In the midst of research for his course on African American art, Imo Nse Imeh stumbled across a British children’s book that included a racist slur in its title and racist stereotypes about Black people, particularly Black children.

Written in 1907 by British author Nora Case, the book, in the form of a nursery rhyme, tells the story of 10 young Black girls. With each page, another girl is eliminated, sometimes in a violent way.

“This is the kind of thing that existed and was celebrated,” said Imo Nse Imeh, the artist behind an art installation examining Black racial stereotypes at Greenfield Community College’s South Gallery. The exhibit runs through April 7.

During a presentation at GCC on Wednesday afternoon, the Nigerian American visual artist and associate professor at Westfield State University shared that while the art installation is a retelling of this children’s book, it also speaks broadly to the way in which Black bodies are used as a form of entertainment in the United States, both in the “over-emphasis of the qualities that make Black people beautiful” and the violence against them.

“I decided, at some point, to begin using my art to have these conversations around the history of these bodies,” he said.

The exhibit features a series of drawings of contemporary Black girls in various stages of danger, according to Imeh. The drawings touch on topics such as suicide, drug use and social media, for example, with each one aimed at reexamining the language, history and realities of ongoing racial subjugation in America as well as the “invisibility of young Black people.”

“Part of this project was discussing the universality of the danger of allowing children to be invisible,” he said. “It breaks my heart that Black and brown children tend to not have that attention placed on them. We don’t talk a lot about their invisibility in the United States, and that is terrifying to me.”

Though based on a story written in 1907, Imeh noted that various books and games have existed through time with the same (or similar) racist title that uses the N-word. He also pointed out the significance of the timing of his work — which began in 2015 and was finalized in 2016 — and the events that have transpired since then.

“You already know everything that has happened since 2016 and how exhausting this is,” he said.

Imeh hopes that through this exhibit — which has traveled to several universities with various iterations of its title — his art can continue to initiate conversations.

“I’m so happy GCC has welcomed the title … because this is the way the project is meant to be viewed, taking in all the nastiness around that title,” he said. “At the base of it is the question of whether the eradication of this word has eradicated the situation around the sentiment of the word. … I think we can all collectively agree that the sentiment around [the N-word] is still very prevalent.”

In a statement, GCC President Michelle Schutt said it was important to showcase the artwork prominently on campus, given how “race relations and perceptions of race in America are still fraught and tense topics.”

“We hope that in spite of a title that some may find offensive, the collection will help foster real conversations about race in America and, potentially, change,” Schutt said.

Choking back tears as his formal presentation came to a close on Wednesday, Imeh spoke directly to other artists in the room.

“I’m hoping this will inspire some of you to think about how you can be the difference you hope to see,” he said.

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.

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