Kween Moore
Kween Moore is a visual artist, performance artist, poet, curator, and art educator based in Newark. She received a Bachelor in Art Therapy Psychology from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT. In 2016, Moore founded Femme Curator Arts. It is a collective that organizes women-led exhibitions, spoken word events, art workshops for children and adults, and public art activations for different organizations, including Newark Arts, Newark Public Schools, Newark Riverfront Park, and the Lincoln Park Music Festival. In 2021, Kween More was appointed to the City of Newark LGBTQ Commission and serves as a member of the Newark Museum of Art Advisory Board Committee.
About her work in WOV II:
A poem and a photograph of the same name, “Raspberries” (2020) are featured in “A Womb of Violet: Volume II.” The photograph is a portrait of the artist, holding her son, Taj, and looking straight to the camera.
The poem is an ode to mothers, particularly mothers of Black children, and a reminder to herself. Kween Moore reflects on the responsibility of teaching her son about his ancestors and truth (“To be honest with the untruths and truths / Of how the world may not love him, accept him or want him”), to encourage him “to stand / Strong, Black and Tall” and to protect him. The text is a love letter to her son, who she says “He keeps me strong / And he saved my life many times”.