Durham-based American artist Stacy Lynn Waddell, born in Washington, DC in 1966, creates images by literally burning them into paper, then pairing the scorched surface with reflective metal leaf. In this self-portrait, she uses a branding or wood-burning tool to create her own likeness on the sheet, evoking the histories of scarification, labor, and racialized marking on Black bodies while also claiming her image with exquisite care. She depicts herself as a Black woman seen from the chest up, turned slightly to meet our gaze head-on. Her close-cropped hair and smooth scalp rise into the upper edge of the paper, rendered as dense, looping burn marks that ripple like fingerprints across her skin. Dark, carefully scorched lines form arched brows, heavy-lidded eyes, and a soft, knowing almost-smile. Her face and neck are modeled with layered, swirling strokes that suggest both tenderness and strength. A simple necklace and angular earrings rest against a broad shoulder, while the silver, metallic background catches light, framing her head like a luminous, modern halo. The silver leaf behind her suggests both a mirror and a precious metal, linking everyday self-regard to art history’s long tradition of gilded icons and portraiture. Acquired by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University as part of its initiative to build a contemporary collection centered on artists historically underrepresented in major museums, the portrait has appeared in exhibitions such as “People Get Ready” and the virtual show “Graphic Pull.” Made more than a decade into her professional practice, the work marks a moment of artistic arrival as Waddell presents herself as steady, unflinching, and fully present within the museum space. Her innovative use of nontraditional materials has become central to contemporary conversations about Black feminist representation, the American South, and who is invited to see themselves reflected in art institutions.

“Self Portrait (Silver and Burned)” by Stacy Lynn Waddell (American) - Burned paper with composition aluminum leaf / 2017 - Nasher Museum of Art (Durham, North Carolina) #WomenInArt #StacyLynnWaddell #Waddell #selfportrait #art #artText #arte #WomensArt #WomanArtist #WomenArtists #NasherMuseum #Duke

Visiting lovely #NasherMuseum of Art at #DukeUniversity 🫶

#art #museum #NorthCaroline

The portrait and genre-scene painter Archibald Motley Jr. made a series of three works that portray African American women based on their Creole racial classifications, including The Octoroon Girl, the most famous, as well as A Mulatress (1924) and The Quadroon (1927). The sitter in The Octoroon Girl, as in the sister paintings, remains nameless. She is only identified by her race, which is one-eighth Black which is the reference for the title. She is an elegant young woman seated on a sofa against a maroon wall. Drawing on his academic training, Motley here creates a perfectly balanced composition. The sitter, off center, stares directly at the viewer, offset by the gold frame in the upper left and the table with books on the lower right. Motley demonstrates his mastery of texture in his depiction of her stylish dress, hat, and leather gloves. Her clear, steady gaze conveys a sense of confidence, composure, and dignity. Her elegance, wealth, and privilege are also evidenced by her fine jewelry. Almost indistinguishable from any white American, this woman embodies the ideals of timeless beauty and elegance. Born into a mixed-race family, Motley was raised in New Orleans and Chicago and experienced firsthand how these complex classifications determined social status and privilege. Archibald Motley Jr., like so many artists during the Harlem Renaissance, wanted to create images that highlighted the fullness of the Black experience while drawing attention to issues facing the community. He accomplished this aim beautifully through this elegant portrait that brings race, gender, and class into conversation, while reflecting his own background within the nuanced system of racial identity practiced in New Orleans.

The Octoroon Girl by Archibald J. Motley Jr. (American) - Oil on canvas / 1925 - Nasher Museum of Art (Durham, North Carolina) #womeninart #nashermuseum #motley #portrait #painting #ArchibaldMotley #art #womensart #fineart #oilpainting #americanart #artwork #portraitofawoman #HarlemRenaissance

A print of white cops on the left and black civil rights activists on the right. A reflection of an Asian man in a green jacket is in the middle holding a phone.

Are you a participant or an observer?

"Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us Around" Hank Willis Thomas, 2015-2016. #NasherMuseum #CivilRights