Ariel Collins, 2021

Ariel Collins, born 1998 in Miami, Florida, is best known for her candid investigation of racial inequity and inequality as it intersects with social, gender, and sexual identity. She received her B.A. degree in visual art, psychology, and interdisciplinary studies from Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in 2021. 

Originally a portrait and still-life artist, Ariel began blending her painting, drawing, and sculptural skills with research to conceptualize art surrounding her research about racial inequity and inequality in college. She was made more aware of her race as she was often the only black student in her classes. Having been raised in Miami, Ariel was used to diversity and conversations pertaining to race. At a predominantly white institution (PWI), race was made out to be both political and trivial. In response to modifying how she talked in class settings, Ariel began producing works with consistent themes of overt activism that expressed the things she felt she could not discuss openly.

In 2020, She created four series about race: How Much?, Hold 'Em Joe, Go Down Moses, and It Comes in Waves. Her work displayed a marriage between her two passions, inviting viewers to acknowledge unconcealed activism and fine art. In 2021, Ariel produced a series of four diptychs discussing the anthropological phenomenon of cultural parallelism, A Current Past, presented in her third group exhibition. 

Ariel's evolution into her current works allowed her to introduce a stronger sense of artistry, flexibility, and forward-thinking in various mediums. Her use of activism granted Ariel to challenge the boundaries of different mediums and how they could be used to convey stories. 
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