Good Times At Grant Street

As a child of the 80s, artist Chanelle René spent every summer in West Cape May with her grandparents and loved going to the beach in Cape May, specifically Grant Street Beach. During childhood, she questioned why they always chose this beach, preferring the arcades, mini-golf, and bustling shops closer to the other beaches. Her mother replied, "This is just where we go!” Over time, she sensed there was more to this answer, and as she grew older, she heard family stories about Grant Street's history as the segregated beach for Blacks. For Chanelle’s grandparents, born in 1912 and 1916, and some of her uncles, this was the only place for enjoying the beach.  

“My grandfather shared how Grant Street wasn’t the original segregated beach in Cape May. The Black beach was on Windsor Ave, and the patrons of the Windsor Hotel weren’t happy seeing Blacks near them,” shares Chanelle. That is when the Black segregated beach was moved to Grant Street, which had a vacant lot across from the beach and far away from other businesses and hotels. Unlike the overtly racist "Colored Only" signs in Southern states, Grant Street Beach was quietly marked by a pavilion, designating it as the Black Beach in Cape May. Despite the injustice of segregation, her family and others found joy in their days at the beach. In family photographs, Chanelle saw the community come together in their Sunday best or swimsuits to play, laugh, share stories, bask in the sun, and dance in the waves – much like their white counterparts on other beaches. The paintings are a visual story of these personal experiences that span generations.  

Chanelle’s paintings transition from the era of segregation to a time when Grant Street Beach became a tradition of choice for Black families. She has conveyed this transition in her work, both thematically and artistically. “I see my work connecting these two eras rather than marking the transition - where they both live together in the work. The background of my paintings is contemporary, vibrant, and expressive, abstracting the feeling of being at the beach or the subject's emotions. There’s refinement in the painting of the figures I place in the abstracted beach settings.”  Many of Chanelle’s photo references are black and white; she honored that in the first series by painting the clothes in black and white. However, she wanted to elevate the figures by painting them in “true, rich skin tones.” In the second series, the figure and clothing are painted in full color with only the style of dress that places the time period.

The Grant Street Beach series aims to convey a powerful message, especially considering its historical context, the celebration of joyful everyday moments of African American beachgoers. Chanelle hopes viewers can appreciate how Black beachgoers, specifically during segregation, persevered to find joy, connections, and the beauty of simply being despite living in a time where not all people or spaces welcomed them. Additionally, she hopes viewers, “regardless of race, can connect with their beach memories and recognize our shared human experiences over our differences.”

Chanelle’s artistic process, particularly for the 'Grant Street Beach' series, uses acrylic as an underpainting followed by building layers of acrylic, colored pencil, graphite, spray paint, and markers, painting with the utmost freedom. This phase “allows me to express my truest self, transferring my expressive nature and ability to connect deeply into the work and the subjects I paint.” Once all the canvases are under-painted, she decides which subject is best suited for each one. When she paints the figures, oils make them come to life with a luscious texture and rich color. This transition from loose and expressive to controlled and refined is soothing. It brings her balance as an artist, ultimately helping to express the complexity and nuance of the human spirit.