Art & Real Life

Portrait of my Family by Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo: Portrait of my Family

Art & Real Life, Art + Art history, Mexican Art /

Frida Kahlo painted “Portrait of My Family” throughout her life, illustrating her cherished relatives and her emotional losses. After a serious bus accident at 19, bedridden Frida turned to art for solace, supported by her family’s care and adapted tools. The author connects with Frida’s resilience during their own challenges, finding strength and self-expression in creativity and community support in the midst of personal struggles with their son’s autism.

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black woman with large afro surrounded by gold arch

“Lawdy Mama” by Barkley Hendricks: Art about Being your True Self as a Natural Beauty

Art & Real Life, Art + Art history /

While touring European museums and churches in the ’60s, a 21-year-old Barkley Hendricks was struck by the lack of black presence in Western art. This inspired his now best known works: life-sized paintings of black people in empowered, classical depictions. These were friends, relatives and strangers, originally from his hometown of Philadelphia, that communicated a new assertiveness and pride among black Americans.

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Chilean Arpilleras: The Power of Anonymity

Art & Real Life, Art + Art history, Art + Caregiving, Art + Faith /

Arpilleras, produced in Chile between 1974-1989, are artworks made from appliqué or embroidery on a background of sackcloth that tell stories about one of the darkest times in Chilean history;  the military dictatorship led by General Augusto Pinochet from 1973 to 1990. The regime’s political policies led to economic inequality, a crisis of healthcare, and

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