From a conversation with Espi Frazier:
“It’s wonderful to be around other artists because they give you ideas that you wouldn’t ever think of,” Frazier says.
Another source of artist inspiration came during her time as a member of the Black Arts Guild (BAG) in Chicago. The Guild, founded by Turtel Onli in 1970, will celebrate a major anniversary next year. Frazier recalls that the Guild’s first studio space was located next to the iconic Operation PUSH! headquarters by Hyde Park, and offered an inspirational environment to work in.
An important artistic element that Frazier carries with her from her early years with BAG, is the recurring use of watermelon in her work. The watermelon is a tribute to the BAG logo, as the group sought to redefine a negative stereotype. It is red, black, and green— the symbolic colors of the Black Liberation movement— and the seeds within “continue life,” she adds. “People of African descent have to decide for themselves who they are.” The watermelon motif can be found in most of her solo works.
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