Field of Lily's 'Little Black Girl Memoir' is a vibrant and thought-provoking exhibition that explores the experiences of artist Lily, a young black girl growing up in North Omaha. Lily reimagines her childhood memories, challenging notions of community, beauty, pain, and identity. The exhibition features mental photographs recreated to 3-dimensional paintings and sculptures, intricately crafted from materials like wood, leaves, sand, and fabric to give its depth of symbolic meaning.
Included are sculptures of Nonverbal Communication Studies series that explores the psychology of understanding human nature, communication, and creating connections between the viewer and art. Alongside of these, Lily presents a new collection of sculptures that embodies her childhood understanding of beauty as a journey of self-discovery. These sculptures speak to the ways in which societal expectations of beauty can shape our experiences, even as a young girl navigating the world around us.
Through this exhibition, Lily offers a nuanced exploration of the complexities of growing up black and female in America, revisiting her childhood memories and challenging traditional notions of beauty through her adult lens. This work, imbued with a sense of nostalgia and hope, invites viewers to reflect on the beauty and resilience of childhood.
Lily Stennis Vinson, a contemporary multidisciplinary artist born and raised in North Omaha, is a 2023 University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate, with a BFA in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Ceramics. Growing up shy in her adolescence, Lily’s hands gave her a voice which allowed her to create visual representations of her words; bringing them to life. Art has been Lily’s passion at the age of six when she began drawing. She explored multiple mediums over the years which were and is currently sculpture, ceramics, painting, and fashion. Her senior year of college she was awarded the Gomez art award for best Capstone Show Artist. Recently ending 2024 as one of the 19th annual Omaha Entertainment and Arts Award nominee for 3 categories: Outstanding emerging artist, 3D Artist, and Solo Show. She currently works within the Omaha Hot Shops Community where she makes Afrocentric 3D paintings & ceramic sculptures. She is also a style consultant and owner of Li La LéV Boutique. The art created by Lily is where the art of fashion styling and dressing a room is custom to clientele vision. In 2024 she has curated 3 shows in North Omaha community for emerging artists including her own 1st solo show “Afro Expressions” and contributed to 8 shows total within Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska.
Her sculptural work, regardless of the medium, serves as a powerful expression of her truth as an African American woman. She builds connections with nature, people, and the spiritual world by incorporating texture, abstract forms, and cultural patterns. Figurative language, poetry, and jazz are integral to her creative process, much like an author uses illustration to bring words to life. Her 3D paintings are accompanied by a unique poem, serving as its identifier and titled separately from the artwork itself. Raw materials like hair, leaves, and sawdust are thoughtfully incorporated to personify them as well. The majority of her sculptural work is crafted from earthenware and stoneware clay, where she employs a range of techniques to build intricate surface textures. She emphasizes body features and symbolizes specific characteristics through carving, scratching, and smoothing; imbuing each sculpture with depth and meaning.
Lily's Website