As Quiet As It’s Kept

The stories of war veterans are layered and deep.  The stories of Black war veterans in the US Armed Services are burdened by the additional layers of systemic racism and white supremacy,  When listening to those personal stories it is easy to go down a bottomless rabbit hole.

As Quiet As It's Kept evolved out of the journey down the rabbit hole that Stefanie Siegel, Executive Director and Founder of Bailey's Cafe, took with a group of veterans from the Black Veterans for Social Justice, beginning back in 2007.  That journey resulted in a long-term friendship with Vietnam War veteran, Herbert Sweat—the man who uses the phrase “as quiet as it's kept” so often that it naturally became the umbrella for Bailey's community-based art projects—and the amazing installation performance pieces that are archived in this Virtual Gallery.  

In 2013, Sweat reached out; he wanted the story of veterans of color to be told while Obama, “our Commander in Chief,”  was still in office.  Stefanie agreed, of course; even though she was not really sure what that would look like and how Bailey's would be involved.

To start the process of diving into the experiences of Black veterans, spring of 2013, Stefanie started what was intended to be a reading and writing group with the Veterans Action Group (VAG) that met, under Sweat's leadership, every Wednesday morning from 10 to 12.   She spent about two months attending these gatherings and listening to the veterans' stories.  Later in the process, Sweat and a few other veterans met with Monica L. Williams, Producing Artistic Director, as well as the other artists involved in retelling the stories through their creative practice.  

One reoccurring theme appeared quickly--”bad paper” or less than honorable discharges—something nearly every vet of the fifteen or so who attended the meeting regularly had received.  Such discharges were especially common during the Vietnam Era as Black soldiers from the North were often subjected to the racial slurs and inferior treatment by their Southern born superior officers.  Even the slightest reaction to such remarks or treatment (i.e., rolling ones eyes) could be the cause for Court Martial and charges of insubordination; ultimately denying a veteran access to the things he should have earned through his service to the country.   

When the artists learned about “bad paper” it often became a focus of their work.  But it isn't the only theme:  home, warriorism, being of service and holding your own are just as evident in the war veterans stories and in the stories of the longtime residents of the Bedford-Stuyvesant.  These ideas became the throughline for the work.  

Many people have had their creative hands on AQAIK and they have left a mark.  We want to acknowledge two earlier creative directors:  Kymbali Craig and Mo Beasley.  Each in their separate ways have aided in bringing the project to fruition.   It wasn't, however, until Monica took over the project in 2016, that the artists were able to gain the necessary emotional distance to create work that didn't leave them in the rabbit hole but offered the necessary curatorial vision to move the project forward. 

In 2019 Pia Monique Murray came on board as Cultural Producer for We Are Here, one of the installations curated under Monica’s auspices and created in collaboration with photographer Robyn L. Twomey. Pia ended up producing all six installations curated by Monica and presented during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and 2022.

In 2022 Pia became the Producing Artistic Director for Bailey’s Cafe and created We Thrive: Stories and Portraits from the Heart of Bed-Stuy, in collaboration with Marienne “Yen” Thomas, which premiered in 2023.

Welcome to the As Quiet As It's Kept Virtual Gallery.  Enjoy the journey.