Central Illinois native Victoria Kolanowski hasn’t always been passionate to share what she knows with those around her, but over the years, she’s become more confident in her art that’s brought light to Black issues in central Illinois.
Tori, as Kolanowski likes to be called, said that her art she creates is meant to do more than just to inspire younger Black audiences, but to teach fundamental history of Illinois.
“My art, especially with the pieces I’ve put forth in museums, has gotten a lot of feedback from the people I was reaching out to while creating these pieces,” Kolanowski said. “One of my pieces I used lots of central Illinois history of the Black community … it encouraged a lot of people who I had shown (the art) to, to look further into the history and these peoples names and the stories behind them.”
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Kolanowski recently took part in the “Underground Artists: History in the Making” gallery at Springfield’s African American History Museum.
“Illinois history is Black history,” Kolanowski said. “Celebrate all of the ties to Black culture that Illinois has.”
Kolanowski is a full-time student at the University of Illinois Springfield where she studies history, which works hand in hand with her understanding of how art can portray feelings but also teach.
“I just went to an art museum in St. Louis over the weekend and there was a piece that was really beautiful but really an intense scene,” Kolanowski said. “It was about the colonization of Hawaii, and it provided a different perspective of citizens of Hawaii in the moment. Versus, what you always hear about the colonization of Hawaii where the Monarch falls and the corporations stepping over. You don’t hear about what the citizens were thinking or feeling half the time.”
The way a painting can use certain color pallets is akin to how a person can use tone to help others understand their word.
Kolanowski uses this technique in her piece “Muses of Black History, 2023” by utilizing the colors of red, yellow and green—the colors of Black History Month and the Pan-African Flag—to use symbolism behind the sentimental piece on racial injustice in Illinois.
“The biggest highlight is the color of red represents the innocent blood shed over the years of Black history in America over slavery and racism and segregation,” Kolanowski said. “In the panel specifically, I have included the names of Illinois lynching victims. I kept it as close to central Illinois as possible so it’s more tangible … people can see the history that’s just lurking in their backyard.”
This isn’t the first gallery event Kolanowski has had hosted by the Springfield African American History Museum either.
In 2020, her piece “Queen”, which highlighted strength and beauty in Black women, was presented alongside others in the museum.
Kolanowski said the opportunity to share her art with others was both nerve wracking and exciting, but a step in the direction she wants to be long term as either a curator or an archivist.
Nalo Mitchell, executive director of the AAHM, said when she first saw Kolanowski’s work, she knew that she had to have it on display at the museum gallery.
“I met Victoria when she walked through the door with her mother (to the museum) and now I happen to see her at church on a Sunday,” Mitchell said. “When people come in to see her art and when people come in here, I want them to take a few minutes to let them know that there’s light in this place. I believe we can not only tell those authentic stories but be that light that the community needs.”
Kolanowski’s work, along with other local artists work such as Angel Ware, Elijah Miller and Trinity Cadwell, help the museum’s cause for donations and funding. More importantly, the museum is able to showcase local talent.
“When you see (Ware’s) artwork it’s like, ‘you need to be at the Art Institute of Chicago,’” Mitchell said. “She graduated from District 186 … It was so important to say, ‘come in and see our new exhibit from District 186 students.’ They are history in the making, they are up and coming—they are history. We want to scream and shout and share from the mountain tops; that these people are history makers, and we want them to go far.”
