On June 1, The Bottom is opening an exhibition titled “The Bottom: Stories from the Neighborhood” at the UT Downtown Gallery. The Bottom is partnering with Good Black Art, a company that strives to incorporate Black creativity and discovery of their history through art. Representing the University of Tennessee as an alum with a Ph.D. in sociology, Enkeshi El-Amin is the founder of The Bottom.
Ty Murray, the director of art and communications for The Bottom, spoke more about what the exhibition entails.
“The exhibition presents both familiar and imaginative interpretations by two Southern artists through a dialogue of folklore and futurism, drawing from oral histories of former residents and archival sources from The Bottom,” Murray said.
The Bottom’s story takes place in East Tennessee after a thriving Black neighborhood was demolished due to urban redevelopment in the mid-1900s. El-Amin is a sociologist who examines Black neighborhoods and how these areas are impacted by place justice. Following the destruction, El-Amin questioned the residents’ reactions to the incident: They were all left with a sense of hopelessness and neglect.
After witnessing the demolition of the neighborhood and how it impacted the Black community, El-Amin was inspired to do more than just a research study. This led to the creation of The Bottom and its storyline.
“What initially started with a youth sewing and entrepreneurial program in 2019 has grown into a hub of Black culture and togetherness,” Murray said. “With the support of our community, our space has grown to house an independent bookshop, tea room, podcast studio and an expanded creative studio.”
Having a nice and safe environment is vital. Thanks to The Bottom, the Black community can thrive in creativity while working in a comforting coffee shop. The Bottom has several goals aside from just increasing Black innovation and empowerment.
“We seek to increase not only the visibility but also the understanding of issues that affect Knoxville’s Black communities,” Murray said. “In addition to increasing this sociological awareness, we seek to increase the amount and quality of opportunities that our community has access to.”
Good Black Art is an LGTBQ+ and Black-owned company based in New York and was founded in 2012 by Phillip Collins from Kingsport, Tennessee. Collins received a bachelor of arts from Elon University in international marketing. With this education, Collins has become an art collector of talented Black artists around the globe and introduces these art pieces to the latest brands and markets.
Art is powerful in numerous ways. It is expressive no matter what the message is. For Collins, art that is crafted with a powerful message like Black empowerment takes him back to his youth. Through his experiences of racism and homophobia earlier in his life, the art made today speaks to him.
“Now, I am grateful for the opportunity to carve out a space and create a means of communication for that young boy in Kingsport and, more significantly, for the many individuals in Knoxville who may not be aware of the cultural richness of The Bottom community,” Collins said.
The original artwork to be seen at the exhibition June 1 is by two Southern artists, Erin LeAnn Mitchell and Ahmad George. George is a multimedia artist who also specializes in painting. He obtained his bachelor of fine arts from Memphis College of Art in design and illustration.
Mitchell is a unique textile artist who uses various materials and objects to tell her stories. She gained her experience from receiving a bachelor of fine arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a master of arts in art education from Columbia College Chicago. Collins spoke about Mitchell’s reasoning behind using textile art.
“These multidimensional assemblages render the realities of Southern Blackness into radical new imaginings,” Collins said.
Good Black Art is unique in that the company allows any Black artist to be a part of its journey no matter what type of artist they are or their skill level. Good Black Art is designed to have its community judge which pieces are most adequate.
“Instead, our mission is to provide a platform with a diverse group of artists, giving them the opportunity to share their stories from their unique viewpoints on their own terms,” Collins said.
East Tennessee strives to rebuild what was lost back in 1950 and aims for a greater future. Attending the exhibition is a great way to explore some of the stories behind East Tennessee.
