Mystic Seaport exhibit opens today!

The wonderful Mystic Seaport exhibit opens today! Restoring a Past, Charting a Future. I hope you will stop by Mystic Seaport to see my work along with 23 other artists!-Danielle

Day 21 and 22: Rope and Chain

Day 20: Symbols of Slavery

Day 18 and 19: The Chains Of Slavery II

Day 17: The Chains Of Slavery

Day 16: Breaking The Chains

The Charles W. Morgan breaking the chains of slavery.

Day 15: African-Americans Building The Economy

Despite racism at that time African-Americans helped build America with the whaling industry.

Day 14: Slavery and The Economy

Slavery became the backbone of the New World's agricultural economy.

Day 13: Frederick Douglass

In 1838 Frederick Douglass escaped to freedom using a borrowed sailors protection certificate! Very often black seamen used their free papers and sailor protection documents to help runway slaves. Tell me that's not amazing!

Day 12: A Ship

Many slaves were helped by men at sea. One maritime historian noted, "The Underground Railroad was virtually a ship."

Day 11: Helping Other Slaves

Once free some fugitive slaves wanted to help other slaves escape so they joined the ranks with the sailors who were abolitionists. An abolitionist was a person who wanted to end slavery and in the 1830's they began to speak out in public against it. 

Day 10: The Underground Railroad

The Charles W. Morgan ship is possibly linked with runway slaves. The Morgan may have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. There is no definite proof but a possible theory. That to me is exciting enough!

Museum Of African American History

Yesterday my family and I went to the Museum of African-American History in Detroit. I was completely fascinated by an exhibit they had called, "And Still We Rise."  I have never been blow away by such an amazing exhibit in all my life! I feel like I could make an entire career out of it with my art.  It told the story and journey of African-Americans from the very beginning of time.  It began with the story of how humans evolved from one single woman in Africa and ended with the election of President Barack Obama. To see the years of struggle,  the oppression and formation of a new culture was amazing to me. My brain was overstimulated. At one point in the exhibit we were able to walk through a recreated slave ship and experience the dark belly of the ship.  I have to say it was extremely creepy and I could feel the chills go up my spin.  I felt the same when I saw the shackles, and the examples of the whips they used to beat slaves. Sadness took over and I was almost in tears. I sat there wondering if I could have had the strength to make it through the Middle Passage journey.  I often think about this if I feel myself complaining that life is so hard. Some voyages took up to two months or longer.

During the next few weeks I will make a few more posts about my visit to the museum and post drawings from a project I am working on. I'm hoping to go back in about a week to do a few more drawings and finish a project I started. If you live in Detroit I suggest you take a visit. It is truly amazing!

Slave girl defeathering a chicken

Day 9: The Morgan In Color

Day 8: The Shipyard

My Ellis Island

A few years ago I took a video class with the Dalvero Academy in Brooklyn, NY.  The class was both amazing and rewarding. It made me remember how much I loved putting together  little movies.  One week we visited Ellis Island which holds a very special place to me because my great- grandmother immigrated to American from Jamaica through Ellis Island as well as my grandmother.  From that class I put together a short film about my grandmother's immigration seen through the perspective of her eyes. I hope you enjoy it and I would love to hear your feedback! -Danielle

Storyboard for My Ellis Island

Day 7: The Blacksmith

Day 6: The Blacksmith Shop

Day 5: The African Morgan

Day 4: Equality aboard the Morgan

To see additional Mystic Seaport drawings from members of Dalvero Mystic Exhibit that I am apart of, Restoring a Past, Charting a Future, check out these amazing blogs!

Alexander Charner

http://drawnback.squarespace.com/

Rosa Lee 

http://eyeimagine-rosa.blogspot.com/

SiYeon Lee 

http://siyeonlee.blogspot.com/

Julia Sverchuk 

http://juliaidrawings.blogspot.com/

Evan Turk

http://evanturk.blogspot.com/

Veronica Lawlor

http://www.veronicalawlor.com/ 

Day 3: Mystic Thumbnails

Check out a few thumbnails that I did while on location at Mystic Seaport!

Day 2: The Morgan

Here is another drawing of the Morgan, the last wooden whaling ship!

Be sure to check out my interview with The 1104 Studio on our blog Illustrators for Hope! Read about our new project about Mother Clara Hale!-Danielle

Restoring a Past, Charting a Future

Oh April 28th I will be exhibiting work along with the Dalvero Academy at Mystic Seaport for a show entitled, Restoring a Past, Charting a Future. I am pretty excited to be apart of this wondering exhibit.

I will follow along with fellow Dalvero members Alexander Charner,  Julia Sverchuk, Siyeon Lee and Evan Turk by posting additional pieces of art that did not make it into the show! Be sure to check out their wonderful blogs as well! Below are drawings I did of the last whaling ship called, The Morgan,  located at Mystic Seaport, CT.

Too see what my project is about and to view the other amazing 23 artists in this show check out our website!

The 1104 Studio

Many of you may not know that I am apart of a wonderful illustration group called, The 1104 Studio. It consist of illustrators Sara Dilliplane, Rosa Lee and myself.  Recently we have been working on a project about Mother Clara Hale. Read our press release below and feel free to come over to our blog and facebook page! We would love to hear from you! Thank you!-Danielle


http://illustratorsforhope.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/the1104studio

PRESS RELEASE:

We would like to announce our official relaunch with an exciting new project we are working on together.

We recently had the opportunity to apply for the MTA's call for artists for Harlem's Mother Clara Hale Bus Depot rebuilding venture. This project inspired an exciting new direction for our studio that incorporates our passion for art and also for social change and community involvement. We are interested in how art can be used to inspire a change in how a particular issue- whether social, environmental, or political--is viewed and talked about. We are looking for that moment in creating our art when one idea or perception can shift to another, starting a conversation and the potential for real, positive change.

Our studio has been in a frenzy of painting, drawing, and experimenting the last few weeks and we are pleased to show you the initial results: a mural, stamps, posters, storyboards, and textiles which grew out of our MTA submission. And there is more to come! 

Mother Clara Hale Mural

Being an Artist!

Read why illustrator Danielle C. McManus decided to become an artist. It's pretty interesting!
http://illustratorsforhope.blogspot.com/

In the meantime check out these amazing textile designs she has done!

Mother Clara Hale

Read my interview on The 1104 Studio blog! I will be featured all week talking about our wonderful illustration project about Mother Clara Hale!  http://illustratorsforhope.blogspot.com/


Be sure to check out and join our facebook page as well! http://www.facebook.com/the1104studio