O’Fallon woman conjures up ‘Black Magic’ to express herself as emerging artist

Summer Brooks is using art to make a statement on being a woman of color in America.

For her senior show, “Black Magic,” she wanted to celebrate what is special about Black women’s hair. Using spray foam, multimedia and paint, she crafted different textures to represent the uniqueness. And she used purple and gold, colors of royalty, to make a point.

“We’re told that it is undesirable, ugly,” she said. “When you don’t see yourself, how can you learn to love yourself?”

She said the trend of “everything we consume these days is diversity, but I still don’t see it.”

The labels of “bad hair” and “good hair” fuel the debate and carry negativity, she said.

“We don’t fit into a mold,” she said. “I wanted to show an explosion of love and happiness, that people can be accepting of themselves.”

Brooks herself doesn’t fit into a mold, and that’s fine with her.

Lauded as a next generation contemporary artist, Brooks, has lived in O’Fallon since she was 9 or 10, and her dad retired from the U.S. Air Force. She graduated from O’Fallon Township High School in 2017 and was part of the honors art program.

“Art has always been a passion of mine,” she said. “I started drawing around the age of 9 and thought, ‘This is what I want to do.’”

She started drawing anime, and then developed her own style.

Brooks, a recent summa cum laude graduate of McKendree University with a bachelor’s degree in art, had a sculpture selected in a national competition for a prestigious Missouri exhibit.

Her ceramic and acrylic paint sculpture, “As Time Keeps Slippin’ Away,” is currently on exhibit at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art in St. Joseph, Missouri, through June 6.

She was one of 20 students selected for the fifth annual National Undergraduate Juried Exhibition highlighting emerging contemporary artists.

Another McKendree student, Allison Carnell from Jackson, Missouri, has an oil on canvas piece called “Self Portrait” in the exhibit.

Out of over 200 submissions — a record-setting number of entries — 56 artworks were chosen from 38 artists. A museum spokesman said this year’s participants hailed from six states and represented 15 colleges and universities. Artwork included paintings, sculptures, drawings, ceramics and fiber art.

The museum is at 2818 Frederick Ave. in St. Joseph. Its American art collection includes Mary Cassatt, Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood. Hours are from Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. For more information, visit Albrecht-kemper.org or call 816-233-7003.

The museum is known for nurturing regional artists, which is what the McKendree art faculty is known for, too.

The art curriculum “immerses students in the analysis and interpretation of visual arts in relation to society, culture, and tradition. McKendree Art faculty encourage students to make art that is honest, defines or redefines beauty, celebrates individuality, and engages the community,” the department states online.

‘When I was growing up, I never saw a black Barbie’

Brooks pointed to Kevin Kao, an assistant professor, and Amy MacLennan, an associate professor, as mentors to her.

“With such a small program, they really showed me how I could do my own thing and helped me explore my art,” she said. “I will forever be grateful to them because they taught me so much.”

The pandemic forced a campus-wide shut down last spring, which was difficult, Brooks said.

“I lost my ceramics space. Art is a very different experience online and I had to be motivated to push myself,” she said. “It was work transitioning to online. Art classes really are designed to be there in person.”

She was relieved to physically return to school and made sure she was productive.

“As a young Black female, it feels great to be seen. In sharing my story, people can understand where I come from,” she said. “When I was growing up, I never saw a black Barbie. This affected us.”

Family life, post-graduation plans

The daughter of Aaron and April Brooks, she has two older brothers, Stacy Washington and Aaron Brooks, Jr. She said art and music were a part of their adventures growing up and moving around as a military family.

As for what is ahead after graduation, Summer Brooks said she is open to traveling and exploring more art opportunities.

“I want to grow as an artist,” she said.

Brooks expects to return to school to earn a master’s of fine arts degree at some point.

“I love learning,” she said. “I can teach other artists. I can grow by being around other artists.”

More about O’Fallon artist

When she is not pursuing art, she said she enjoys “computer building” and learning more about technology. She enjoys watching anime and animation as a pastime, and takes care of a growing number of houseplants, she said.

Earlier this spring, Brooks had dropped off her artwork at the museum in St. Joseph and enjoyed visiting Kansas City. She plans to return to do more exploring this summer.

As for her inclusion in a national exhibit: “It’s pretty amazing.”

This story was originally published May 19, 2021 at 10:26 AM.