Art Exhibition in Newark Is Bringing Back the Coined Phrase ‘Don’t Touch My Hair’
Artist Ayana Morris brings fresh art to the city during the Newark Art Festival Celebration, unveiling a safe space to experience hair and women empowerment.
By Rubi Capellan
“Don’t Touch My Hair,” a new art exhibition displayed in the heart of Newark, N.J., has given residents something to talk about and be proud of.
“It felt like my soul was being hugged. The artwork brought me back to the place where I embraced my hair,” Tahira, a licensed cosmetologist who attended the exhibit, said.
The exhibition is composed of a gallery of photos, video and a spoken-word poem that ‘hugs your soul.’ The poem is what artist Ayana Morris is most proud of. It’s touching, heartfelt and involves her two cousins who are very close to her.
“Years ago, I couldn’t do it because I didn’t know where to start,” Morris said. “It was very new. So, it was hard to find a contractor to work with. That’s probably why it took so long to get it done. It took like four months [from start to finish].”
The bigger message Morris hopes to convey walking into the experience is that women feel a greater sense of appreciation of themselves, their beauty, awkwardness and all the things that make them unique. She also strives to provide a better understanding to those who don’t grasp the importance of hair to the community.
Aquil Small, a manager and publicist who attended the exhibition, went to support Morris’ hard work. “I’m proud to see Ayana’s work come together. I know she’s been working on this for quite a while. It’s a blessing to see everything come together,” said Small.
Her message comes right on time. Residents like Tahira relate to the artist’s rallying moment. She recalls, “[One day] I just wanted to shave [my hair]. I did it and felt so liberated and powerful. It was a personal thing for me. Nobody mattered. I did it for me, not for anybody else.”
Dedicated to creating for the community, Morris said, “I put my heart into the experiences that I create.” She uses this opportunity to creatively express herself, celebrate Black women, build community and acknowledge uniqueness. She adds, “I was tired of people playing with me. So, this [‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ exhibit] is my rallying cry to the world.”
All of Morris’ projects have been launched in Newark. The city supports Morris’ mission to create unique art experiences for its residents and allow everyone to celebrate the community in different ways.
Aysha, a Newark resident working at the exhibition and student at Kean University, admits, “Newark was always a place full of culture, and I think it’s starting to bubble back up. Another reason why people love this is because you don’t see it often. This is something you would see in New York, and I love that!”
“There was an older white lady who came to see the exhibition and expressed her frustration when people would come and grab her hair in admiration, saying, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s so long!’ So it’s something that resonates with everyone. It’s every girl’s dream that people leave our hair alone because we spend a lot of time [on it] and [put] products in our hair,” Aysha said.
Saying “Don’t Touch My Hair” is powerful. “You can go in the street and say, Don’t touch my hair, and all the women would know exactly what you’re talking about,” Morris expressed.
The name of this exhibition is multi-layered. “It means don’t touch my Blackness, my womanhood, the things that make me unique, don’t racially profile me, don’t say I’m angry because I’m Black. It means so much [more] than just ‘don’t touch my hair’ to me. That’s why the hands are coming down from the ceiling. I want you to walk in a sacred space and feel kind of overwhelmed by this thing hovering over you because that is what we feel as women,” explained Morris.
To celebrate the unveiling of this experience, Morris launched The Culture Parlor, a three-day safe space for brunch, recognitions and conversation about career, life, love and the small Black women representation in male-dominated industries. Although it’s not assured that the Culture Parlor may coexist with the art experience moving forward, it is in the artists vision to bring it back during Newark Arts Annual Festival.
Newark was the first to host this immersive exhibit that will be removed on Nov. 17 from the Harriet Tubman Square to be exhibited at Art Basel in Miami from Dec. 4–8. Morris is working on a tour for 2025.
For those who would like to find a way to support the partners for the next culture parlor festival, email info@thecultureparlor.com or follow @_hollywoodrebel_ to stay in the loop for the next shipping of the Trailer Art Exhibition.
