Michael Coppage
My work takes a dialectical behavioral approach to addressing culturally normalized racial experiences that perpetuate historical trauma in contemporary America. Using an evidenced-based, Dialectical Behavioral Therapeutic model (DBT), I use words like “monkey” and “black”, both steeped in racial connotation and create works that offer counter narratives, new definitions and safe spaces for conversations that lead to increased empathy and understanding, increased insight, public engagement and community impact. Simultaneously, my work gives an equitable share of the Black trauma experience to our white counterparts so that they can share the responsibility of doing the work that most of us have been doing alone for so long. Equity, Inclusion and Diversity conversations are a ubiquitous part of the American experience and I use my work to not only access white spaces but to pull my white counterparts into Black spaces taking a holistic approach to the DEI model. My images are generalized to provoke the viewer to project their own thoughts, feelings and bias onto the work creating the impetus for discussion.
“Only through discussion can we find a middle ground that may lead to an amicable solution.”
-Michael Coppage
Michael Coppage is a conceptual artist using an interdisciplinary, dialectical approach to address social issues surrounding race and language. Originally from Chicago, He has lived and worked in Cincinnati since 2007. Coppage is the three-time recipient of Artswave’s Truth and Reconciliation grant, Ohio Pretrial Justice grant, and received Awesome Foundation grants in New York and Philadelphia. He completed a TEDx Talk titled “Everybody’s Racist….and it’s O.K” and he gained international attention with his recent project “BLACK BOX” : a community impact project aimed at demystifying black men and creating authentic experiences that replaces bias and preconceived notions related to the term “Black” This series was exhibited around the country, Puerto Rico and at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 21c Museum Hotel, Medici Museum, Ohio Arts Councils Riffe Gallery and the ArtCrawl Harlem on Governors Island to name a few. Coppage has gained some attention recently with a body of work entitled “American+” after depicting white Americans as monkeys in his paintings. He has several collaborative pieces set for completion this year and also released a podcast on Spotify appropriately titled Black Box as part of his recent series.