‘Blackatcha’: Black artist presents work inspired by Black history and American racism

When artist Mark Steven Greenfield first presented his idea about creating a series of artworks using 19th-century photos of white men in blackface to his mother, she was appalled. 

“She wanted these things to stay buried, but I come from a spiritual background that teaches if you bury something, it comes back in a way you can’t control,” Greenfield said. “I believe that the people who were doing this (blackface) were actually appropriating African American culture. By doing this series, I am reappropriating the appropriator.” 

The series, called “Blackatcha” and some of Greenfield’s other works inspired by Black history, were presented as part of a guest lecture series hosted by Long Beach City College’s art department on Nov. 13. 

^{Attendees view a piece Mark Steven Greenfield’s series “Blackatcha” during a presentation held inside the K Building at the Liberal Arts Campus in Long Beach, California on Nov. 13. Greenfield said his goal with creating a series of art centered around white men in blackface was to “reappropriate the appropriator. ” (Ryenne Jolliff)}

Greenfield grew up in Los Angeles and is the son of a Tuskegee Airman, one of the first Black pilots to serve in the U.S. military during World War II. 

This personal connection to African American history remains the core of Greenfield’s work. 

“I look at these stories as sources of empowerment,” Greenfield said. 

Greenfield’s interest in art first began at the age of 13, and was the result of a science experiment gone wrong. 

“I had a chemistry kit, and one night I mixed the wrong chemicals together, which started a small fire in my bedroom. My mother gave me a whooping that lasted for the better part of two weeks, and during that time I started making drawings for her as a peace offering,” said Greenfield. 

Greenfield said that art, and the encouragement from one of his teachers, helped him escape difficult times in his teenage years. 

“This particular teacher said to me, ‘You have the ability to become a great artist, if you live long enough to become one.’ I ran with a crazy crowd at the time. All of the people I ran with back in the day are either dead or in prison,” Greenfield said. 

Throughout his life, Greenfield worked as a park director, an artist for the Los Angeles Police Department, and a designer for department store window displays, but never stopped pursuing his love of art. 

“It’s taken me the better part of 50 years to understand that what we do are passions, but this country doesn’t always support passions. You need to find a way to support yourself,” said Greenfield. 

Alongside his “Blackatcha” series, Greenfield presented works that blend his spiritual beliefs with racist views of African Americans. 

Two pieces featured racist cartoon characters from the 1930’s and 1940’s surrounded by meditation symbols, while others symbolized the major role the cotton industry played during the era of slavery. 

Greenfield’s current series, HALO, highlights Black historical figures whose stories are relatively unknown. 

“Everyone already knows about Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. I wanted to focus on the obscure characters that nobody knows about,” Greenfield said. 

Some of the figures featured in this series include Xica da Silva, a former slave who became one of the wealthiest people in the 17th century; Saartjie Baartman, known as “The Black Venus,” who was touted as a freak show attraction; and Joe Travis, the only male survivor of the Battle of the Alamo. 

Greenfield intends to expand this series to include members of the LGBTQ+ community like William Dorsey Swann, America’s first drag queen. 

“In doing research for this project, what I’ve found is that there are people who have been fighting these battles for over 200 years. In bringing these characters to the forefront, I hope that can give people the strength to continue fighting,” said Greenfield. 

LBCC student Terry Bohler, who attended the lecture, said that she was blown away by Greenfield’s dedication to research. 

“I almost want to know if he’s writing a book or something,” Bohler said. “He immerses you in the history and in his thought process.”

Bohler also admired the way Greenfield represented the subject matter in his HALO series. 

“He put a name to the face. He almost made them saints by telling their stories, and he’s unapologetic about the way he did it,” said Bohler. 

Bella Orio, another LBCC student, also noted the significance of Black history in Greenfield’s work. 

“It’s important to preserve the history he’s talking about. There’s this idea that the Internet is here and that everything’s gonna be preserved, but some things still need to be archived,” said Orio. 

After being in the Los Angeles art scene for over 50 years, Greenfield has no plans of stopping soon. 

“The thing that you do has the ability to affect the quality of life. I’m grateful to be able to share so much history, especially history that’s so little known, with so many people,” Greenfield said.