The Pop-Up Art Exhibit Celebrating Black Hair

Elizabeth Austin-Davis and Alisha Brooks are reminding Black women of the beauty of their hair with a pop-up museum tour around the country.

With Davis being a world renowned photographer and Brooks’ background in visual artistry the two thought of an installation idea celebrating Black women and the crowns we may forget are on our heads. "I think we were at a conference and [Liz] was telling me that she wanted to do a passion project with her photography centered around Black women and their experiences,” said Brooks. “Me, being a visual artist, I thought it’d be cool if we turned it into an interactive exhibit and created different installations to represent the experience of Black women and our hair." Thus came, The Black Hair Experience (November, 2020).

With shopping mall stores and museums popping up dedicated to capturing your selfie of the century, none of them are doing it quite like this one. “Selfie museums have been on the rise over the years but there really wasn’t one created that celebrated our experiences” Elizabeth Austin-Davis told Fox 5 news. “We want to reinforce the message that all black hair is beautiful. It’s not just about natural hair, relaxed hair, if you’re loc’d bald. This experience was created for you.” The vibrant themed experiences take you to a different place in time with each rooms exhibit pairing nostalgic moments of our culture with affirmations of self-love. One visitors Instagram post shows an “I AM THE MAGIC“ kaleidoscope dream, another, a golden archway of a repeated “MY HAIR IS BEAUTIFUL.”

“We’re hoping that we can help normalize black hair and our experiences so that it doesn’t have to be a political topic or statements like this don’t have to be made. The Black Hair Experience is definitely more than just a selfie museum. We focus on that self-love aspect. Our goal is for you to be able to leave the space feeling empowered about yourself and knowing that

no matter what choice you make with your hair,

you

are

beautiful.

Visit one of their three locations in Dallas, Washington D.C. and Atlanta. General Admission tickets are $28. For tickets and more information visit their website. Get your tickets soon as tickets are limited due to COVID-19. No more than 15 tickets available to purchase for each time slot. Hand sanitizing stations on-site, temperature checks upon entry, and an established social distancing and mask-wearing policy are implemented.