Bushmama Africa
(b.1970, USA)
blkbohemian@gmail.com 510.485.2577
Exhibitions
2022-23 The Indigo Project, Somarts, SF, CA
2021 Closer:6 Feet Apart Outdoor Exhibition AAACC, SF, Ca
2020 The Black Woman is God: Reclaim, Reconfigure, Remember, SOMarts, SF, Ca
2020 Fillmore Forever Exhibition AAACC, SF, Ca
2020 Unbound Roots: A Paradigm for Intentional Healing, SOMarts, SF, Ca
2020 Women’s History Month, SF LGBT Center SF, Ca
2020 TLGB Black History Month(Title Art), SF LGBT Center SF, Ca
2020 Naturium Online Solo Exhibition Instagram/Facebook - Virtual Solo Exhibition
2019 Smoking Mirrors War on Drugs. AAACC, SF, Ca
2019 The 23rd Annual Art of Living Black, Richmond Art Center, Richmond, Ca
2019 ‘The Black Woman is God: Assembly of Gods” SOMarts, SF
2019 The Black Woman is God: Assembly of Gods Tech Show (curator and exhibitor), AAACC, SF,Ca
2018 The Black Woman is God: (Title Art) Somart, SF, Ca
2018 They Say I'm Different Exhibition AAACC, SF,Ca
2018 MUSEic #3 Group Exhibition, Somar Bar, Oakland, Ca
2017 The Black Woman is God: Reprogramming that God Code, Somarts, SF, Ca
2017 Watermelon Woman 3.0 (Title Art), The Center for Sex and Culture, SF, Ca
2017 Watermelon Woman, (Title Art) Omi Gallery, Oakland, Ca
2017 Rosenblum Cellars Artist of the Month, Oakland, Ca
2017 Comrade Sister / 50 Year Anniversary of the Black Panther Party Omi Gallery, Oakland
2017 Comprehensive Solo Show 2004-2017 National Queer Arts Festival, Flight Deck, Oakland 2017
Resistance and Resilience, Women’s Cancer Resource Center, Berkeley, Ca
2016 The Black Woman is God: Reprogramming the God Code SOMarts, SF, CA
2016 AfroSolo: Black Matters,(Title Art) San Francisco Main Library, SF, Ca
2016 Rosenblum Cellars Artist of the Month, Oakland, Ca
2016 We are One-Bad-Ass-Mutha, Oakland Terminal, Oakland Ca
2014 Healer Woman Solo Show, Lakeview Library, Oakland, Ca
2012 Livingroom Project Black August Group Show
2011 AfroSexual the Visual, Living Room Project, Oakland
2009 Black August Group Show The Living Room Project
2004 Oakland Hip Hop Film Festival (producer) Black Box. Oakland, Ca
2004 Crookkaletta: Queer Spoke Word (producer), Black Box, Oakalnd, Ca
2003 World Truth and Consciousness, Black Box, Oakland, Ca
2002 Black Box UrbArt Collective Artist Showcase Black Box, Oakland, Ca
1997 Oakland Artist Group Show Jack London Square
Licensed to use my work:
Restorative Justice for Oakland
Alameda County Behavioral Health and City of Berkeley
Pochino Press
Rafiki Coalition for Health and Wellness
Performances
2020 The Future of Tech+Community, AAACC, SF
2020 Don’t Shoot: An Opus of the Opulence of Blackness, MoAD,SF
2019 40 Waves 40 Performances in the Hole Smarts, SF
2019 Quiet Joy: A Chrysalis Space, EBCS, Oakland
2019 Weed the People Cannabis Conference
2018 Kwanzaa Celebration, AAAACC, SF
2017 Night Light Multimedia Performance Festival, SomArts, SF
2014-2017 Juneeteenth - Awon Ohun Omnira
2014 London is Burning The Art of Storytelling New Parish, Oakland
2013 Jaki Lee & Women’s Committee of GLBT Historical Society
2013 Beastcrawl - Black Futurist Speak: New Queer Black, Betti Ono, Oakland
Grants/Awards
Southern Exposure Grantee 2023-24
Osceola Micro Grant Awardee 2021
A Love Jar Grant Awardee - Art Noir 2020
Artist As First Responder Grant Awardee 2020
Black Woman is God Award - SF Art Commission 2019
Articles
https://sfbay.ca/2018/09/26/the-black-woman-is-god-exhibition-celebrates-homecoming/
https://www.kqed.org/arts/12158579/the-bay-area-celebrates-the-black-panther-party-at-50
https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/we-are-one-bad-ass-mutha/Content?oid=4707937
https://sfpl.org/?pg=1024048401
http://www.boothism.org/2013/09/06/queer-questions-interview-bushmama-africa/
https://www.creativelabor.org/fight-deck-oakland/
https://qcc2.org/museic-a-love-affair/
Celebrity Contracts
Bryant Terry: Diaspora Dinners Altar Creation
The People’s Kitchen Collective: Altar Creation
Ntozake Shange: Personal Assistant
Barbra Lee: Fundraising Party Host
Almaz Abinader: Personal Assistant
Publications
The Arrow: A Journal of Wakeful Society, Culture and Politics 2023
BLATANT: A Zine On Art, Beauty and Rage Volume 1, Issue 1 2020
Los Angeles Review of Books Journal: Larb Pub Lab 2020 Issue 4 https://larbpublab.com/
Reflections 2 by James Gayles 2019 Pochino Press
Stop Hurting & Dance by Aqueila M, Lewis. 2018 Pochino Press
Residencies
Moments Co-Op Residency - November 2022
Black [Space] Residency - August 2021
Fellowships
Brioxy Fellowship California Cohort 2022-23
Somarts Cutorial Residency 2022-23
My artist lens comes from being a black girl in the world of whiteness. When I decided to create as a form of resistance I made black women the focus of most of my work, All the heros in my life are black women who often fought to their death to keep children, husbands and family alive. I create these images for us to learn, to be celebrated and appreciated while we are alive. A lot of my work are assignments from my spirit guides telling me what I need to create next. The works coming through in 2022 is all spirit led works that made me dig into my lineage more. Dna and Geneology taught me that I'm 94% African blood. My people are Lousianna Creole, Mississippi Hoodoo and Gullah Geechee People. Through their history I'm understanding the stories that must be told through art and I indeed to heed the assignments.
Image #1 Habesaha Eye is my most recent digital collage created during the dawning of the new year as a portal to see myself in Africa this year as an artist, as family member returned to the continent. Image #2 Rebirthing Timbuktu was created in 2016 when the actual temples of Timbuktu were being destroyed. In my anger and frustration I created this image as a prayer that one day a black woman would be responsible for birthing the being who will restore it. Image #3 Elevating Egun created in 2016 as an offering to help usher the spirits who didn't make it through the middle passage. This work is the spiritual elevation needed to put them in the realm of the ancestors so we can connect with from the other side. Image #4 AfroShockadelica the Afropunk Goddess of the present and the future. Her image is a middle finger to the status quo, to patriarchy, the all forms of oppression but especially the type of oppression that boxes in a black woman who is free to herself.