As I recount the number of exhibits I've been offered during the month of February over the years, and the race themed show opportunities that seem to float my way annually, it makes me wonder. Just what is on display when black artists agree to participate in some exhibitions? Is the curator's intention to truly display the artist's work and ideas? Or are artists strategically chosen to illustrate an art institutions diversity initiative? How might I offer a creative dialogue about the role of the institution and the impact on the artist in such a race spectacle?

These questions fueled my work in, From Hip Hop to Coal Funk, a two-person exhibition with artist Phillip Robinson at the Indianapolis Art Center in April , 2005.