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The Trickster, the Griot, and the Goddess : Optimal Consciousness in the Works of Ntozake Shange, Kara Walker and India

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The Trickster, the Griot, and the Goddess : Optimal Consciousness in the Works of Ntozake Shange, Kara Walker and India University of Louisville ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository Electronic Theses and Dissertations 12-2010 The trickster, the griot, and the goddess : optimal consciousness in the works of Ntozake Shange, Kara Walker and India. Arie. Tiffany D. Caesar 1985- University of Louisville Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd Recommended Citation Caesar, Tiffany D. 1985-, "The trickster, the griot, and the goddess : optimal consciousness in the works of Ntozake Shange, Kara Walker and India. Arie." (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 193. https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/193 This Master's Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has retained all other copyrights. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ---- ---- --- ----------------- THE TRICKSTER, THE GRIOT, and THE GODDESS ... : OPTIMAL CONCIOUSNESS IN THE WORKS OF NTOZAKE SHANGE, KARA WALKER, AND INDIA. ARIE By Tiffany D. Caesar B.A., Truman State University, 2008 A Thesis Submitted To The Faculty of The College of Arts and Sciences of The University of Louisville In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts Department of Pan-African Studies University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky December 2010 Copyright 2010 by Tiffany Caesar All Rights Reserved THE TRlCK.S~ Tim OlUOT~ W\\I TIm ooon~~~~~~~ OPTIMAL OONClOUSNBSS IN TMB wmuts ~ NroMU iMAN@~; lAM WA~ AND INDIA.. AlUi By TiftMy Cl~~Qf B.A., Trunum Stlt~ Univmity; ~OOI ~§t 2~; 20lO by 'fbe f~lkm1fij 't1w§i§ CmHmi~:: q ii --------------------- DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my mom, whose spirit has been with me through the whole process. Thank you mom, you were the first artist I knew. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my mentor, professor, and thesis director Dr. Martin for her continuous patience and motivation through my Master's of Pan-African Studies and thesis process. I have been very fortunate to have someone like her to guide me-thanks for helping me find my rhythm. To Dr. Thomas, you have always opened your office to me and rubbed my back with your encouraging words. You also allowed me to explore new creative avenues, thank you! Young, Black, and Fabulous- Dr. Story you wear the garb of professor very well; thank you for pushing me to be independent in my study and equipping me with the confidence to know that I can achieve. I am forever grateful for the call I received from Dr. Talley to tell me I was accepted to the Master's of Pan­ African Studies program; she has also been a wonderful mentor and motivator throughout my experience at the University of Louisville. I also appreciate my wonderful cohort Anita Thomas, Ciara Pierce, and Willie Wright; my PAS experience could not have happened without you all. I also acknowledge all the people who helped me edit; Lauren at the writing center, you were god sent and all my friends who helped: Ade Aderibigbe, Danielle Leveston, Triza Cox, Jacqueline Thompson, Jennifer Oladipo, and more! I would also like to thank my Granny, Nana, and Grandfather for their continuous motivation. DeMarcus Caesar, my little brother, you keep your sister in check. If I did not iv --~-------- mention you, know that you are appreciated. I am forever grateful for the energy and visions I receive from my Ancestors and Guardian Spirits, Ashe! v ABSTRACT THE TRICKSTER, THE GRIOT, and THE GODDESS ... : OPTIMAL CONCIOUSNESS IN THE WORKS OF NTOZAKE SHANGE, KARA WALKER, AND INDIA. ARIE Tiffany Caesar August, 25 2010 The creative expressions of three black women artists--Ntozake Shange, Kara Walker, and India. Arie--are explored using optimal consciousness-an Afrocentric framework by Linda James Myers. This concept advocates that the role of the artist is to provide art that raises the consciousness of the people. An illustration of optimal consciousness will be demonstrated in their works by using the following criteria presented in the theory: authenticity, the fusion of sacred and secular, and positive interpersonal relationships. The creative works utilized for this analysis are Shange's choreopoem For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf, Walker's silhouette narrative Gone, An Historical Romance of Civil War as it Occurred Between the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart, and Arie's song "Video." vi -- ------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................... .iv ABSTRACT .............................................................................. vi I. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 1 II.OPTIMAL CONCSIOUSNESS .................................................... 11 III. TRADITIONAL AFRICAN ART AND BLACK AESTHETICS ........................................................................... 21 IV. A SURVEY OF BLACK AESTHETICS FROM 1920s UNTIL PRESENT ................................................................................. 32 V. WHO ARE THEy? ................................................................. 65 VI.ANAL YSIS ........................................................................... 96 VII.CONCLUSION ..................................................................... 122 REFERENCES ........................................................................... 127 APPENDIX ................................................................................ 132 CURRICULUM VITAE ...................................................................................... 136 vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This case study demonstrates how three African American women artists-Ntozake Shange, Kara Walker, and India. Arie- earliest works represent Linda James Myers's Afrocentric theory of optimal consciousness. The basis of this discussion is another Afrocentric theory, the Nzuri Model by Kariamu Welsh-Asante, which accents the importance of the collaborative efforts of the critic, artist, and patron. The creative works utilized for this analysis are Shange's choreopoem For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf, Walker's silhouette narrative Gone, An Historical Romance o/Civil War as it Occurred Between the Dusky Thighs o/One Young Negress and Her Heart, and Arie's song "Video." Following Introduction in Chapter 1, Chapter II Optimal Consciousness discusses the theoretical framework applied to these artists' works created by Afrocentric psychologist and cultural critic Linda James Myers. Optimal consciousness within the framework of Black aesthetics suggests that the role of the artist is to provide art that raises the consciousness of the people. The Black artist has to create work that is functional to the society to evoke change. The three criteria within optimal consciousness used for this study are authenticity, the fusion of the sacred and secular, and positive interpersonal relationships. In discussing authenticity, Myers emphasizes that "[t]rue artisans feel empowered by what is within. Technicians replicate the externalized productions of others" ("Optimal Consciousness" 181). Originality of the artist is a 1 crucial aspect of optimal consciousness. Linda James Myers argues for a more holistic approach when it comes to viewing art. Instead of viewing it as either sacred or secular, one should "acknowledge the sacred in the secular ... and make the secular sacred" (181). This aspect of the theory allows the study to demonstrate how Shange, Walker, and Arie's works transcend the segmentation of the sacred and secular, and infuses both. Positive interpersonal relationships are the last criteria of optimal consciousness examined; it stresses the activity of communication that includes the artist, audience, and the artistry. Myers further extrapolates, "[a]n optimal Afrocentric perception would acknowledge the multiplicity of roles that both the communicator and listener playas the dialogue continues. Ifthe conversation is to be the best possible, both must actively participate" (181). In order for there to be a positive interpersonal relationship, the audiences of the artist's work have to "[l]earn to be free" and let the energy of the art move them to react (181). This call and response strategy allows an unconstrained fluidity within the communication. In collaboration with optimal consciousness, the Nzuri Model values the relationship of the critic, artist, and patron promote a collective space for functional criticism. Each member of this triad must be centered in an Afrocentric worldview so that their analyses are grounded in the same context. As stated, "[t]here has to be a common denominator so that the aesthetic is expanded, documented and preserved" (Welsh­ Asante 172). With feedback coming from sources that fathom the worldview of the artist, the art is improved and the creator can grow. By acknowledging the interconnectedness of the roles of the researcher and critic, artist, and patron--the criticism of the artistry is 2 ---------------- enhanced. This concept of the Nzuri Model is further discussed in Chapter III Black Aesthetics and also the perspective from which this research is written. Chapter III also familiarizes the reader with the traditional
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