The Professional and Other Works

Inspired by her father, portrait artist Charisa Dené Jacobs celebrates the expression of Black male identity through dressing professionally. Her solo exhibit, The Professional and Other Works, opens at the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition gallery at 9 E. Reconciliation Way on Fri., Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. as part of the Tulsa Art District’s First Friday art walk. The opening will last until 9 p.m. and will feature live music. Jacobs’ paintings in the show are portraits of imagined American Black men all dressed in timeless suits or western wear. The paintings are life-sized oil portraits that measure three feet by four feet. 

Jacobs describes herself as biracial, with a white mother and Black father. “Growing up, I would see my father wear tailored suits and beautiful dress shoes on a daily basis,” she said. Her hope for the show is to expand peoples’ ideas of what Black men look like. “The image of my father working in finance and wearing a suit has played a large role in shaping my personal understanding of the complexity of Black male identity. As a biracial woman, living in the in-between world, I hope to present a visual message that helps break societal stereotypes about racial identity and the professional world.” She has also been influenced by film noire and Sidney Poitier movies.

Jacobs teaches art at Tulsa Public School’s McLain High School and has daily opportunities to influence young Black men in her classroom. She’s heard students say that wearing a suit makes Black men seem like they’re trying to appear white—and she’s pushing back against that notion. “As a high school teacher, I want young Black men to know that in becoming a professional, they are not departing from their blackness, but embracing it,” she said. “I’m so lucky that my art practice feeds into my teaching practice,” she said. “I think of a black man carrying himself in a powerful way. Part of Black culture is looking fly and Black men love looking fly,” she said.

Jacobs has noticed a shift in her student’s attitudes towards their image and wants to encourage their exploration of style.  “When I was in high school, the guys didn’t care about getting their suits for prom. Now they get really excited about putting their look together,” she said. Dressing professionally is as personal as putting together other types of fits and can truly be a celebration of personal expression.

Follow Charisa Déne Jacobs at:

www.deneportraits.com

Facebook: @charica.daugherty.1

Instagram: @charisaiii/

LinkedIn: @charisa-dene-jacobs-6764371b7