Art of the Collectors VI

February 10 – March 24, 2018

About the Exhibition

Art of the Collectors VI explores the role of the collector in preserving culture and building legacy through art collecting and giving. Featured are works created by prominent and lesser known artists, along with African art. Offerings include a rare drawing by John Biggers, paintings, original prints, and sculptures held in private hands for generations, and important works of art from institution holdings.

Tea with Myrtis – Panel Discussion
Topic: Discussion concerning issues that govern transferring art collections to family members and donating art to museums and universities.
Panelist’s: Alvah T. Beander, Melanin Art Appraisals, LLC • Berrisford Boothe, Principal Curator, Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African-American Art • J. Larry Frazier, Attorney for Wills, Estates & Probate Law • Myrtis Bedolla, Founding Director, Galerie Myrtis
watch panel discussion

Artwork

John Biggers, I Momolu, Conte on paper, 1965, 19"H x 14"W, $6,000 Reserve (price subject to verification), Bell-Reid Collection

Elizabeth Catlett, The Family, Bronze on Wood, Sculpture: 15” Wooden base:
h. 2” x 5 ½” x 5”, (contact gallery for pricing), 2002, Kansas African American Museum

Louis Delsarte, Heaven's Gate, Watercolor and acrylic on paper, 1968, 36"H x 26"W (framed), $2,700.00 (price subject to verification), Davis Collection

Adolphus Ealey, Untitled (Floral - Still Life), Watercolor on paper, N.D., 31"H x 24 1/2"W (framed), $5,000, (price subject to verification), Evanson Collection gift from Adolphus Ealey, Barnett/Aden Gallery

Delilah Pierce, Long Bridge – D.C. and Virginia, Oil on Masonite, 18 ¾” x 48” framed, $12,000, (price subject to verification), Spence Collection

Delilah Pierce, Vineyard Haven Harbor Massachusetts, Acrylic on Board, 23 ½” x 20” framed, $8950, (price subject to verification), 1957, Spence Collection

Delilah Pierce, Untitled (flower pot), Acrylic on Board 24” x 20” framed, $7000, (price subject to verification), 1957, Spence Collection

Delilah Pierce, Untitled (Sailboats and a Lighthouse), Watercolor on paper 16” x 20 ¾” framed, $3500, (price subject to verification), 1951, Spence Collection

Delilah Pierce, Untitled (fishing boat) Watercolor on paper, 16” x 20 ¾” framed, $3500, (price subject to verification), 1949, Spence Collection

Lucille Malkia Roberts, Wharf Maine Ave, Oil on Masonite Board, 32.5 x 23 in. n/d, $3500, (price subject to verification), Brooks Estate

Frank Smith, Discard and Dat Card- Race Card Series, Mixed media collage on paper 2007, 27.5"H x 23.5"W, $3,000.00, (price subject to verification), Ford Collection

Frank Smith, Eyes Always Seen, Mixed media, 2009, 16"H x 17"W, $2,900.00, (price subject to verification), Harris Collection

Benny Andrews, Glider, Lithograph, 1991, 116 of 275, 35 1/2"H x 27 1/2"W (framed), $1,500.00 (price subject to verification), Smith Collection

Out Chorus, ed. 59/60, 1979-80, Romare Bearden (1911–1988), Serigraph with Hand-Colored border, 22”x29 ¾” framed, $10,000.00 (price subject to verification),
Bell-Reid Collection

Camille Billops, Untitled (Mammy's little Coal Black Rose series), Lithograph, 6/100, 36” x 27” framed, $1500 (price subject to verification), 1992, Smith Collection

Elizabeth Catlett, Survivor, Linocut, 830/1000, 20” x 17” framed, $2000 ( price subject to verification), 1983, Harris Collection

Mother and Son, 1971, by Elizabeth Catlett

Elizabeth Catlett, Mother and Son, Offset lithograph, EE 66/100, 11.5 x 15.5 in. framed, $1500 (price subject to verification), 1971, Jordan Collection

Girl Jumping Rope, 1958, by Elizabeth Catlett

Elizabeth Catlett, Girl Jumping Rope, Lithograph, EE 66/100, 13.75 x 19.25 in. (framed), $2500 (price subject to verification), 1958, Jordan Collection

Ernest Crichlow, Stone Princess, request viewing, Screenprint, 1982, 64 of 100 30"H x 20"W (unframed), $3,000.00 (price subject to verification), Derby Collection

Ernest Crichlow, Lady in Yellow Color, etching and aquatint, 47/100, 21.75 x 16.75 in. unframed, $3,500 (price subject to verification)1982, Derby Collection

Ernest Crichlow, Young Worker, Color Etching and Aquatint, 9/20, 23 7/8” x 17 ¾” unframed, $4,500 (price subject to verification)1974, Bell-Reid Collection

Louis Delsarte, Enlightenment, Lithograph, A/P, 17 x 41 in. framed, 1976, $1850 (price subject to verification), Davis Collection

Ray George, Untitled, Offset Lithograph 1991, 8 of 80, 33 1/2”H x 25 ½”W, $950.00 (price subject to verification), Smith Collection

On the Way, 1990, Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), Lithograph, 40”x29 ½” framed, $4900 (price subject to verification), Bell-Reid Collection

Valerie Maynard, Fulani Lady, Linocut, unknown A/P, 30 1/4"H x 23"W, $2,000.00 (price subject to verification), Lynch Collection

Francisco Mora, (Husband of Elizabeth Catlett), Untitled, Linocut, ca. 1940-50's, 16 1/2"H x 16 1/2"W (framed), $550.00 (price subject to verification), Lynch Collection

Stephanie Pogue, Caught in the Wind, Color viscosity etching, 5/50, 34 ½” H x 27 ½”W (framed), $850.00 (price subject to verification), 1978, Pogue Collection

Stephanie Pogue, Paris Skylight Color, viscosity and collagraph, 33 1/4"H x 40 1/2"W (framed), $950.00 (price subject to verification), 1984, Pogue Collection

Stephanie Pogue, Chameleon, Color viscosity etching, 1987, A/P 31"H x 25"W (framed), $950 (price subject to verification), Pogue Collection

AfriCOBRA

September 15 – October 27th, 2018

Featured Artists (year of membership)
Akili Ron Anderson (1979), Kevin Cole (2003), Adger Cowans (1978), Michael D. Harris (1979), Napoleon Jones-Henderson (founding member, 1968), James Phillips (1973), Frank Smith (1973), Nelson Stevens (founding member, 1968), and Renee Stout (2017)

artwork | artists | artists’ talk | photos | catalogue

About AfriCOBRA

Galerie Myrtis Fine Art presents AfriCOBRA: The Evolution of a Movement in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the coalition of black revolutionary artists whose aesthetic emerged from activism and a commitment to rail against racism through positive, powerful and uplifting imagery.

AfriCOBRA (African Commune for Bad Relevant Artists) was inspired by the Black Arts Movement, to expand the canon by creating artwork that speaks to the concerns of black people. In exploring the evolution of their creativity, this exhibition features paintings, photographs, prints, and three-dimensional forms created from 1979 to 2018, by the group’s earliest to its latest members.

Birthed during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, AfriCOBRA shaped a radical black aesthetic that asserted black empowerment, self-determination, and unity among African Diasporic people. The artists’ collective was conceived in 1968, on the South Side of Chicago, by founding members, Jeff Donaldson (1932-2004), Wadsworth Jarrell (b. 1929) and Gerald Williams (b. 1941) who formed the nucleus of the group. As socially and politically conscious artists, they sought to counter white supremacist representations with positive black imagery, presented symbolically and rhythmically to uplift the soul of a nation.

Drawing from the tenets of the Black Power Movement, and the philosophical concepts and aesthetic principals of AfriCOBRA—works emerging from the collective captured the ethos of the black community. Through their imagery, rendered in a palette of “Kool-aid” colors, developed a black iconography rooted in African ancestry and black pride; and a lexicon, as in the term “mimesis at midpoint” to describe their artistic approach. These expressions, couched in idioms, such as, “the rich lustre of a just-washed ‘Fro” formed a vernacular that defines cultural nuances of the black experience.
Myrtis Bedolla, Curator

Black Man in a Black World – the Artists

Face Off II (detail), Archival Ink Jet Print, 30″ x 40″, 2014 by Larry Cook

Black Man in a Black World

September 2 – November 18, 2017

Wesley Clark

These three works, The God Seed, Factualism, and Dark Matter represent a subtle shift in my practice. I’ve shifted away from the struggles, both historical and present, of Black Americans, to their beauty and greatness – an aspect of our people given less prominence than deserved. I feel it’s important to be unapologetic prideful in who you are. This something Black people in America have not been encouraged to do, when seemingly at every turn there’s a force aimed at silencing and oppressing that spirit of pride.

I chose to use the human heart painted Black as a means of representing the Black body. The heart being the core of the body, the drum whose rhythm keeps us moving while Black Americans are the cultural, spiritual, and biological vanguard. The God Seed depicts the biological, giving us a black heart as the nucleus with golden barbed wire as electrons. This speaks to the origins of civilization as we know it; with all roots leading to Africa. While science has proven every human carries DNA strands of the Black woman, we know it takes two to populate – making the Black woman and man the Mother and Father of civilizations. (It would almost seem the Black man is intentionally left out of the equation).

Dark Matter takes us to the astrological tying in cultural and spiritual ties. In science dark Matter is both theoretical, and invisible as it does not reflect light, yet helps to explain things like gravitational forces. These invisible forces I place correlation to that of “soul” – the style and movements of Black men in particular. From the music we’ve created, to how we style our clothing, to the way we strut down a sidewalk, our soul is magnetic. It is an attracting force people worldwide gravitate toward with hopes to bask in the feeling and replicate for themselves. This desire to be entangled in our soulfulness I interpret almost as a form of worship. Dark Matter is presented to the viewer as a salvaged relic-like object—broken and missing pieces yet preserved and placed on display for all to see. The rusted and broken hinges give the sense that this three-part panel was once connected, possibly unfolding from the center, offering a visual presence reminiscent of alters in catholic churches.

Factualism is simply a meditation on whom and what Black men truly are. It is meant as the antithesis of what pop culture and the news m/entertainment media present us as. It’s an exercise in defining oneself and taking hold of one’s own agency. It’s the presentation of another set of facts not often put on display. The words and ideas are given to the viewer in the form of a crossword puzzle to help think about how these ideas intersect and build off one another, giving viewers a new set of images to aid contextualizing their thoughts on Black men.

Larry Cook

Face-Off (I and II) explores the notion of selfhood embedded in black male identity. Each image uses light and shadow as a metaphor for the black male psyche and its many contrasting elements. The self-reflective arrangement of the figure promotes the viewer to re-examine standards of portrait photography. The subjects represent not only themselves, but also the ideological beliefs and cultural exteriors within manhood, which can unite or divide our community.

Do For Self and The Call pay homage to black liberation philosophies that arose out of organizations such as the Nation of Islam and the Moorish Science Temple. Each work references a sector of Black trade and industry that is a part of our cultural memory. In Do For Self, oil based colognes signify vendor customs established within the black community. In The Call, a reproduction of the Nation of Islam’s weekly The Final Call observes that recordings of personal histories within black community can equate to economic independence, self-worth, and empowerment.

Johnnie Lee Gray

In “The Revolution” series Johnnie Lee Gray depicts “the brutality that protesters experienced during the large-scale marches in the South, when marchers were beaten, maimed and killed by armed police and attack dogs. In this before-and-after series, the artist shows a fictional street corner in an urban Southern neighborhood and alludes to the outcome as no more than an “illusion of equality,” since “Bubba,” a euphemism for “the white man,” still owns all the property.”

“Johnnie Lee Gray’s Paintings in the Context of Jim Crow” Book title: Rising Above Jim Crow: The Paintings of Johnnie Lee Gray. Published by New York Life. Excerpt from essay written by Gwen Everett, PH.D.

Arvie Smith

“Change the Joke and Slip the Yoke”, Ralph Ellison
The exhibition Black Man in a Black World couldn’t be more timely, when demonstrations of bigotry and hate are assigned the moral equivalency of people fighting for human dignity, equality and justice for all members of the human family. African Americans and all marginalized people need to be heard, recorded and acknowledged for what they have endured, for their significance, and for their strength. Through my paintings I consider historical and contemporary truths attempting to reveal the dignity, endurance, and genius of African Americans hoping to evoke dialogue and reflection on implicit bias and resulting perpetrated injustices committed towards people of color in this country.

In this body of work, it is my intent to “flip” the role of the Black Man from the degradation of subservience to the triumphant role of hero using images traditionally assigned to white males.

The Fighter exemplifies the Black Man’s clash against oppression, degradation and exploitation. The daily assaults and dog whistle status reminders requires nothing less than emotional resistance, determination and resilience.

Minstrel’s Guide this black harlequin harks back to the 1500s as he moves into the viewer’s space to then morph into the minstrel of the 1800-1900s. Minstrels were derogatory characterizations, created by the dominant culture as entertainment to ridicule blacks after the Civil War.

Sampson Brings Down the House recalls the biblical image of a white curly locked Sampson tearing down the temple. Here it is flipped, showing a Black Sampson tearing down the house of injustice. It is my intent to show the strength and prowess of the Black Man in overcoming enormous odds.

Push Back depicts the strong Black male pushing back against racism, bigotry, hatred, inequities, prejudice, discrimination, white supremacy, etc., etc…..

Strange Tale is based on the mythology of Europa and Jupiter, here used to represent the “peculiar institution” of slavery and its aftermath.

The work Sampson and the Lion is based on the biblical story of Sampson slaying the lion that roared against him, flipped here to show a strong Black Sampson combating oppression.

Eric Telfort

Eric Telfort creates work exploring the concept of simulation-based creativity in poverty. Crackers and the Eucharist is a satirical take on his Catholic childhood experience.

Growing up we feared for our lives. Dropping the wafers or chewing too fast would result in going to hell, so we would impersonate Jesus distributing the holy wafers, to practice receiving the Eucharist correctly. Ritz crackers were usually the practice food of choice to simulate the daunting experience, not to mention they were addictive. Since Jesus was white, according to Catholic imagery, a shirt was always used as a wig to help sell the idea of flowing hair.

Black Man in a Black World – Music

Black Man in a Black World

September 2 – November 18, 2017

Music Playlist

Gil Scott Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Stevie Wonder - Black Man

On My Way To Harlem - Gregory Porter

Roy Ayers Ubiquity Red, Black & Green

Black America Again featuring Stevie Wonder (Full Version)

Philip Cohran And The Artistic Heritage Ensemble - Malcolm X

Courtney Pine - Invisible (Higher Vibe)

Infinite Possibilities

Rule The World - Michael Kiwanuka

Horace Tapscott and The Pan-Afrikan People's Arkestra - Desert Fairy Princess

Page From The Journal

Robert Glasper - I'm Dying of Thirst

Herbie Hancock - Tell me a bedtime story

Oneness of Juju - African Rhythms

Freedom - Part Two

Gil Scott Heron - Peace Go With You, Brother

Mortal Man

Track Listing

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Gil Scott-Heron
Black Man, Stevie Wonder
On My Way to Harlem, Gregory Porter
Red, Black and Green, Roy Ayers
Black America Again, Common
Malcolm X, Philip Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble
Invisible, Courtney Pine
Infinite Possibilities, Amel Larrieux
Rule The World, Michael Kiwanuka
Desert Fairy Princess, Horace Tapscott with the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra
Page From The Journal, Chico DeBarge
I’m Dying Of Thirst, Robert Glasper
Tell Me A Bedtime Story, Herbie Hancock
African Rhythms, Oneness Of Juju
Freedom, Charles Mingus
Peace Go With You Brother, Gil Scott-Heron
Mortal Man, Kendrick Lamar

Myrtis Bedolla, Curator; Khadija Nia Adell, Co-curator; Alexander Hyman and Sterling Warren, Curators of Film & Music.

Black Man in a Black World – Film

Black Man in a Black World

September 2 – November 18, 2017

Films

Nothing But a Man: October 8, 2017 – 2:00 – 4:00 pm
The Spook Who Sat by the Door: November 11, 2017 – 2:00 – 5:00 pm

Myrtis Bedolla, Curator; Khadija Nia Adell, Co-curator; Alexander Hyman and Sterling Warren, Curators of Film & Music.

Trailers

Nothing But A Man, 1964
A proud black man and his school-teacher wife face discriminatory challenges in 1960’s America.
Director: Michael Roemer
Stars: Ivan Dixon, Abbey Lincoln, Julius Harris

The Spook Who Sat By The Door, 1973
A black man plays Uncle Tom in order to gain access to CIA training, then uses that knowledge to plot a new American Revolution.
Director: Ivan Dixon
Stars: Lawrence Cook, Janet League, Paula Kelly

Black Man in a Black World

Tight Rope (detail), Oil on canvas, 40″ x 30″, 2014, by Arvie Smith

Black Man in a Black World

September 2 – November 18, 2017

artists’ talk | the artist’s | film | music | press

Black Man in a Black World features works by Wesley Clark, Larry Cook, Johnnie Lee Gray, and Arvie Smith. Through internal ruminations and visual explorations of historical perspectives and contemporary realities of blackness this exhibition offers individual and collective visions of the multi-faceted intersections of black male identity. Through multimedia presentations of painting, sculpture, printmaking, and photography Black Man in a Black World aims to center the black male perspective through the agency and distinctiveness of their own voices. The reclamation of ownership of the visual representations of black male consciousness and identity, by black male artists, requires the kind of boldness, passion, and honesty that has the power to viscerally ignite the soul and spark a transformation of self and community.

Artwork

The God Seed, Oil paint on wood, acrylic and barbed wire, 11"H x 7"W x 3/4"D, 2017, by Wesley Clark

Factualism, Oil paint, shellac, and wood, 37"H x 34"W, 2017 by Wesley Clark

Dark Matter, Oil paint on wood, rusted metal hinges, 2017 by Wesley Clark

Found, Oil paint, shellac, and plywood, 62"H x 48"W, 2010 by Wesley Clark

Face Off 1, Archival Ink Jet Print, 40" x 30", unframed 2/3, 2014 by Larry Cook

Face Off 2, Archival Ink Jet Print, 40" x 30", unframed 2/3, 2014 by Larry Cook

The Call, Direct Polymetal Print, 40" x 50", 1/3, 2017 by Larry Cook

Do For Self, Installation with fragrance oil, wood display and velour wall shelf, 24" x 5.5" x 10" inches, 2017 by Larry Cook

Johnnie Lee Gray, The Revolution: Separate But Equal - Jim Crow Series, N.D., Acrylic on plywood, 1 of 3, 20 5/8"H x 27 5/8"W (framed), Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Shirley Sims Gray

Johnnie Lee Gray, The Revolution: We Shall Overcome - Jim Crow Series, N.D., Acrylic on plywood, 2 of 3, 20"H x 26 5/8"W (framed), Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Shirley Sims Gray

Johnnie Lee Gray, The Revolution: Separate But Equal - Jim Crow Series, N.D., Acrylic on plywood, 3 of 3, 20"H x 23 5/8"W (framed), Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Shirley Sims Gray

Minstrel's Guide, Monotype, 30"x 22", 2017 by Arvie Smith

Push Back, Monotype, 30"x 22", 2017 by Arvie Smith

Sampson Bring Down the House, Monotype, 30" x 22", 2017 by Arive Smith

Strange Tale, Monotype, 30" x 22", 2017 by Arvie Smith

The Fighter, Monotype, 22" x 30", 2017 by Arvie Smith

Sampson and the Lion, Monotype, 22" x 30", 2017

Tight Rope, Oil on canvas, 40″ x30″, 2014, by Arvie Smith

Crackers and the Eucharist, Oil on canvas, 52" x 44" by Eric Telfort

Programming Schedule:

Film
Nothing But a Man (1964), 92 mins
October 8, 2017
2:00 – 4:00 pm

“Nothing But A Man” is the first of two films selected to screen in tandem with the exhibition “Black Man in a Black World.” Following the screening there will be a panel discussion with guest panelist Raél Jero Salley, and film curators Sterling Warren and Alexander Hyman, about the role of cinema in the historical and contemporary portrayal of black male identity.

Synopsis: A young black man in 1963 Alabama loves a minister’s daughter, works hard, and is put upon, oppressed, and called boy by everyone with whom he comes in contact; he wants to be nothing but a man. view trailer

Artists’ Talk
October 14, 2017
4:00 – 6:00 pm
Join Wesley Clark, Larry Cook and Arvie Smith for a lively discussion about their inspiration and thoughts about their artwork.
view past talks in our video library

Film
The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973), 102 mins.
November 11, 2017
2:00 – 4:00 pm

“The Spook Who Sat by the Door” is the second of two films selected to screen in tandem with our current exhibition “Black Man in a Black World.” Following the screening there will be a panel discussion.

Synopsis: The film tells a credible tale of a Black CIA agent who rebels against his role as a racial token and uses his training in counterrevolutionary tactics to organize a guerrilla group in Chicago to fight racism. The story proved so controversial that United Artists was content to let The Spook Who Sat by the Door sink out of sight, although it did attract an avid following among scholars and fans of African-American cinema.
view trailer

Myrtis Bedolla, Curator; Khadija Nia Adell, Co-curator; Alexander Hyman and Sterling Warren, Curators of Film & Music.

Building Bridges: The Politics of Love, Identity and Race

Night Travelers (detail), Gelatin printing, mixed media on paper, 6 ft. x 12.5 ft. (Triptych), 2016 by Delita Martin, American

Building Bridges: The Politics of Love, Identity and Race

May 13 – July 21, 2017

Building Bridges: The Politics of Love, Identity and Race features works by American and Cuban artists who unite to investigate the politicization of love, identity and race. Artists of multi‐racial and multi‐cultural backgrounds explore the notion of love—as power and play; offer conceptual and formal dialogue on identity; and examine race as a mechanism to unify or divide a nation and its people.

The exhibit builds upon the new relationship charted by America and Cuba. Participating in the exhibit are preeminent Cuban artists: Julia Valdés Borreno, Zaida del Rio, Alicia Leal Veloz and Eduardo Roca (Choco) Salazar will be visiting from Havana, Cuba.

Featured Artists
Cuban: Julia Valdés Borreno, Zaida del Rio, Alicia Leal Veloz and Eduardo Roca (Choco) Salazar
American: Morel Doucet, Michael Gross, Jamea Richmond-Edwards and Delita Martin

Curated by Myrtis Bedolla and Ana Joa

Artwork

Sin Título (Untitled), 2017, Mixed media, acrylic on canvas, 38" H x 52" W, by, Julia Valdés Borrero

Sin Título (Untitled), 2017, Mixed media, acrylic on canvas, 19 11/16"H x 47 5/16"W, by, Julia Valdés Borrero

Sin Título (Untitled), 2017, Mixed media, acrylic on caAnvas, 19 7/8"H x 27 11/16"W, by, Julia Valdés Borrero

El Abrazo (The Hug), 2014, Collography, 44 1/2"H x 35"W (framed), by Eduardo Roca (Choco) Salazar

Empujando el Muro (Pushing the Wall), 2001, Collography, 25 3/16"H x 39 11/16"W (unframed), by Eduardo Roca (Choco) Salazar

El Cazador (The Hunter), 2001, Collography, 29"H x 25 1/2"W (framed), by Eduardo Roca (Choco) Salazar

De Perfil III (Profile III), 2013, Collography, 24"H x 18 3/4"W (framed), by Eduardo Roca (Choco) Salazar

Atabey, 2011, Ink on paper, 19.5"H x 15.5"W, (framed) by Morel Doucet

Acionna, 2013, Pen and ink on paper, 19.5"H x 15.5"W (framed) by Morel Doucet

The Sweeter the Juice, 2016
Mixed Media Collage on Canvas
40” x 30"

In the Beginning, 2016
Mixed Media Collage on Canvas
40” x 30"

Mother of Men, 2016
Mixed Media Collage on Canvas
48” x 36"

The Cost of Making Her Run, 2014, Ink and chalk pastel on board 40"H x 32"W (diptych) by Jamea Richmond Edwards

Allegory of a Free Mind #3, 2016, Conte, ink and oil on paper, 19"H x 19"W (framed) by Jamea Richmond Edwards

Colors 2, 2017, Acrylic on canvas, 48"H x 36"W by Michael Gross

Color 6 2016, Acrylic on canvas, 48"H x 108"W (diptych) by Michael Gross

Moonflower, 2017, Charcoal, relief printing, acrylic, decorative papers, and hand-stitching, 60.5"H x 49"W by Delita Martin

Night Travelers, 2016, Gelatin printing, mixed media on paper, On View at the David Driskell Center, 6'H x 12.5'W (triptych) by Delita Martin

The Watcher, 2015
Gelatin Printing, Hand-stitched fabric, Conte, 38 x 50 in. by Delita martin

Meet Me in the Night, 2016
Acrylic, Relief Printing, Conte, Hand-Stitching, Decorative Papers
39” x 50” by Delita Martin

I Know How to Read and Write, 28" x 20", Mix media on cardboard, 2014, by Zaida Del Rio

Aurora, 22" x 30", Mix media on cardboard, 2015, by Zaida Del Rio

Rosalia, 22" x 30", Mix media on cardboard, 2015, by Zaida Del Rio

Daughters of Yemayá, 22" x 30", Mix media on cardboard, 2016, by Zaida Del Rio

La Rama Natural, 2016, Mixta-tela (mixed media on canvas), 51.5"H x 37.5"W by Zaida del Río

Crossing, Acrylic on canvas, 40” x 60”, 2016, by Alicia Leal Veloz, Cuban

My Flag, Acrylic on canvas, 58” x 39”, 2016, by Alicia Leal Veloz

From My Home, Acrylic on canvas, 39” x 32”, 2016, by Alicia Leal Veloz

The Bride of the Tree, Acrylic on canvas, 35” x28” 2016, by Alicia Leal Veloz

Perlas para un collar, 2017, Acrylic on canvas, Unframed request Viewing 39" H x 32.75" W, by Alicia Leal Veloz

Little Girl of My Thought, Acrylic on canvas, 2006, by Alicia Leal Veloz

Seated Woman, 1987, Color viscosity etching, A/P, 31"H x 25"W (framed) by Stephenie Pogue, Provenance: William Pogue Collection

Curator’s Choice: Select Works from Private Collections

Johnnie Lee Gray, The Revolution: Separate But Equal (detail) – Jim Crow Series, Acrylic on plywood, 20 5/8″H x 27 5/8″W

Curator’s Choice: Select Works from Private Collections

March 11 – April 23, 2017

Chosen by Myrtis Bedolla, Founding Director, Galerie Myrtis are selected works of cultural and historical significance offered from private collections. Featured Artists: Antonio Blackburn, Augustus Dunbier, Adolphus Ealey, Johnnie Lee Gray, Thomas Moran, Stephanie Pogue and Lucille Malkia Roberts.

Artwork

Antonio Blackburn (Attributed to), Calla Lily, N.D., Watercolor on Paper, 37"H x 27"W (framed
Provenance: Michael Evanson Collection gift from Adolphus Ealey, Barnett/Aden Gallery

Adolphus Ealey, Untitled (Floral - Still Life), N.D., Watercolor on Paper, 31"H x 24 1/2"W (framed)
Provenance: Michael Evanson Collection gift from Adolphus Ealey, Barnett/Aden Gallery

Johnnie Lee Gray, The Revolution: We Shall Overcome - Jim Crow Series, N.D., Acrylic on plywood, 2 of 3, 20"H x 26 5/8"W (framed), Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Shirley Sims Gray

Johnnie Lee Gray, The Revolution: Separate But Equal - Jim Crow Series, N.D., Acrylic on plywood, 3 of 3, 20"H x 23 5/8"W (framed), Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Shirley Sims Gray

Johnnie Lee Gray, The Juke Joint: Summer of 65', 1992, Acrylic on plywood, 21 1/2"H x 22"W (framed)
Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Shirley Sims Gray

Thomas Moran, A Tower of Cortez - Mexico, 1883, Drypoint Etching, Ink on Paper, 22 1/2"H x 19 1/2"W (framed)
Provenance: Michael Evanson Collection gift from Adolphus Ealey

Stephanie Pogue, The New Hat, 1974, Color viscosity etching, 11 of 20, 33"H x 25 1/2"W (framed)
Provenance: William Pogue Collection

Stephanie Pogue, The Moon and I, 1966, Lithograph, 8 of 8, 20"H x 23 1/2"W (framed)
Provenance: William Pogue Collection

Stephanie Pogue, Caught in the Wind, 1978, Color viscosity etching, 5 of 50, 34 ½” H x 27 ½”W (framed)
Provenance: William Pogue Collection

Stephanie Pogue, Seated Woman, 1978, Color viscosity etching, A/P, 32 1/2"H x 28 3/4"W (framed)
Provenance: William Pogue Collection

Stephanie Pogue, Seated Woman, 1987, Color viscosity etching, A/P, 31"H x 25"W (framed
Provenance: William Pogue Collection

Stephanie Pogue, Paris Skylight, 1984, Color viscosity etching, 33 1/4"H x 40 1/2"W (framed),
Provenance: William Pogue Collection

Stephanie Pogue, Madras Skylight, 1983, Color viscosity etching, 9 of 20, 30 1/2"H x 26 1/2"W (framed),
Provenance: William Pogue Collection

Stephanie Pogue, The Prophet Malachi, 1973, Color viscosity etching/ Color State III, A/P, 28”H x 35 ¼”W (framed)
Provenance: William Pogue Collection

Stephanie Pogue, Dancing Puppet, 1987, Color viscosity etching 1 of 10, 30 ½”H x 24 16/4”W (framed)
Provenance: William Pogue Collection

Lucille Malkia Roberts, Wharf Maine Ave, N.D., Oil on Masonite Board, 37"H x 28"W (framed),
Provenance: Betty A. Brooks Estate

Lucille Malkia Roberts, Untitled (Mosque), N.D., Oil on Masonite Board, 30 1/2"H x 23"W (framed)
Provenance: Betty A. Brooks Estate

Augustus William Dunbier, Negro Woman, 1934, Oil on Canvas Board, 33 1/2"H x 27 1/2"W (framed)
Provenance: Jacqueline Miller Collection gift from Adolphus Ealey, The Barnett Aden Collection

Augustus Dunbier, Negro Woman, Oil on Canvas Board, 1934 - (Exhibition Catalogue: The Barnett-Aden Collection, pg. 70)
The Jacqueline Miller Collection

Paradigms of Structure and Change: David Carlson

Other Side of Empty, 2016, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 60″ x 72″

Paradigms of Structure and Change: David Carlson
March 11 – April 23, 2017

Working with the unique qualities of painting, drawing, and video, David Carlson engages the poetics of geometry and design through the collision of gestural lines, rounded forms, and layered imagery. Spanning over several years, the bodies of work featured in Paradigms of Structure and Change are in conversation with one another as investigations into the importance of experience and reflection within the process of intuitive creation. Khadija Adell, Curator

paintings | video | artist’s talk | david carlson

paintings

Diving Board, 2015, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 36" x 36"

Shake a Snake, 2015, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 36" x 36"

The Intangibles , 2015, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 36" x 36"

Laughing, Uncertain, Tickle, 2015, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 40" x 40"

Magician's Forest, 2015, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 40" x 40", 2015

Other Side of Empty, 2016, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 60" x 72"

Motionless Wind , 2016, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 60" x 72"

Flying, Baby, Twister, 2011, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 72" x 60"

Fisherman, 2010, Oil and acrylic on wood, 28" x 25"

Heaven Ladder, 2010, Oil and acrylic on wood, 37.5" x 30"

Bow and Target, 2010, Oil and acrylic on wood, 28" x 24.5"

Tap on the Head, 2010, Oil and acrylic on wood, 30" x 30"

Quit Looking at Me, 2010, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 72" x 60", 2010

B & W Drawing #1, 1997, Chinese, Ink and acrylic on paper , 22"x19" (framed) ; 17"x14" (unframed)

B & W Drawing #2, 1997, Chinese, Ink and acrylic on paper , 22"x19" (framed) ; 17"x14" (unframed)

B & W Drawing #3, 1997, Chinese, Ink and acrylic on paper , 22"x19" (framed) ; 17"x14" (unframed)

video

Flow, 2014
High Definition Video
3 min. 32 sec.

Cyrcle, 2014
High Definition Video
3 min. 43 sec.

Confluence, 2014
High Definition Video
4 min. 03 sec.

Water in the Sky, 2014
High Definition Video
14 min. 03 sec.

One year, one month, one week, one day, one hour, one minute.

Through the act of abstract painting I merge time and energy into compositions that reflect unknown circumstance. This is important. I begin with a simple group of thoughts or perimeters that initiate the overall concept. (platform.) Totemic force, unidentified object, nature, music, poetry, diverse cultural experiences through travel define the process. Mine is not to dissect and explain but to experience and reflect.
Each painting has it’s own duration and this perception is automatically built into it through the process of exploration. This is something I have been working and struggling with for many years.

In my studio I ask myself, “What is the nature of reality?” This is my constant thought while I paint. The tension between opposing paradigms of structure and change continually challenge me to look for different ways to understand this question. By using abstraction, my paintings have an undertone of geometry, I use the word poetically. The aesthetic includes a painterly approach, precision handling and an underlying sense of design through collision, tension and opposition.

On the surface, there are recognizable shapes, mostly circles, but also rounded forms and lines that create movement and structure in the space. The physical nature of circles become fixed in space between the more gestural lines and layers that create movement and a sense of time. The painting’s layered surface include heavy texture, scraped areas, fresh paint and milky veils, which allude to the formation or destruction of random sequence. Without having specific objects or trappings of identifiable ‘real’ images, the paintings cross over perceptible boundaries locked to a specific meaning. This allows me to look directly at diverse ideas in an intuitive manner. The act of painting becomes the experience or ‘reality’ for the basis of the work. By combining abstract painting with concepts rooted in Taoist and Buddhist philosophy I have been constructing contemporary works that directly express the ever-changing quality of experience, time, and place. Zen

David Carlson

Take Me Away to the Stars

Shall It Declare Thy Truth? (detail), 2016

Take Me Away to the Stars: The Mystery, Magic, and Myth of Nat Turner

November 5, 2016 – February 18, 2017

artwork | artist’s talk | artist statement | curatorial statement

Take Me Away to the Stars, explores how violence is processed through escapism, religion and myth. Using the historic and mythological chronicles of Nat Turner’s historic slave rebellion, Stephen Towns constructs a contemporary story through drawings, paintings and quilts. read artist statement

Artwork

Birth of a Nation, 2014, Fiber, 5.5' x 7.5'

I Shall Not Want, 2016, Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf, Bristol Board on Panel, 12" x 12"

He Restoreth My Soul, 2016, Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf, Bristol Board on Panel 12" x 12"

My Cup Runneth Over, 2016, Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf, Bristol Board on Panel, 12" x 12"

God's Ways are Mysterious, 2016, Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf on Canvas, 24" x30"

The Righteous and the Wise, and their Works are in the Hand of God, 2016 Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf on Canvas, 40" x 30"

No Remembrance of Things to Come, 2016, Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf on Canvas, 33" x28"

All is Vanity, 2016, Acrylic, Oil Metal Leaf on Canvas, 36"x36"

Whoso Keepeth the Commandment Shall Feel No Evil Thing, 2016, Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf on Canvas, 40" x 30"

I Will Dwell in the House of the Lord Forever, 2016, Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf, Bristol Board on Panel, 12" x 12"

He Leadeth Me Beside the Still Waters, 2016, Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf, Bristol Board on Panel, 12" x 12"

I Fear no Evil, 2016, Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf, Bristol Board on Panel, 12" x 12"

Black Sun, 2016, Fiber Glass Beads, 35"x27"

The Revolt, 2016, Fiber, Glass Beads, 34.5" x 27"

The Prophet, 2016, Fiber, Glass Beads, 37" x 28.5"

Special Child, 2016, Fiber, Glass Beads, 36.5" x 29"

One Night at Cabin Pond, 2016, Fiber, Glass Beads, 35" x 28.5 "

One Night at Cabin Pond (installation), 2016, Fiber, Glass Beads, wood, 35" x 28.5 "

By Thy Favour Thou Has Made My Mountain to Stand Strong, 2016, Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf, Bristol Board, Canvas, and Paper on Panel, 24" x 18"

Thou Hast Turned for Me my Mourning into Dancing, 2016, Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf, Bristol Board, Canvas, and Paper on Panel, 24" x 18"

I Shall Never Be Moved, 2016, Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf, Bristol Board, Canvas, and Paper on Panel, 24" x 18"

Shall It Declare Thy Truth?, 2016, Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf, Bristol Board, Canvas, and Paper on Panel, 24" x 18"

Shall the Dust Praise Thee?, 2016, Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf, Bristol Board, Canvas, and Paper on Panel, 24" x 18"

What Profit is There in my Blood, 2016, Acrylic, Oil, Metal Leaf, Bristol Board, Canvas, and Paper on Panel, 24" x 18"

Artist Statement

Take Me Away to the Stars, explores how we process violence through escapism, religion and myth. Using the historic and mythological chronicles of Nat Turner’s rebellion, my visual narrative probes the effects this singular event had in solidifying the fear of Black Americans and the development of the “sub-human” black man ideology, yet the reality is black Americans are systematically shackled to a violent nation which half-heartedly embraces our bodies, minds and souls while reaping the benefits of our pain.

‘The Confessions of Nat Turner,’ scholarly articles on coping mechanisms and a visit to the Turner Rebellion sites, are the thesis for Take Me Away to the Stars. This research is the foundation to construct a contemporary story using patterns, shape, celestial imagery and quilting unfolding this very violent story through non-violent imagery without “escape” from reality.

Take Me Away to the Stars is a complement to my co-patriot series. Stars provides me an avenue to process all I have learned about the violence of American history and may possibly provide a framework on how to navigate and articulate the current anger and frustration that exists within Baltimore today following the Uprising of 2015 and indeed throughout the nation and the world.

Curatorial Statement

On the eve of August 21, 1831, Nat Turner led a rebellion against slavery in South Hampton County, Virginia. He was joined by a band of 70 armed slaves and freed blacks who traveled to an estimated 15 farms and bludgeoned every white man, woman, and child to be found. By the end of the 24-hour insurrection, 55-65 whites had been murdered. Out of retaliation for the attack, Turner and 21 of his conspirators were executed by hanging, others were transported from the region, and an estimated 200 innocent blacks were summarily killed.

Turner’s bloody revolt sent shock waves throughout the antebellum south. He was vilified by slaveholders who believed his act to be reprehensible; while being raised to apotheosis status by abolitionists in the north for sacrificing his life to end slavery.

Whether villain or hero, the question remains—given the cult of violence that existed during slavery was Turner justified in taking up arms against his oppressors?

In, Take Me Away to the Stars: The Mystery, Magic, and Myth of Nat Turner Stephen Towns explores the moral legitimacy and political efficacy of violent protest by blacks in their fight for freedom and equality. Turner’s life is the lens through which Towns examines how violence is processed through escapism and myth while investigating the role religion has played in the subjugation and liberation of black people.

Historical and mythological narratives and Towns’ imagination are the inspirations for paintings and quilts that take us on a visual journey from Turner’s childhood to the day of his execution. Towns masterfully constructs his commentary on violence employing a non-violent iconography where butterflies, celestial skies, halos, and magic acts, are metaphors for resilience, spirituality, perseverance, and escapism.

The story unfolds with Find Me a Constellation, a series of delicately painted portraits of enslaved children, offered by Towns as a tender reminder of those born as chattel. As a child, Turner impressed family and friends with an unusual sense of divine purpose. Town’s portrait, I will Fear No Evil imagines Turner as a small boy; the title, a reference to his deep religious convictions.

The Story Quilts chronicle Turner’s evolution from “special” child to the man driven by prophetic visions to lead the insurrection. Towns’ narrative quilts depict the enigmatic Turner under luminous night skies as he evolves from gifted child—to charismatic preacher—to the infamous leader of the slave revolt.

In the Black Magic series, magic is the metaphor for religion and survival. Towns’ paintings depict Turner and his wife, Cherry as magicians who deploy sorcery to escape the harsh realities of their existence. They are fueled by the quest for freedom and imbued with the power of God, as they find sanctuary in a world of illusions.

Joy Cometh in the Morning is Towns’ homage to Turner and his combatants, who in the facing their execution, remain defiant. Paintings of the insurgents evoke intense emotions. Their penetrating gazes and clinched fists convey a resolute determination to live freely or dead by their own hands.

In Birth of a Nation, Towns takes a departure from the Turner story to address the role of black women as “wet nurses” during the antebellum and post-antebellum period. A 13 star Revolutionary Flag meticulously hand stitched by Towns hangs above a soil, just inches from desecration. The flag serves as the backdrop for the archetype mammie figure with white baby suckling at her breast. Towns reveals the contradiction in men who hold the flag sacred while defiling and violating the black woman’s body.

Myrtis Bedolla, Curator

Reference: French, Scott. The Rebellious Slave: Nat Turner in American Memory. New York, NY. Houghton Mifflin Company. 2004

Art of the Collectors VI

Artwork

About AfriCOBRA

Black Man in a Black World

Wesley Clark

Larry Cook

Johnnie Lee Gray

Arvie Smith

Eric Telfort

Black Man in a Black World

Music Playlist

Track Listing

Black Man in a Black World

Films

Trailers

Black Man in a Black World

Artwork

Programming Schedule:

Building Bridges: The Politics of Love, Identity and Race

Artwork

Curator’s Choice: Select Works from Private Collections

March 11 – April 23, 2017

Artwork

Paradigms of Structure and Change: David Carlson March 11 – April 23, 2017

David Carlson

Take Me Away to the Stars: The Mystery, Magic, and Myth of Nat Turner

November 5, 2016 – February 18, 2017

Artwork

Artist Statement

Curatorial Statement

Myrtis Bedolla, Curator

Paradigms of Structure and Change: David Carlson
March 11 – April 23, 2017