Visual Art | Jemima Joel site

My Visual Art Portfolio

my growing art portfolio of my paintings, installations, and programs

Works from Time of the Tignon | The Front Gallery | June 2025

This series is a collection of black folk art that explores different narratives of the African diaspora, enslaved and freed during the French (1718-1763) and Spanish Colonialism (1763-1803) period in New Orleans. During the Spanish colonialism period, the Tignon edict was put into place for three reasons: to decrease the plaçage system, to differentiate a slave class, and to oppress hair expression. In 1786, this informal law had the intention to keep black women, freed and enslaved, visually silent. Hair expression brought on the fear that the presence of free black women appeared too closely to white women, disrupting social order. Their beauty through hair expression was seen as a threat to white women when it came to white men involving themselves in plaçage.Free and enslaved women had to wrap their heads to be seen as the “slave class” because of their covered hair and brown skin. But, freed women were able to create an idea of luxury and style within their wraps as an act of resistance, that enslaved women were not able to access as rapidly. Free women wrapped their tignons high, wrapped in intricate ties, jewels, and flowers. Tignons created a new style and fashion in New Orleans, that is still practiced today.

Treme In Mystic Living Color 15x32 in, acrylic on wood, 2025

This piece is created after a day at Carnival this year, witnessing the Mystic Seven Sisters, led by Voodoo Queen Kalindah Laveaux. The purple folk are meant to represent how colorful I felt after spending Carnival morning being blessed in the streets by the men and women singing and playing their drums. This piece is made to honor this group and recognize this group for their works in keeping historical traditions alive in the Treme.

Fashion Mama: Trouting 18x18in, acrylic on wood, 2024

This is a three act storytelling piece that depicts an imaginative scene that caused the 1786 Tignon law in which free black women had to cover their natural hair. In “Trouting, ” the leading free woman is seen walking down the street carrying rice calas to sell at the French Market. The white woman is offended at how intrigued her husband is by her hair.

Take Me to the River: Troubled Dream 14x16 in, acrylic on wood, 2025

Take Me To The River is a three act storytelling piece that tells the story of enslaved women committing infanticide. The child was created due to sexual violence hinted by the appearance of the child in the second act. Many times the white social order misunderstood infanticide as an act of insanity. In “Troubled Dream” it shows a dream in which the woman goes to get an abortion using turpentine instead of carrying the child full term. The turpentine is being sold and administered in the tea by a free woman of color selling tea and spices at the French market.

Kitchen Rebellion 12x16 in, acrylic on wood, 2024

Some rebellions of enslaved people’s doing were planned in kitchens. Kitchens were a space that were communal, and wouldn’t be suspicious to white enslavers if many people were gathered within it. The two characters in dialogue are having a disagreement on strategy. While the character in the corner is writing, a skill that was dangerous and illegal for those who were enslaved because of the fear of organized rebellion. I wanted to make the protagonist in the image of myself, a young black woman being essential and instrumental to rebellion.

Separated Labor

Separated Labor is inspired by the adversity in the lives of enslaved wet nurses. Wealthy white women who participated in domestic enslavement, would measure up their births with births of enslaved women so that there would be women to nurse their babies. In some regions they would even separate the facilitation of the labor, but it's still coming from the same woman. These piece points out the hypocrisy of this practice.

You Forgot This

You Forgot This is an imaginative depiction of black family and friends celebrating together after the Zulu Parade on Mardi Gras day in the 19th century. The Zulu Parade can be seen as a time for Black New Orleanians to gather, celebrate, and show their pride for their culture. But after the Zulu Parade, the Rex parade rolls and I began to see that my black friends in today’s culture had a strong aversion to staying for the Rex Parade. Thoughts and attitudes to the “so called main attraction” changes. I later found out that Black New Orleanians don’t like Rex because it looks like colorful KKK masks. The parade makes them and their history of being underserved feel disregarded. So they redirect their energy to enjoying one another’s company, birthing independent DJ’s, gatherings, family tents, and casually walking through the streets to see each other. In this piece, the black woman in the gallery is standing outside of her home in the Garden District, a wealthy neighborhood for white families and she is dangling a Rex masking.

Forbidden Love: Loving

Forbidden Love is a three act painting that tells the story of the plaçage system and colorism in the black community for males. The role color has played and still plays in social mobility and life ease, many times has an effect on choices in love. In “Love,” the two are seen visiting each other in admiration. The main woman is in love with a dark skin free black man.

Stills from the Time of the Tignon, multimedia installation. Paintings and my personal collection of scarves, tignons, and mannequin heads wrapped in scarves. I also had a Tignon Talk, sharing community stories. As well as a lecture by Dr. Camille Dantzler.

Works from Getting to Higher Education: Come Hell or Highwater | The Front Gallery | April 2026

These paintings and corresponding exhibit were created to highlight a shocking decision I learned about that occurred in 1900, when the New Orleans School Board decided that black children could only attend public education up to the fifth grade. The board decided to eliminate grades 6, 7, and 8. We infer that the decision was created to limit access to education for black children with the intention to keep black children bound to domestic and agricultural roles in service to white America. This decision, enacted after the Reconstruction period, symbolizes a time in which Jim Crow laws began to gain control in the states after the establishment of measures to promote a more equitable society following the abolition of slavery. Judy is a fictional character living through a real detrimental and under-told historical event in Southern American history. Judy’s story begins in 1900, when she is learning Arithmetic in Ms. Mildred’s 5th-grade class.Through Judy’s story, we will explore the adversity a black child’s life would have experienced once this decision of the school board had been made, transforming a life receiving an education to having no opportunity to. Has this system decided Judy’s fate for her? Let’s see what happens to Judy in this story. Schools seen in this piece are fictional. The Daily Picayune newspaper is sourced from NewsBank, online.

Stills from Getting to Higher Education: Come Hell or Highwater. Multimedia installation, vintage student desk, children's books, classroom material, school fashion, mural, archival display, etc. Sourced from Newsbank Inc, online database. Discovered in an article from the United Teachers of New Orleans.

The Story of Judy, Scene 1 acrylic on wood, 18 x 24 in, acrylic on wood, 2025-26

In Scene 1, we meet Judy in school, a bright and engaged student. Students are either working or the two in the back, fondling.

The Story of Judy, Scene 2 acrylic on wood, 18 x 24 in, acrylic on wood, 2025-26

At home, we see Judy in her homelife. But her parents are arguing. What about? They are arguing about Judy’s ability to attend school. Her mother advocates for her to attend school. But her father argues she should be going to work with her mother as a maid. In Judy’s fathers world, children must start working to bring money into the home. Who knows? Judy’s father may have received only a 3rd grade education or none at all. But Judy is living a new school life, education is something to go out and get! And to be valued over childhood labor.

The Story of Judy, Scene 3 acrylic on wood, 18 x 24 in, acrylic on wood, 2025-26

Ms. Mildred reads the news of the decision to her 5th-grade class. Students appear to look saddened and disappointed, but notably not surprised. While watching The Learning Tree, a film by Gordon Parks about Jim Crow Laws in the midwest. I noticed how children experienced much trauma, but couldn’t bear to cry at times. These events sadly were a general part of life. This newspaper is a rephrased version of the real Daily Picayune, rephrasing important language from the real article.

Battle of the Skirts: Hike em Up

Battle of the Skirts: Hike em Up is a piece dedicated to all the girls who wore skirts in high school. It's for the girls who loved to roll them up, hem them, and for the girls who didn’t want to roll them or felt pressure to roll them. I wore skirts to Sophie B. Wright Charter School and rolled my skirts because if I didn’t I would be teased and called a “grandma.” I wore mine a tad bit above the knee and was satisfied. Some girls rolled them up to their butts; I admired the rebel. I remember the principal came around every once and a while with rulers to reinforce the rules of no rolled or hemmed skirts, but you can’t monitor what every girl does when she flies out of the house to school in the morning. By the next, skirts would be back rolled.

This is a reimagining of a photo I found while researching yearbooks in the archives at the New Orleans Public Library from St Mary’s Academy (1940). I was thinking about creating this piece, but I didn’t know whether or not it was appropriate. One day, I was talking with one of my elders about the show I was making and I asked her if they rolled their skirts in her day. And she said yes of course. So I assumed, once again, nothing new under the sun. The rolling of skirts didn’t start with my generation and probably not hers either; it’s a tradition for women in New Orleans. In this image, the self proclaimed leader of the group to the right has her skirt rolled up and is telling the other girls to roll them up before they go inside to school. The girl on the left is rolling her skirt and the girl in the middle is rolling her eyes and resisting.

Walking to Leland

This piece is called Crushing on College Boys. It tells the story of another fictional girl being admitted to a real-life university circa 1910, called Leland University, but she is only in high school. Before Mc Donough 35, opening in 1917, there weren't many places for black folks to go to high school at this time. Here this girl was more privileged; her parents were able to pay tuition. So they are sending her to Leland University to get a high school education. During her time at school she finds herself crushing on the college boys walking down the hall on Valentine’s day.

Crushing on College Boys

This piece is called Crushing on College Boys. It tells the story of a fictional girl being admitted to a real-life university circa 1910, called Leland University, but she is only in high school. Before Mc Donough 35, opening in 1917, there weren’t many places for black folks to go to high school at this time. Here this character was more privileged; her parents were able to pay tuition. So they are sending her to Leland University to get a high school education. During her time at school she finds herself crushing on the college boys walking down the hall on Valentine’s day.

A Walkthrough of the physical exhibition