Instructors Danielle Henderson and Joseph Allen at Headlines Barber Academy (photo by Harold Smith)
Skilled practitioners help their clients express everything from racial pride and youthful exuberance to political resistance and fearless individuality
This article is the latest in a multi-year series titled “The Art of Blackness.” Says author Harold Smith, “Like assemblage created from found objects, many iconic cultural elements in the Black experience — notably in areas of music, food, hair, clothing — lie at the intersection of both African and American cultures. Like the ‘Big Bang,’ this collision of African creativity and American captivity resulted in an explosion of new ways of personal expression that still reverberates in Black American life.
“As a result, simply experiencing life as a Black American is an artistic endeavor.”
In the Black community, haircutting is more than just standard grooming. It is a recognized art that combines geometric precision, elements of cultural expression and the reflection of personal identities.
Black haircutting is not “one size fits all.” Factors such as the shape and size of the head, tone of complexion, facial symmetry and proportions, and even the grade and texture of the hair are to Black haircutting what size and shape of the brush, texture of the canvas and paint, and symmetrical composition are to painters and illustrators.
When it comes to art education in the Kansas City area, there are several well-known programs. The Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts has produced artists in multiple genres for more than 30 years. Many successful visual artists have matriculated from the Kansas City Art Institute. The Metropolitan, Johnson County and Kansas City Kansas Community colleges all offer art degrees. Park University offers bachelor’s degrees specializing in areas including painting, ceramics and photography.
One lesser-known art school is in a former Red Lobster building close to State Avenue and I-635 in Kansas City, Kansas. The Headlines Barber Academy at 4327 State Ave. is a private, post-secondary vocational school founded in 2011.
While classes in painting, sculpting, mixed media and other similar disciplines are offered at the institutions mentioned previously, the Headlines Barber Academy teaches the art of haircutting. Reflective of the community it serves, the student body and clientele are primarily, but not limited to, Black women and men.
“Our goal is to serve the people in the community in which we live, Wyandotte County,” the school says on its website. “Also, to give those interested the opportunity to take a hands-on trade to become entrepreneurs.” The instructors, licensed barbers and barber instructors with decades of experience, are artisans in their own right.
Like any art form, haircutting requires skill, knowledge, hand-eye coordination and vision. “Most of the students here already possess artistic ability, whether it is drawing, painting, sculpture, fashion, or something else,” said Danielle Henderson, one of the instructors. “What we do is expand upon that and show students how to expand their natural artistry into haircutting.”
“Over the decade a lot more artists have entered this industry because of the amount of design that is done on haircuts,” added instructor Joseph Allen. “It takes a high level of artistry. The artist has to know how to shade and create lines. We receive a lot of students who know how to draw and do similar things very well.”
Black haircutting is body art just like piercings and tattoos. It can be used to make personal and public statements. Afros, fades, baldies, and intricate patterns cut into the hair can express racial pride, youthful exuberance, political resistance and fearless individuality.
Black haircutting is a dynamic, highly specialized art form that sits at the intersection of geometric precision, cultural expression and community architecture. Like Michelangelo sculpting with marble in his Casa Buonarroti, Florence, studio, barbers throughout the city are sculpting with hair in their studios and shops.
Art schools teach skills. In painting programs, those skills range from color theory, composition and brushwork to utilizing mediums, mixing colors and direct paint application techniques. “At Headlines, we teach everything from shear work to lining
and proper fading techniques,” said instructor Allen.
“There are four basic haircuts. Once you can do those four, you can do anything,” Henderson notes.
Haircutting bridges the genres of performance and visual art. Like visual art, a haircut can be viewed, touched and felt. Because of its temporal nature, however, haircuts are like plays, concerts and dance performances. They are experienced and can be recorded but not tangibly preserved.
When people look their best, they feel their best. Experiencing a good fresh cut, like a masterfully created film or rousing concert, can lift their spirits and empower them as they face a world that is known for crushing spirits.
“I get my haircut every Saturday at Shoats Barber Shop. Since I work in education and live alone, it provides needed adult interaction. I also go to church on Sundays, and I was raised to always look my Sunday best and that includes my hair. A fresh cut is a part of my spiritual practice,” said Dr. Melvin Brown, an esteemed, longtime educational professional.
Like other art forms, Black haircutting has attracted ire and detractors. The same way jazz was once regarded as “the Devil’s music” and associated with sexual promiscuity and criminality, Black hairstyles have often been perceived as unprofessional, messy and thuggish by the dominant culture. The CROWN Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) has been adopted in various states of the U.S. to make discrimination based on hair texture illegal. It protects Black people from being penalized, fired or denied opportunities for wearing their natural hair or specific cuts. Federally, the act has been blocked by the Senate despite being passed by the House multiple times.
But the power of art to evoke positive change is always triumphant. “Over the last decade, barbering has become less segregated. For a long time, certain racial groups went to certain barber shops. Now, we cut everybody’s hair. Half of my clients have straight hair,” said Allen.
On a personal note, living on a pension means that Headlines Barber Academy is economical for me. I don’t have much hair anymore, so paying $10 for a haircut from students simply makes more financial sense than paying $30 for a cut from an established barber. Instructors oversee the cuts and approve the final products, so I’ve never had a bad haircut at Headlines. The students are courteous and professional. There is an energy among young artists that maybe only an older artist would understand.
And, for me, as a retired teacher, it’s just good to be in an educational environment.
