As a Nashville based POC (person of color) artist, Ashley Doggett actively explores themes of religion, race, gender, and dissociation by citing historical narratives and practices, while re-contextualizing them in a contemporary mode of working. She asserts that she has made it her "personal responsibility" to give credence to the experiences of her people while being conscious of the histories that have defined the world as she knows it, both past and present.
From Ashley: "History in its most primordial form to the moments I experience in the present day often co-mingle in a strong conversation with one another in my work through my identity as a queer person of color addressing topics that affect the African American community to how I engage these factors and ideologies in a direct conversation with the contemporary art world. I look to the past as a foundation, be it through citing traditional art-making skills or re-configuring them to engage in a staunch discourse with the world I live in."
Mercy, ingenuity, nuance, complex truths, guts and honor still matter! Join us in proclaiming so by purchasing, or giving the gift of, The New Engagement in print.
"You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive."
~ James Baldwin
Help us spread the ethos of compassion and understanding by joining our social media networks and sharing generously!
Flash Fiction Contest
On May 1st, we announced the winners of our Flash Fiction Contest: Thomas Garcia (1st), Rick Krizman (2nd), and Rios de la Luz (3rd). Read more.
The James Baldwin Literature Prize
It is with great pleasure that we announce the winner of The James Baldwin Literature Prize of $1,000 to Hafsa Musa. Read more.
The New Engagement endeavors a novel approach to discovering, introducing, and showcasing writers, artists, and filmmakers, by providing them digital and print platforms, while encouraging and supporting their social-consciousness.