BareBones 2020 · OFFERINGS: Artists Respond to the Mourning, Grieving and Fires on Lake Street

Christie Marie Owens, Mack the Barber, and Samuel Babatunde Ero-Phillips

Haircuts for Change

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Altar to Obatalá by Christie Marie Owens:

Haircuts for Change focused on healing and beauty practices in the South Minneapolis Black community by providing opportunities for haircuts and self-care.

The artist trio Christie, Mack the Barber and Sam had created an intentional, educational, and beautiful space that was adaptive and supportive of everyone – Black families, elders, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ folks, children, women and men, from every walk of life,  so that they can process grief and leave with a bit more self-love and inspiration.

photos courtesy of the artists

In the recent OFFERINGS: BareBones Live Pop-ups, the artists built the barbershop platform and Altar to Obatalá at Robert’s Annex on Oct. 1, which ran through Oct. 31.

The project was a partnership with Creative Citymaking and co-supported by BareBones Puppets.

About the Artists

Christie Owens is an artist based in South Minneapolis.

Mack the Barber, also known as George MacIntyre, is a barber and business owner based in South Minneapolis.

Sam Ero-Phillips is an artist, designer and educator who has worked in the Twin Cities, Chicago and Lagos, Nigeria. He has worked in the Community Design Studio at Juxtaposition Arts since 2012 and currently works at LSE Architects. He lives in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood with his wife and two kids.