'Hairarchy' celebrates natural hair at Detroit's Norwest Gallery of Art

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Feb 12, 2020 at 4:00 pm
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click to enlarge 'Hairarchy' celebrates natural hair at Detroit's Norwest Gallery of Art
Courtesy of Norwest Gallery of Art

The natural hair movement is really having a moment.

On Sunday, the short film “Hair Love” took home an Oscar for best animated short. The adorable story of a Black father learning how to tame his little girl’s curls was written, directed, and produced by former pro football player Matthew A. Cherry, who said he made it “because we wanted to see more representation in animation, we wanted to normalize Black hair” when he accepted the award. He also took the time to shout out the CROWN Act, a law that bans discrimination based on hairstyles associated with race that has been signed into law in New York, New Jersey, and California. Recently, DeAndre Arnold, a senior at a Texas high school, made national headlines after he was suspended and told he could not walk at his graduation unless he cut his dreadlocks.

Hairarchy, a new show at Detroit’s Norwest Gallery of Art dedicated to exploring and celebrating natural hair, opened last week. Curated by Asia Hamilton, the show features works by Hamilton, Sabrina Nelson, Tanya Morris, Lebohang Motaung, Daja Milany, Stacie Monday, and others.

Artist talk from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15; Norwest Gallery of Art, 19556 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-293-7344; norwestgallery.com. Admission is free and open to the public. Runs through Saturday, Feb. 29.
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