Naomieh Jovin, a first-generation Haitian American, is a visual artist who works primarily in photography and photo collage. Born in 1995, Jovin received her B.F.A. from Moore College of Art and Design in 2017 and currently lives and works in Philadelphia. Her photograph, “First Communion,” is on display in the teaching gallery in the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum.
The Hawk: What inspires you as an artist?
Jovin: What inspires me in general is to know how things were, or how things became the way they are. The story of my family — and then more specifically, my mother — inspires me and drives my work. Most recently, I’ve been trying to understand African spirituality and understanding why we were raised to see Voodoo or anything outside of Western culture as bad or evil. It’s me trying to understand and learn and investigate the stories that I was told as a child.
The Hawk: Can you tell us a little bit about “First Communion?”
Jovin: After my parents passed away at a very young age, I had a lot of questions. There were so many people talking to me from so many different backgrounds, and the person who had the most say was my aunt who converted to Christianity. She gave [my siblings and me] an idea that we were cursed. The “First Communion” image was a reminder of that, how pure the photo looks but how traumatic religions in general have been to us as children and how young people are put in these positions, sometimes not by choice.
The Hawk: What does your process look like for making your signature photo collages?
Jovin: A lot of the images that I use are from family archives, and more specifically from my mother’s photo album. I look at the same album over and over and just ask questions. Who are they? What’s their story? Why did they send these photos to my mom? Sitting and looking is a big part of the process. Sitting, looking, thinking, asking questions. It’s not only looking through the albums, but talking with relatives and friends of my parents, trying to understand.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1992, Dara Haskins is a painter and multimedia artist. In 2017 she received her B.F.A. from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and she now lives and works in Philadelphia. Haskins’ piece “Ripe,” a painting in her “Taste” series, is on display in the teaching gallery in the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum as part of an exhibit titled “Black | Communion: Philadelphia Artists.”
The Hawk: Can you tell us about the story behind “Ripe?”
Haskins: My friend and I went to Puerto Rico and spent some time there for her birthday, and it’s a portrait of her. She was getting her hair done, and also being served coconut water, and it was really hot and beautiful. I decided to capture it in the space of self care, beautifulness … I guess you could say Black girl magic in some ways.
The Hawk: A signature of your work is its bright colors. What’s some of the symbolism behind color for you?
Haskins: Color is everything. Color is energy. Most of my color comes from Cuba. It has definitely inspired the “Taste” series. I use a lot of yellow. It can be a happy color. It also can inspire heat and vibration. In any type of painting, yellow is that spark that makes people light up a little bit.
The Hawk: What is the significance behind the cowrie shell, one of the recurring symbols across your pieces?
Haskins: The cowrie shell was the first currency. It means wealth. It means care. It means fertility. It’s a symbol of strength and fearlessness. And it’s also an ancestral connection for me, which is why I have cowrie shells tattooed on my chest. I decided to use the cowrie shell as a symbol to connect energy in any piece that I create.
The Hawk: What else do you want people to know about yourself as an artist or about your work?
Haskins: Well, I am in a residency right now. It’s called 12 Gates. I’m still continuing to work on the “Taste” series, with media, film and installation. I’m playing around. What’s the point if you don’t play, if you don’t discover new things, you know? I think it’s important to explore all avenues.
