Andromeda The Milky Way (2024)
- Partners for Historical Justice
- Jan 16
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 21
Title
Andromeda The Milky Way (2024)
Artist
Rae Akino
Location
Capital Hill Boys Club Intergenerational Gallery, 16th and Marion Barry Ave, SE, Washington DC
On the Capital Hill Boys Club, see
Visual description
Emerging out of a purple background with African geometric symbols is the face and written name of the noted, locally raised musician and poet Meshell Ndegeocello.
Most of her face is within a central yellow circle, on which are seen the outline of the US Capitol buildings and other downtown governmental buildings, including perhaps the US Supreme Court, and the US flag.
An insert in the lower left shows the musical artist, her head leaning back, playing her famous electric bass.
Background
The mural honors Grammy-winning poet and musical artist Meshell Ndegeocello ( Michelle Lynn Johnson; Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur), who came of age in Southeast DC and who has self-identified as lesbian/queer. The mural is part of the LGBTQ+ section of the CHBC outdoor art gallery, painted on the planks of an outer fence.
The mural’s background may be drawn from the Adinkra symbols of the Akan people of West Africa, often found on textiles, with the name of the singer-songwriter embedded in the lower left. Meshell’s face is highlighted by a yellow circle, in which we see the African geometric patterns transform into the shapes of the US Capitol, and perhaps the Supreme Court and the American flag.
The work’s title “Andromeda the Milky Way” honors Ndegeocello’s well known musical composition, Andromeda & the Milky Way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzKXLtA2gqk
The lyrics include the lines: “Take me down to your river/I wanna get free with you…this Love/Is written in the stars/Meant to be/ Forever, forever.” Perhaps the title alludes to the fact that our own galaxy, the Milky Way, and the nearest galaxy to us, Andromeda, are headed to collide and merge with one another in about 4 billion years. The river in the song likely references the Anacostia River, near the neighborhood she grew up in, as well as the river of stars that stretches across the firmament.
Interpretive note
The yellow spotlight, which highlights sites of power in the core Federal areas of Washington DC, up against Meshell’s face, might be regarded as illustrative of themes of double consciousness as articulated by WEB DuBois; growing up in Ward 8, just across the River from the Federal center, the artist, like so many Black and Brown people in the community, experiences the “two-ness’ of being both part of the dominant social universe, yet outside of it at the same time. In contrast, the purple zones of the painting evoke much more the internal world of the community and its creative spaces of exploration and celebration, outside of the dominant centers of historically white power and prestige.
Prompts for Closer Looking
Why has the artist chosen to depict the background of the image in purple, including the section in which Meshell is playing the electric bass? Does the color purple somehow fit with her musical style, which could be described as blues-adjacent? Might purple signal her work as a cover artist for Prince, known for his soundtrack album and film Purple Rain?
What “work” is done by the yellow circle in the center of the image, partially illuminating the face of the musical artist, and also showing the buildings of downtown Washington DC? Is this like a spotlight at a concert? Is it like a sun radiating from the intensity of Meshell’s poetry and music?
How is the DC skyline in his work like or unlike the mural on Howard Street in front of the Thurgood Marshall Academy. Do these skylines emphasize the proximity and distance of the historic halls of (white) national power in the city to Anacostia?
How has the artist chosen to depict Meshell’s right hand, playing the instrument? Is it fading into instability or perhaps transforming into the claw of a bird, honoring her chosen KiSwahili name, which she translates as “Free as a Bird”?
Meshell proudly celebrates themes of lesbian love and passion in her music. To your eyes, do any elements of the painting evoke the erotic or romantic energies of love between women?
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