County Executive’s Office

Rebecca Archer

Taking Up Space

May 9-June 27, 2023

The Caldwell Gallery 

Taking Up Space: A love letter to Blackness by Rebecca M. Archer

Taking up Space is my love letter to our Black bodies.  An ode to our existence.  In the work of taking up space I aim to show you that to exist is to be beautiful, to be worthy of adulation, to be seen, heard, and celebrated.  I want to show you that to exist unapologetically is a form of revolution.  I want you to see how when you bring your whole self to a room: all your brightness, all your reverberation, all your movement and joy, you are embraced. I want you to understand that Black existence is as wide and varied as the possibilities of the world and to celebrate the expansiveness of Black identity, the breadth of Black experience and the beauty in Black existence. Taking Up Space pays homage not only to Blackness, but to all those who have perfected the art of making others comfortable with their presence, this work is a reminder that you are seen, heard and celebrated in your bright, bold, unique existence.

I am a Black-Jewish, multiracial, multicultural, mixed media artist who was raised mostly outside of the United States.  To grow up without a defined culture, belonging nowhere and everywhere, continually adapting to the people and places that surrounded me brought me to the understanding that the act of taking up space is revolutionary.  To take up space where you have previously been small requires us to be bold and courageous, to expose ourselves to uncomfortable conversations and scrutiny and to be confident and stalwart in our convictions. When we take up space, we celebrate ourselves and forge understanding for the future. Taking up Space is an exhibit about existing in our fullness, our brightness, our loudness, and even our discomfort.

Find her on IG@art_attorney