Coloring Josephine Baker's Fashion with Shawn Hart

Capital Connections Artist Series

Explore the art of coloring fashion with artist Shawn Hart in a discussion hosted by the Labs.

Join Capital Connections artist, Shawn Hart, in a discussion on Josephine Baker's fashion at March on Washington while coloring a page from, "Josephine Baker -the Ultimate Fashion Icon ( A coloring book for all ages)".

About the Artist

Years ago, as a young girl growing up in Washington D.C., I was exposed to the art galleries and all of the cultural events the city has to offer. My Father who was a gifted artist inspired me.  My Mother also helped to cultivate my talent by enrolling me in art classes at the Corcoran School of Art in the Summer.  Being a proud Black woman, she made sure I always had Black dolls as a reflection of myself. That instilled in me positive self awareness and identity. As I got older I noticed that the women on the magazine covers and on products were mostly depictions of the European standard. There was not much representation of women of color. Since I didn't see any images of Black women, I decided to create some of my own. I completed a certificate program in Fashion Illustration at Ardis School of Fashion design, obtained an undergraduate degree in Electronic Studio (Computer Graphics) and the Master of Fine Arts Degree in Design at Howard University. My thesis was titled - "Josephine Baker - Creating An American Icon through a Framework of Social Identity Theory."  The next progression in my journey was to create the products and BBS - Baker By Shawn was born!

About the Exhibit

"Capital Connections" is an art exhibition that showcases the work of seven artists, exploring the theme of the African American journey and its role in shaping the cultural narrative of the Washington, D.C. area. The artists aim to stimulate thought and conversation about how Americans may visualize their cultural experiences, using abstract expressionism as a design format.

The central idea of the exhibition is to represent a visual multi-disciplinary approach to the interpretation of elements, with the goal of reflecting the cultural and historical influences of the Nation's Capital. The artists' work seeks to symbolize the creative unification of different ethnicities and how various images and social designs become associated with cultural ideologies. This exhibition spans a decade of artistic production, illustrating the impact of the DMV (D.C., Maryland, and Virginia) on these artists and their institutions.

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