Feb 9–Apr 24, 2021
Silver Eye Center for Photography
4808 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Due to the fatal COVID-19 virus, many people across the country have had to isolate and quarantine in their homes since early March 2020. Spending so much time alone and inside, away from our families and our communities, has had adverse effects on mental health. These lasting effects could ultimately lead to depression, substance abuse or self-harm. During these isolating times, trapped inside of our own individual silos, it is of paramount importance for all of us to find ways to take care of ourselves.
Self care is the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, particularly during periods of stress. These practices have been clinically proven to reduce stress, anxiety and depression, improve concentration, minimize frustration and anger, increase happiness, improve energy, and more. Self care practices are especially critical for Black women in the US, and specifically in Pittsburgh, where so many social and environmental factors present challenges to our physical and mental health, and well-being. We give so much of ourselves to others, and yet we often fail to focus on our own care and healing. But what does it look like when Black women are taking care of themselves?
Sibyls Shrine: Taking Care features a collection of images from Alisha Wormsley, Kahmeela Adams, Nakeya Brown, Tara Fay, Tsedaye Makonnen, and sarah huny young which highlight how some Black women in our local community are finding ways to demonstrate care towards and for themselves. There are many healthy ways of dealing with emotions, like writing, playing music, prayer, meditation, exercise, calling your mother, or being in nature. Each of the photographs featured in Sibyls Shrine: Taking Care present a practice of self care that is unique to the individual and their specific needs.
Self care could be taking a moment to tend to your physical appearance, like getting a well deserved mani-pedi, selecting a new style for yourself from one of the iconic hair posters at the beauty salon, or getting fully pampered with a beat face in a luxurious setting. It could also look like a more restorative process such as cleaning your house in an effort to clear your mind, establishing a routine vinyasa yoga practice, or simply making an effort to tune out all the noise, close your eyes and breathe deeply. Self care practices look different for everyone.
Sibyls Shrine: Taking Care presents a diverse collection of images by Black women that demonstrate self-care in a multitude of ways— in their own personal spaces, their homes, beauty salons, nail salons, and even at the laundromat. As Black women we must continue to practice taking care, preserving our health and centering our well-being in a world that doesn't prioritize us. What does self-care look like for you?
-- Jessica Gaynelle Moss, Curator
