This Awesome Web Docu-Series Just Introduced Us to Our New Favorite Visual Artist

Fum Fum KO is a filmmaker. She recently began directing and producing a wonderful new documentary web series titled, "Art is Cool," where she interviews and profiles the work of a Black woman artists. The first episode is up, and it features Austin, Texas based mixed media visual artist, Beth Consetta Rubel.

In the video, Rubel discusses her upbringing as a mixed race Black woman living in a conservative small Southern town in Texas, and how this informed both her identity and creative work. Rubel attempts to focus on the themes of race, gender, sexuality, and pop culture. This is evident in her  current series, The Paper Brown Test, where she draws and paints portraits of Black subjects—many of them well-known Black celebrities and public figures, such as President Barack Obama and Richard Pryor. In light of the recent cases of police brutality and state-sanctioned violence against Black men, women, and children, she's also included portraits of Michael Brown and Aiyana Stanley Jones in the series.

Watch the episode below to learn more about Beth Consetta Rubel's work and keep following the "Art is Cool" series on YouTube.


Michelle Denise Jackson is Senior Editor at For Harriet. You can follow her on Twitter @MichelleJigga or reach her via email: michelle@forharriet.com.

Beth Consetta Rubel Black art documentaries visual artist web series youtube