Artist Research: Michael Ray Charles

Michael Ray Charles is a Professor of Art in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Texas, in Austin. His paintings investigate the legacy of racial stereotypes that have permeated the American subconscious since the days slavery. Drawing from the history of American advertising Charles uses iconic symbols from product packaging, billboards and commercials from both the present and the past to pose questions about the perceptions of black identity in America. Often the artist paintings reference figures from black memorabilia such as Jemima's, minstrel performer's and mammy's. "They're images that are constructed, they're both black and white, conceived in a white mind and believed in a black mind" says Charles. The very word memorabilia in my mind is problematic in the sense that it begs the question "who's memory?" In whose image were these cultural artifacts created? And what would our history be like if for two hundred years the tables were turned and blacks were in control of producing all the images we see of whites. Collectible items such as coin banks, salt and pepper shakers and syrup bottles adorned with images of black servants and performers were produced well into the early 1900's. After emancipation and during the Jim Crow era it was just one more way for white Americans to instill systematic racism. During these times there were parts of America where very few whites had ever seen a black person. Memorabilia and product packaging that functioned this way had an negative effect on how white America perceived African Americans at this time. In certain works like "(Forever Free) Now Playing" and "(Forever Free) #9", the figures are dressed up like jesters and clowns. They juggle and dance, grinning eternally as they perform the role that is expected from them by a white audience. Michael Ray Charles's paintings expose the elements of violence and humiliation that these kind of images encouraged. They are much subtler today, but as his work points out they still exist to promote black stereotypes in sports advertising and movies.