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From the Editor: On Micro-Community
With cover artist statement
February 6, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Nicholas Cardell Gore
On the very same day that Americans have, since 1986, set aside to honor the life, work, and memory of one of the greatest civil rights leaders of our time, we inaugurated a president who immediately got to work undermining much of the progress that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired into action. Petty, white colonialist moves like renaming Mt. Denali paired with ICE raids and mass deportations, elimination of DEI initiatives across the board, and the unsanctioned installation of an unelected billionaire, with his hands (and technology) all up in our social programs. It's terrifying, the speed with which all of these things are happening, and it is an affront to the American people, what we've built, and the safety nets we thought were secure.
February, whether the current administration likes it or not, is Black History Month. It is especially important now, more than ever, to lift up our Black neighbors, to learn Black history, to acknowledge America's role in its brutality and our responsibility to repair (as covered within, in Chloe Forbes' piece about racial segregation in Erie), to support Black-owned businesses (like BeBe Design House, in this month's Gem City Style) and Black artists (like Nicholas Cardell Gore, as featured on our cover). King once said, in a 1968 speech, "Always anchor our external direct action with the power of economic withdrawal."
And with economic withdrawal comes economic redirection. We have to continue to work to build Erie up to bravely be a place of refuge, support, encouragement, and fairness. Additionally, we have to look to micro-communities for individual spiritual and financial support. Micro-communities like Erie's thriving poetry scene (covered within by Liz Allen), Erie's diverse art scene (like Erie African Arts and FEED's February slate of events), and Erie's welcoming music, comedy, and theater scenes (like at PACA, Basement Transmissions, and Werner Books and Coffee, all within). Redirecting our dollars and energy away from oppressive, DEI-denying corporations, and more into our own micro-communities is a direct act of support and resistance.
Our cover artist this month, Nicholas Cardell Gore, captures the dichotomy of living in the world today in his striking piece, Saturn Devours His Sun. Although created during COVID, the juxtaposition of rage and optimism has never felt more relevant. Read more from him on this piece and his inspiration below. And hold on to hope, Erie. We've got a long road ahead.
Artist Bio*
Nicholas Cardell Gore is a self-taught mixed media artist raised and now living in Erie. After honorably serving in the US Navy for 12 years, he attended the Art Institute of Virginia Beach, majoring in Fashion Marketing and Retail Management. He rediscovered his passion for painting in 2020 and has been dedicated to the craft ever since. Nicholas' art was recently featured at Erie's Glass Growers Gallery, The 1020 Collective, and The Historical Institute of Culture and the African American Experience (HICAA), respectively. His art has also been showcased in galleries in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and various online media and literary publications.
Artist Statement
My artwork is the expression of my imagination and experiences as a Black man in America who's had the opportunity and privilege to travel the world. I use those experiences to form language and imagery to tell intimate and compelling personal stories and build space to explore emotions Black men are not always able to navigate or communicate. It's my mission in life to pay tribute and honor the depth and vibrancy of Black culture and it's history.
About Saturn Devours His Sun
I completed this piece in August 2021, months after recovering from a severe case of COVID which almost took my life during a historically destructive and deadly ice storm which occured in Texas. I lived in Houston, and my emotions and physical recovery were both at a strenuous and stressful breaking point to where art was my only medium to escape and heal. This piece, which was directly inspired by Francisco Goya's Saturn Devours His Son, allowed me to convey the pain, depression, yet optimism I had towards my health and personal future. Connecting with art gave me purpose and vision of what goals I wanted to achieve, and it's this memory I hold onto and drives me to this day.
Learn more about the artist and his work by visiting: nicholascardellgore.com
*an abbreviated version of this artist statement was printed in the February 2025 issue