"Potter's Field" By Daniel Hibbert

Artists Statement

When asked by the James Weldon Johnson Foundation to submit a painting that is representative of the current times, it was only natural for me to consider the racial injustice, police brutality, and politics that have stained 2020. While there was no shortage of emotion, opinion, or content, for some reason it took me months to find the right inspiration until I discovered Potter’s Field.

“Potter’s Field” is a biblical allusion to a little known verse in a familiar story (Matthew 27). The chapter follows Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus with a kiss for 30 pieces of silver, given to him by the Pharisees (high priests and law officials) who hated Jesus. After Judas realized what he had done, he was stricken with remorse for endangering an innocent man and tried to give the money back to the Pharisees. But the Pharisees refused to take it because it was blood money. Knowing it was unethical to put blood money back into the treasury, they consulted with each other and decided to buy Potter’s Field (a field rich in red clay) and use it as a burial ground for poor, unknown, and unclaimed people.

Though we often focus on the events that followed this well-known story, I found this chapter powerful and condemning to a few parallels with current times:

1. The disheartening number of black athletes, musicians, and celebrities who publicly betrayed their own people in 2020 for money and association with powerful people.

2. The individuals, corporations, and institutions that have watched or profited (directly or indirectly) off of harm to black bodies for generations without concern - but due to the public perception of one man’s death in 2020, consulted with each other and chose to make superficially charitable contributions to soothe their conscience and appear socially responsible

3. The thousands of innocent and unknown black men and women who have died at the hands of police brutality over the years and whose names will never make it on the news, t-shirts, or Instagram posts

Potter’s Field.