“I stumbled across Inner Elder (Nina Simone as Queen of Sheba), which is part of a series by Bahamian conceptual artist Tavares Strachan, while doing research for this issue. Strachan’s work is often based on the intersection of culture and scientific inquiry, frequently shedding light on the unnamed and overlooked contributions of Black explorers and scientists. His focus on the layers inherent in human history, based on who is telling the story, is reflected in this piece as music icon Simone breaks apart to reveal the Queen of Sheba—prompting us to self-reflection: What stories and identities do we all carry within us?”
—Rachel Messerich, programs manager
