“Those Who Silence Us” (2021-2022)

It wasn’t until I came across a painting as controversial as Dana Schutz’s Open Casket that I began to question who has the right to tell stories, if not the people they involve? Such a simple question led me to quite complex discoveries, prompting me to consider how the identity of the viewer and the artist define art itself, thus realizing that the power in art lies in both hands. Being a black filmmaker myself, I’ve always been drawn to stories and storytellers who best represent me as an artist and, more importantly, as a black woman. Identity makes up, if not all, most of what art is; however, it was through my preparation for the essay that I realized this isn’t a universal understanding amongst artists. I wanted to get to the root of the controversy surrounding not only Schutz’s painting but what it represents. Crafting this video essay was far from easy but rewarding: it felt like less of an assignment and more of a personal inquiry to understand my footing and reach as a black filmmaker and the voices we must protect as a black collective. As I picked apart Barry Jenkins’ masterful Moonlight, I discovered another layer to my question about ownership. I identified the forces that silence black voices and learned that they can, and do, come from within my own community. This discovery was far more challenging to me than I had anticipated, and it is what ultimately led me to take charge of my voice as a filmmaker and writer to spotlight black representation in a visual piece not only for myself to understand but also for others to listen to.

Ilia Wayans (Tisch ’24) is a stylish, LA-based aspiring writer-director at the Tisch School of the Arts. Studying film and television, Ilia has a deep passion for visual storytelling as well as an interest in acting. Curious about both her community and the world at large, Ilia questions ownership and voice in art of all kinds in her video essay, “Those Who Silence Us.” She offers vulnerable insights about Black representation through her own biracial identity and critically assesses the forces from within and beyond her community that influence, or rather silence, Black creators.