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 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.
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
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
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
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
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
New York, New York: The Stop & Frisk Game Board, 2013 by Wesley Clark[/caption]The exhibition presented at Galerie Myrtis, Lest We Forget examines pivotal moments and figures in US history, as well as the everyday occurrences and unknown individuals that have impacted, to various degrees, the African American experience here, and by extension, throughout the world. Too often individuals, movements and ideas are discounted, overlooked or ‘smudged out’ in an attempt to lessen their societal and cultural agency and potency. What has come before is particularly poignant now, more than ever, and continues to reverberate in current issues , both progressive and problematic, such as Black Lives Matter and the examination of President Obama’s legacy in the final months of his administration.
Featured Artists: Larry Cook, Wesley Clark, Shaunte Gates, Delita Martin, Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Amber Robles-Gordon and Stan Squirewell
Curated by: Jarvis DuBois and Deirdre Darden
| artists’ talk | New York, New York: The Stop & Frisk Game Board, 2013
by Wesley Clark
Artwork
The Watcher, 2015
Gelatin printing, hand-stitched, fabric and conte, 53 x 41 in. framed
Delita Martin
They Know III, 2016
Pigment Print, 92 x 32 in. diptych
Shaunte Gates
Puppet Test IV, 2016
Pigment Print, 32 x 46 in.
Shaunte Gates
Tree Branch Installation by Amber Robles-Gordon
Talking Stick: Mother of Modern Medicine, 2016
Mixed media on tree branch, ~ 41.5 in.
Amber Robles-Gordon
Talking Stick: Black Cell, Black Life Resiliency, 2016
Mixed Media on tree branch, ~ 54.5 in.
Amber Robles-Gordon
Lawrence, Elsie, Sonny, Deborah and Zakriyya, 2016
Mixed media on tree branch, ~ 62 in.
Amber Robles-Gordon
Cell Commercialization without Representation, 2016
Mixed media on tree branch, ~ 83 in.
Amber Robles-Gordon
The Sugar-icing of Henrietta Lacks, 2015
Mixed media on tree branch, ~ 64 in.
Amber Robles-Gordon
Above All You Must Do No Harm, 2016
Mixed media on tree branch, ~ 69 in.
Amber Robles-Gordon
Talking Stick: Without a Black Women's Consent, 2016
Mixed media on tree branch, ~ 33 in.
Amber Robles-Gordon
Tree Branch Installation by Amber Robles-Gordon
New York, New York: The Stop & Frisk Game Board, 2013
Oil paint, acrylic, spray paint on plywood, 24 x 24 in.
Wesley Clark
The Girl Inside, 2016
Gelatin Printing, Conte, Relief, Hand-Stitching, Decorative Papers, 65 x 48 in. framed
Delita Martin
Blue Dress and Colored Dreams, 2015
Gelatin printing, hand-stitched, fabric and conte, 87.5 x 54.5 in. framed Delita Martin
13th Amendment Series, 2016
Archival Print, 33 x 42 in. framed
Larry Cook
13th Amendment Series, Photo #1, 2016
Archival Print 9 x 11 in. framed
Larry Cook
13th Amendment Series, Photo #2, 2016
Archival Print 9 x 11 in. framed
Larry Cook
13th Amendment Series, Photo #3, 2016
Archival Print 9 x 11 in. framed
Larry Cook
13th Amendment Series, Photo #4, 2016
Archival Print 9 x 11 in. framed
Larry Cook
13th Amendment Series, Photo #5, 2016
Archival Print 9 x 11 in. framed
Larry Cook
13th Amendment Series, Photo #6, 2016
Archival Print 9 x 11 in. framed
Larry Cook
13th Amendment Series, Photo #7, 2016
Archival Print 9 x 11 in. framed
Larry Cook
Ain't Nothing Raggedy About This, 2011
Ink, acrylic and mixed media collage on mylar, 36 x 91 in. unframed
Jamea Richmonds-Edwards
They, Them, Us and We Series, 2016
Ink, colored pencil and charcoal on paper, 8 x 11 in. unframed
Images sold separately
Jamea Richmonds-Edwards
Anyone There?, Wakonda Series, 2016
Acrylic, tube and graphite on Wood, 50.5 x 32 x 2 in.
Stan Squirewell
What A Strange Place, Wakonda Series, 2016
Collage, acrylic and graphite on wood, 50 x 37.5 x 2 in. framed
Stan Squirewell
Calling Planet Earth, Wakonda Series, 2016
Acrylic, pigment print and graphite on wood, 45.5 x 39.5 x 2.5 in. framed
Stan Squirewell
Quilted Angel, 2015
Gelatin printing, hand-stitched, fabric and conte, 53 x 41 in.
Delita Martin
To Be Black in White America explores the politicization of the Black Identity in the United States. From legalized slavery to the most recent, hateful thing that Donald Trump said, a minority of Americans have been desperately and diligently fighting against a White power structure for equality throughout the nation’s relatively short history.
Exclamations comparing today’s events with those of the 1960’s are prevalent—from social media to the May 2015 cover of Time magazine, featuring the Freddie Gray protests. The truth is that we never left the Civil Rights Era completely in the past. Institutional racism and personal vitriol—which we have seen plenty of during the presidential campaigns—have always been present. They crop up when vile words provoke violence or when an act of violence incites protests.
While the subject matter surrounding White power structures is as vast as the Middle Crossing, the artists featured in this exhibition are able to identify and clearly express difficult but highly specific aspects of this struggle.
Galerie Myrtis and this exhibition are part of the 2016 Artscape Gallery Network
To Be Black in White America explores the politicization of the Black Identity in the United States. From legalized slavery to the most recent, hateful thing that Donald Trump said, a minority of Americans have been desperately and diligently fighting against a White power structure for equality throughout the nation’s relatively short history.
Exclamations comparing today’s events with those of the 1960’s are prevalent—from social media to the May 2015 cover of Time magazine, featuring the Freddie Gray protests. The truth is that we never left the Civil Rights Era completely in the past. Institutional racism and personal vitriol—which we have seen plenty of during the presidential campaigns—have always been present. They crop up when vile words provoke violence or when an act of violence incites protests.
Galerie Myrtis and this exhibition are part of the 2016 Artscape Gallery Network
About the Artists
Larry Cook was a finalist for the 11th annual Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize. He uses “photography, video, installation and text [to] examine identity, history and cultural symbolism.” His work challenges the notion of a ‘post-racial’ society. He takes a critical look at the “complex conditions of Black Americans.” The videos in this exhibition specifically examines Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of an integrated US, as expressed by his “I Have a Dream” speech and how far we have drifted from that vision.
Wesley Clark often focuses on the experience of young, Black males in America and the African Diaspora. His repeated use of targets in his art expresses the target that young, Black men feel is on them—asking them to behave a certain way, expecting them to fail and punishing them when they do. The works in his Open Season series are titled with the initials and age, date and state of death in, what Clark calls, “excessive response” incidents. Beginning with Trayvon Martin, Clark is tracking the Black men and women killed by police and other White “authorities.” While his subject matter is somber, the colorful tapestry created by Clark’s targets expresses the beauty of the people lost to such violence.
Linda Day Clark “is a community advocate working for change as an artist, educator and scholar.” Day Clark’s photograph North Avenue No. 24, from 1993, shows the then and continuing prevalence of and preference for the classic, White, blonde Barbie® doll. In Day Clark’s photograph, a young, Black girl smiles ear-to-ear as she shows off a doll in clothes and hairstyling that she has made herself. Earlier this year—over 20 years after Day Clark took her photograph on nearby North Avenue—Mattel® toys released Barbie® dolls with more varied appearances but whether they will take root with similarly diverse girls is yet to be determined.
Oletha DeVane is an accomplished multimedia artist who works in painting, printmaking, sculpture and video, often combining these elements in installations. Her influences include her faith, Greek mythology, Yoruba religion and biblical references. In this exhibition, she explores the ordeal of Henry “Box” Brown, the man who mailed himself to freedom in over a decade before the American Civil War.
Following the shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012, the slain teenager’s grey hoodie became an icon for racial profiling and wrongful death. Nehemiah Dixon III continues this conversation in his Suit of Armor series. He dipped hoodies in black epoxy resin and allowed them to cure so that they appear to contain a body. They are solid but ghostly. Their color assumes skin tone. They look like they should be protective, but we know that they are not. They look like they are being worn by a body, but that person is gone. Dixon’s hoodies are symbols of strife, loss, grief and mourning.
In 1997, Susan Goldman, a printmaker, began a series of work featuring the ‘Hottentot Venus.’ Saartjie “Sarah” Baartman, a Khoikhoi woman from South Africa spent her adulthood displayed as a spectacle in 19th century human zoos. Even after her death, parts of her body were on display at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris until the 1970s. Her body was finally returned to South Africa and laid to rest in 2002. Although Baartman never came to the US, she is emblematic of the exploitation of the Black [especially female] body in both human zoos and modern media.
All of Curlee Holton’s prints featured in this exhibition were made in the early 1990s, but are so relevant to today’s racial climate that they could have been pulled, hot off the press yesterday. Man Man Meaning 1 and 2 speak to a shared belief in Christianity, but very different interpretations between White Supremacists and African Americans. Shoot’em Up provides images of Black-on-Black violence, but the red tip of the gun reminds us of the toy that 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot and killed by the Cleveland Police for carrying in a park. Promise reminds us of the numerous young men, with big dreams for the future, who have been taken by gun or, specifically, police violence.
Wayson R. Jones is a multimedia painter of highly abstracted, very tactile and largely black-and-white portraits. Jones “is influenced by the sense of gesture, space and spontaneity in Abstract Expressionism.” The portraits are not literal, but combine “image, memory and emotion” through planned and chanced processes of painting. He captures the essence of people: the martyred status of murdered by police; the bars seared onto the image of non-violent prisoners incarcerated in the War on Drugs; the families, friends and communities crying out for justice; the weight of the expectations on this country’s first Black president.
Jeffrey Kent is a mixed media artist who works primarily in painting but also creates exquisite sculptural works. His “recent artworks reflect critically on the way mass media is used to convey social agenda.” He ranges in imagery from the Civil Rights Movement to contemporary media representations of African-American boys and men as ‘punks.’ His frequent use of backwards text forces the viewer to experience the “disenfranchisement, separation and humiliation” of those who have trouble with words on a daily basis.
Wendel Patrick is a photographer and musician who works with ambient sound. He collaborates with WYPR’s Aaron Henkin on the “Out of the Blocks” series, which—originally aired as one hour of radio—focuses on one Baltimore block at a time through recordings, interviews, photography and video. Patrick’s photography in this exhibition highlights Baltimore’s youth culture, last year’s racially-charged protests and definitions of masculinity.
Jamea Richmond-Edwards is well known for her images of women, elevated by halos in collage and drawing. In recent years, she has also begun working on extremely subtle, black-on-black drawings, occasionally highlighted with white conté crayon. Despite the subtlety of her technique, Richmond-Edwards creates powerful images, such as Guns, Bubbles and Black Power, which is a vision of powerful, Black, female autonomy.
Stephen Towns highlights the cliché of a ‘post-racial’ America by responding to issues within African-American culture. In this exhibition, his painting I Wish It Were That Easy celebrates African-Americans’ ability to vote but recognizes that “changes in leadership and policy can be slow.” During this election season, many people still find themselves disenfranchised or meeting resistance in exercising their right to vote. Seeing these experiences, Towns seeks to “create beauty from the hardships in life.”
Larry Cook is a finalist for the 11th annual Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize. He uses “photography, video, installation and text [to] examine identity, history and cultural symbolism.” His work challenges the notion of a ‘post-racial’ society. He takes a critical look at the “complex conditions of Black Americans.” The videos in this exhibition specifically examines Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of an integrated US, as expressed by his “I Have a Dream” speech and how far we have drifted from that vision.
Wesley Clark often focuses on the experience of young, Black males in America and the African Diaspora. His repeated use of targets in his art expresses the target that young, Black men feel is on them—asking them to behave a certain way, expecting them to fail and punishing them when they do. The works in his Open Season series are titled with the initials and age, date and state of death in, what Clark calls, “excessive response” incidents. Beginning with Trayvon Martin, Clark is tracking the Black men and women killed by police and other White “authorities.” While his subject matter is somber, the colorful tapestry created by Clark’s targets expresses the beauty of the people lost to such violence.
Linda Day Clark “is a community advocate working for change as an artist, educator and scholar.” Day Clark’s photograph North Avenue No. 24, from 1993, shows the then and continuing prevalence of and preference for the classic, White, blonde Barbie® doll. In Day Clark’s photograph, a young, Black girl smiles ear-to-ear as she shows off a doll in clothes and hairstyling that she has made herself. Earlier this year—over 20 years after Day Clark took her photograph on nearby North Avenue—Mattel® toys released Barbie® dolls with more varied appearances but whether they will take root with similarly diverse girls is yet to be determined.
Oletha DeVane is an accomplished multimedia artist who works in painting, printmaking, sculpture and video, often combining these elements in installations. Her influences include her faith, Greek mythology, Yoruba religion and biblical references. In this exhibition, she explores the ordeal of Henry “Box” Brown, the man who mailed himself to freedom in over a decade before the American Civil War.
Following the shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012, the slain teenager’s grey hoodie became an icon for racial profiling and wrongful death. Nehemiah Dixon III continues this conversation in his Suit of Armor series. He dipped hoodies in black epoxy resin and allowed them to cure so that they appear to contain a body. They are solid but ghostly. Their color assumes skin tone. They look like they should be protective, but we know that they are not. They look like they are being worn by a body, but that person is gone. Dixon’s hoodies are symbols of strife, loss, grief and mourning.
In 1997, Susan Goldman, a printmaker, began a series of work featuring the ‘Hottentot Venus.’ Saartjie “Sarah” Baartman, a Khoikhoi woman from South Africa spent her adulthood displayed as a spectacle in 19th century human zoos. Even after her death, parts of her body were on display at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris until the 1970s. Her body was finally returned to South Africa and laid to rest in 2002. Although Baartman never came to the US, she is emblematic of the exploitation of the Black [especially female] body in both human zoos and modern media.
All of Curlee Holton’s prints featured in this exhibition were made in the early 1990s, but are so relevant to today’s racial climate that they could have been pulled, hot off the press yesterday. Man Man Meaning 1 and 2 speak to a shared belief in Christianity, but very different interpretations between White Supremacists and African Americans. Shoot’em Up provides images of Black-on-Black violence, but the red tip of the gun reminds us of the toy that 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot and killed by the Cleveland Police for carrying in a park. Promise reminds us of the numerous young men, with big dreams for the future, who have been taken by gun or, specifically, police violence.
Wayson R. Jones is a multimedia painter of highly abstracted, very tactile and largely black-and-white portraits. Jones “is influenced by the sense of gesture, space and spontaneity in Abstract Expressionism.” The portraits are not literal, but combine “image, memory and emotion” through planned and chanced processes of painting. He captures the essence of people: the martyred status of murdered by police; the bars seared onto the image of non-violent prisoners incarcerated in the War on Drugs; the families, friends and communities crying out for justice; the weight of the expectations on this country’s first Black president.
Jeffrey Kent is a mixed media artist who works primarily in painting but also creates exquisite sculptural works. His “recent artworks reflect critically on the way mass media is used to convey social agenda.” He ranges in imagery from the Civil Rights Movement to contemporary media representations of African-American boys and men as ‘punks.’ His frequent use of backwards text forces the viewer to experience the “disenfranchisement, separation and humiliation” of those who have trouble with words on a daily basis.
Wendel Patrick is a photographer and musician who works with ambient sound. He collaborates with WYPR’s Aaron Henkin on the “Out of the Blocks” series, which—originally aired as one hour of radio—focuses on one Baltimore block at a time through recordings, interviews, photography and video. Patrick’s photography in this exhibition highlights Baltimore’s youth culture, last year’s racially-charged protests and definitions of masculinity.
Jamea Richmond-Edwards is well known for her images of women, elevated by halos in collage and drawing. In recent years, she has also begun working on extremely subtle, black-on-black drawings, occasionally highlighted with white conté crayon. Despite the subtlety of her technique, Richmond-Edwards creates powerful images, such as Guns, Bubbles and Black Power, which is a vision of powerful, Black, female autonomy.
Stephen Towns highlights the cliché of a ‘post-racial’ America by responding to issues within African-American culture. In this exhibition, his painting I Wish It Were That Easy celebrates African-Americans’ ability to vote but recognizes that “changes in leadership and policy can be slow.” During this election season, many people still find themselves disenfranchised or meeting resistance in exercising their right to vote. Seeing these experiences, Towns seeks to “create beauty from the hardships in life.”