Chicago-based artist Ebony G. Patterson received the 2023 Driskell Prize at the High Museum in recognition of her contributions to African American art. Originally from Jamaica, Patterson is known for her bold, seductive colors and materials and her maximalist approach. Her mixed media works are layered with sequins, fabric, costume jewelry, artificial flowers, beads and other ephemera that turn ubiquitous, commonplace objects into potent memorials and celebrations.
Her 2016 installation “...they were just hanging out” is a complex interplay of joyous celebration and plangent memorial that addresses a cultural fear of youth, called ephebiphobia. That fear is especially damaging to Black children whose childhood and innocence are stripped away by fear and racism.
