'I Paint My Reality': Artist Depicts Black History, Erasure At New Manhattan Beach Exhibit

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — There are only a few people Keith Magruder takes inspiration from as an artist — his high school art teacher, who encouraged him, Bob Ross, whom he'd watch on TV at his grandparents' house, but most of all, his grandmother.

"I spent a lot of time with her. That's why a lot of my work is based around the storytelling of being around her," Magruder, 39, told Patch, recalling how his grandmother worked on quilts, arts and crafts. "She taught me the beginnings of everything."

That inspiration can be seen in Magruder's latest art project, "Let Me Fix You A Plate," which is currently on display in Manhattan Beach's Art Center.

The project, Magruder says, serves as a celebration of Black prosperity and culture but also a reminder of historical erasure, the minimization or omission of Black culture and contributions throughout history. Among other pieces, it features a table celebrating culture but also depicting systemic barriers, a quilt portraying the underground railroad and safe spaces and a strawberry bon bon, a candy often seen at his grandparents' house, meant to represent that "sweet grandma's kiss."

"I wanted to talk about American history," Magruder said about the project. "'Let Me Fix You A Plate' is all about that — It's something that is recognized, but also something that can be taken away."

The Process

Magruder grew up in Washington, D.C., just on the border of Maryland's Prince George's County. There, he was exposed to art from a young age, visiting places such as the Smithsonian and seeing paintings from Picasso to Basquiat.

He describes himself as an "art kid." His parents enrolled him in an art magnet school by the second grade. But he's also a history buff, a passion established from hearing stories and lessons tied to Black experiences from his grandmother.

"There are a lot of things within American history that people don't know," Magruder said. "This America we have today, if it wasn't for a lot of fighting of my ancestors, it wouldn't be here."

Magruder moved to the Bay Area in California in the mid 2000s to attend the California College of the Arts. He started off wanting to major in fashion but soon switched to illustration to learn more techniques.

He learned how to screen print t-shirts as a side hustle and eventually had the opportunity to work with Levi's in 2007 through an internship — working on a pair of limited-edition jeans in collaboration with artist Damien Hirst and the Warhol Factory.

"That part right there is what opened up my eyes to working with big-time artists," according to Magruder, who said the collaboration sold for thousands before it even hit the runway. "It opened up my mind about what art could do and how it didn't have to just be on a canvas."

Soon Magruder went on to produce projects for museums and even work on art pieces for Nike.

After college, Magruder worked with the nonprofit Oaklandish, where his screen printing abilities with t-shirts came in handy. They'd throw large art block parties with screen printing workshops.

"It was a whole melting pot of art," Magruder said about the experience. "Everything I've done has been very grassroots and word-of-mouth."

In 2017, Magruder was invited to create a piece for the Museum of Ice Cream's temporary pop-up show in Los Angeles. He created giant popsicles for the event, representing the ice cream trucks that would often pass by his neighborhood.

His project garnered the attention of celebrities such as Beyonce, Kevin Hart and the Beckhams, Magruder said. Soon, he'd see giant popsicles copying his work pop up all over the world, including Russia and Japan, he said.

Because of that experience, Magruder says, he went back to his studio to think of a way to avoid having his art recreated. He was already fond of working with watercolor.

So he thought, "How can I turn my sculptural work that I love to do and connect it with water color, and how can I kind of merge these together?"

The new style he'd come to create, building structures out of glue and paper and painting in watercolor, ultimately paved the way for the art style in "Let Me Fix You A Plate."

Lightbulb Moments

Magruder describes his art style as storytelling with elements of photorealism — taking moments from his everyday life and bringing them to life with concise pieces.

"I spend a lot of time walking around, just leaving my studio, leaving my house and just going for a walk," Magruder said.

Magruder, who now lives in Los Angeles, recalls getting on the Metro recently and seeing a mom teaching her son how to read. That inspired him, reminding him of the moments he'd spend with his parents and grandparents.

Ideas like that then turn into "research mode," Magruder said. "I want to tell a story about teaching, but also in that story of teaching, what is that kid now being taught?"

He'll then decide how he wants to present the idea, choosing whether he wants it to be political, speak on historical concepts or a mix between the two.

"That's where my mind goes from just simply being on the bus seeing a mom teaching her son," Magruder said. "I paint my reality, I paint what's real, I paint my upbringing."

Then comes the music.

Let Me Fix You A Plate

When the curators from Manhattan Beach's Art Center approached Magruder about doing a project celebrating Juneteenth, he ran with it.

Magruder says he spent 20 hours a day over the course of two months working with historians and building the project.

While working on "Let Me Fix You A Plate," Magruder said he listened to a lot of jazz music and hip-hop, taking inspiration from the lyrics of artists such as Dead Presidents, Kendrick Lamar and Nas.

"I felt everything from sadness, depression, stress, and feel-good moments too," Magruder said about building the project. "In a lot of ways, I was really happy because it felt like I was creating home."

Despite his work being made of paper and glue (not papier-mâché), his brush strokes bring the objects to life.

The main attraction at the exhibition is a large table with an American Flag draped over it, titled "Still No Seats At The Table." On top, there are several "soul food" plates such as corn bread, macaroni and cheese and collard greens.

Magruder says the piece is meant to be a celebration, but the heavy American flag depicts racism and the historical barriers placed on his ancestors.

The flag is so heavy, he says, that you can't even put seats next to the table, begging the question: "Are you really accepted? Are you really invited?" Magruder said.

"It's saying 'let me fix you a plate' but it's a double entendre because there are no plates, there are no seats at the table," Magruder said. "The plates are your soul, your mind and your inner self. I'm putting you in a space because I want to feed you, but I want to feed you with knowledge."

Magruder says it's also a representation of the Black experience in America. As a Black man in the art world and America, he feels present, but not accepted.

"It feels very cliche," Magruder said. "But it's like, 'you made the food, but you can't sit here, this is all for us.'"

In a nearby cabinet titled "They Giveth and They Taketh Away," is a "hero plate" created by Magruder to represent the history of Bruce's Beach — a piece of land in Manhattan Beach that was stripped away from a Black family nearly a century ago before being returned recently. The hero plate is inspired by Magruder's grandmother's collection.

"It's kind of a play on bible scripture and also a play on talking about America, where they'll give you something but if they have an opportunity where they don't want you to have it, they'll take it away," Magruder said. "That was my way of saying thank you and people having an idea of who this family is and how this is connected to Manhattan Beach."

All over the exhibition are also butterflies, which Magruder has been increasing as the days go by. Those butterflies, which fly overhead or land on the food, represent the reincarnation of his ancestors, Magruder said.

"The table, that spread, is for them," Magruder said. "For those ancestors who weren't able to celebrate in the past."

Magruder, through "Let Me Fix You A Plate," says he wants viewers to open up their minds to all the possibilities.

Although the show can seem "dark," it brings awareness to how history still interconnects with modern-day realities.

"If you want to engage and see why all these things are being displayed the way they are, you can kind of dive into it and get a little bit more about what you want to learn," Magruder said. " It's like all these hidden little gems that are historical facts in there. You can either dig deep or take it on a surface level."

Let Me Fix You A Plate will be on display at Manhattan Beach's Art Center (1560 Manhattan Beach Blvd) through June 29. The free gallery is open on Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.