Seasoned, 2018-2019, is a body of work that investigates the exploitation of Black people within the US Sports Entertainment industry--particularly the NCAA. With autobiography as a catalyst for these works, it is a vehicle that allows for a broader investigation surrounding the ideas of dehumanization, and the history of chattel slavery. This work was exhibited in the Lionel Rombach Gallery in 2019.
Dribble, Shoot (1 minute excerpt), 2017; Seasoned
Treadmill (one minute excerpt), 2018; two channel documentation; Seasoned
Seasoning.
For most people, this term refers to the act of using herbs, spices, and salts to enhance the flavor of a food or dish. It brings out aromas and richness that makes foods colorful and delectable—often reflective of specific regions of geography and cultures. Seasoning makes things tasty…easier to swallow.
“Seasoning” also made it easier for slave masters to control the African peoples—whom were stripped from their homelands—on the plantations that populated the New World. Seasoning began as soon as Africans set foot in the Americas after surviving the treacherous journey across the Atlantic Ocean. This was a process that psychologically altered the mindset of the African people; it was a process of dehumanization and conditioning.
This exhibition takes a critical look at the world of sports entertainment, and the role of the Black body within this context. The body of an athlete is used for profit; it is a money-maker for institutions including (but not limited to) collegiate and professional sports. Through her own experiences as an NCAA Division I athlete, photographic artist, Kennady Schneider, analyzes this institution through questions of race, representation, the spectacle, fetishization, and the exploitation of the Black athletic body.