12/18/2025
As we close out 2025, weโre centering empathy. Itโs been a heavy year for many, and art reminds us to slow down, look closer, and move through the world with greater care for one another.
In this edition of ๐ผ๐ง๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ก๐๐๐๐ฉ, we continue to celebrate artists who champion nontraditional mediums and expand the boundaries of the Black imaginationโand the art worldโlike Mississippi-born, Maryland-based artist Michael A. Booker ().
Working primarily with archival pen, Michael embraces a medium that demands patience, restraint, and intention. Through layered mark-making, vivid hues, and subtle symbolism, he explores Black interiority and personhood, inviting viewers to sit with complexity rather than rush to resolution.
That same care carries into how Michael renders the figure. Faces are often turned away or obscured, positioning hair as the primary mode of expression instead of facial cues. These choices reflect the empathy at the core of his practiceโrecognizing that not everything is immediately visible, and that understanding requires attention to what is quietly held.
Michaelโs drawings echo his belief that โyou never know what another person is going through.โ By asking viewers to consider how someone arrives at a particular moment, his work becomes an invitation to move with patience and compassionโtoward the figures on the page, and toward one another.
Film by Dantรฉ Maurice (
