion about the depiction of a mammy figure without context. The in-progress book, Where’s Mammy? includes writing and illustration intended to start a conversation about the legacy of racism in a way that is accessible to and invites dialogue with children.

CALL FOR COLLABORATORS: Are you a UMN faculty member, researcher, or staffperson with interest in the themes and subject matter of Candice Davis's project? Would you like to get involved? For more information about ways you might connect your interests with this work, contact Boris Oicherman by email: boris@umn.edu.