hair story, chapter 2: Pam Spaulding, blogging about hair

Pam Spaulding runs the blog on pamshouseblend.com, and is a passionate writer and social justice activist. She has included her hair journey on her own website, and I interviewed her in 2005 about her story. Pam’s unique perspective brings to light the intersections among race, hair, and politics; her decision to stop straightening her hair provided her with a sense of freedom and authenticity. The politics of hair is a topic about which I’m learning. It seems in some ways to represent an area of potential control by employers or other groups with an interest in defining who really belongs and who can be excluded.

hair story, chapter 1: Brenna Murphy, hair artist

Brenna is a talented and articulate young artist who has worked with hair, primarily her own, as part of her work for several years. She uses hair as a connection between herself and the idea of home. As a child, she moved around quite a bit, and her hair, always long, began to represent a constant and to provide a bodily sense of home and comfort.

After posting this I came across a news article entitled “Human Hair Sculptures Disgust, Fascinate.” Apparently there is another artist, Wenda Gu, who also uses hair in her art installations; this particular sculpture is at Dartmouth College.