Glory

Glitter, elephant board, wood, glue, prayer for deep & effervescent holiness up from the bones & into the body, beads, sequin trim, wood devil doll, old porcelain black figure (from back in the day, but...you know, timeless), feathered red birds flying out from the heart, jazzed up sequin paper, coins from the flea market in Paris—cuz money iz in the head, wealth iz of the hand & heart, blue stars—the cosmos is the body—the body is the cosmos, snake rising up outta the grass, butterflies, flowers, grasses, crown above the spirit eye, mirror to call back on the soul, brush to sweep off the static & the loose crumbs of uselessness—brush to clean out the voice, machete for the cutting presence, old tin noise maker for making noise, y’all hear?, quality taboo tin lead—lest we forget, really forget. Porcelain doll baby head from the old German doll-factory, holy sign to state the obvious & the invisible obvious, the submerged obviousness. Watermelon appliqué, Star appliqué, love & rage & rhinestone trim, & sorrow & alla those arms cuz there’s so much to carry. 

Vanessa German’s Glory is the physical representation of the resilient glory of the black woman in America. She uses found objects, reflected in the expressive prose of her comprehensive materials list that alludes to the layered meanings of the ingredients that make up Glory. For example, the watermelon located on the figure’s pelvis is a loaded symbol most often associated with negative racial stereotypes of African Americans. It was originally a symbol of freedom and economic independence, as growing watermelons was one of the most common ways for African Americans to support themselves after the Civil War.