Lava Thomas (b. Los Angeles, 1958) employs bold geometric patterns of repeating tambourines painted in a spectrum of tones to create arresting compositions. Music has played a central role in Thomas’ life. A significant portion of her visual work derives its meaning from the music growing up in and around the church. Her tambourine “compositions” are often named for significant songs relating to the Civil Rights Movement. Here, Thomas names her work for Sam Cooke’s famous 1964 protest song. She has described the inherent beauty that she finds in the shape of musical instruments and the repetition of form that encourages the eye to seek the variety of minute surface detail. Although A Change Is Gonna Come (Oh Yes It Will) is a wall installation, Thomas varies the form of these sculptural works, at time hanging the instruments so the viewer can walk in and around them, becoming surrounded by the possibility of music, made by the breeze. She also changes the color of the tambourines according to the intended mood of the piece, from rosy pink to mournful black. The artist explains, “I approach the tambourine as a readymade object loaded with meaning: as an egalitarian instrument rooted in cultures around the globe, it speaks to our common humanity. It’s often played in the context of activism and heard during protest marches to amplify demands for justice.”