Artist Talk

Between Spirits and Sisters – Film Screening – Daughters…

Between Spirits and Sisters by Delita Martin

 
Film Screening: Daughters of the Dust
Parkway Theater
5 W. North Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21201

film trailer | artwork

Galerie Myrtis invites you to join Myrtis Bedolla in conversation with artist Delita Martin who will discuss the Julie Dash’s 1991 film Daughters of the Dust, and its influence on her work and current series Between Spirits and Sisters.

The program will begin with an introduction of the movie by curator of film, Sterling Warren who will talk about its cultural and historical significance. Warren’s talk will be followed by the screening of Daughters of the Dust. At the conclusion of the film, Bedolla and Martin will engage in dialogue as Martin reflects on the bond amongst women in her family, how those relationships are reflected in her work, and her quest to preserve traditions that have been passed down through generations.

Left Image: Still image from Daughters of the Dust, 1991
Right Image: Delita Martin, Blue Dress and Colored Dreams, Gelatin printing, acrylic, hand-stitching, and conte, 84″ x 53″, 2015.

Meet The Artist

Delita Martin is an artist currently based in Huffman, Texas. She received a BFA in drawing from Texas Southern University and an MFA in printmaking from Purdue University. Formerly a member of the Fine Arts faculty at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Martin currently works as a full-time artist in her studio, Black Box Press.
read full bio

Martin’s solo exhibition Between Spirits and Sisters is currently on view at Galerie Myrtis until February 2, 2019.

The Film


Daughters of the Dust: Members of the Peazant family struggle with the decision to leave their island and move north. On the eve of their departure, memories of their Gullah history and its African roots come rising to the surface. Running time: 112 minutes, PG

Director: Julie Dash

Curator of Film

Sterling Warren is a writer, artist and curator based in Baltimore. A native of Washington D.C., Sterling graduated from Howard University’s School of Communications, receiving a BA in Film. He is currently a graduate student in the Museum Studies and Historical Preservation program at Morgan State University.  Sterling has collaborated with several art and history institutions including the James E. Lewis Museum of Art, the Maryland Historical Society, the Lillie Carroll Jackson Civil Rights Museum, the Walters Art Museum, and Galerie Myrtis (where he is currently the curator of film).
Photograph by Akea Brown

Founding Director, Galerie Myrtis

Myrtis Bedolla is founding director of Galerie Myrtis, a contemporary fine art gallery and art advisory located in Baltimore, Maryland. Voted, Best Gallery by the Baltimore Sun in 2017, Bedolla has also been featured in BMORE Art magazine, Issue 3, Living with Art: Myrtis Bedolla Builds a Home and Gallery in Old Goucher and in the Baltimore Style Magazine, October 2013 issue Women in the Arts which honored women at the helm of the Baltimore art scene.
read full bio

Photograph courtesy: photography.spartana.com

Exhibitions

Between Spirits and Sisters – Artwork

Between Spirits and Sisters
by Delita Martin

 
Exhibition Dates: November 10, 2018 – February 2, 2019
Artist’s Talk: January 19th, from 4:00 – 6:00 pm

artwork | artist’s talk | film screening | bio | statement | resume

Artwork

Exhibitions

Between Spirits and Sisters – Delita Martin – Biography

Between Spirits and Sisters
by Delita Martin

November 10, 2018 – February 2, 2019

artwork | artist’s talk | film screening | bio | statement | resume

Biography


Delita Martin is an artist currently based in Huffman, Texas. She received a BFA in drawing from Texas Southern University and an MFA in printmaking from Purdue University. Formerly a member of the Fine Arts faculty at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Martin currently works as a full-time artist in her studio, Black Box Press.

Working from oral traditions, vintage and family photographs as a source of inspiration, Martin’s work explores the power of the narrative impulse. Her process of layering various printmaking, drawing, sewing collaging and painting techniques allow her to create portrait that fuse the real and the fantastic. In her work, she combines signs and symbols to create visual language. By fusing this visual language with oral storytelling, she offers other identities and other narratives for women of color.

Martin’s work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. Most recently, Martin’s work was included in State of the Arts: Discovering American Art Now, an exhibition that included 101 artists from around the United States. She was also included in the International Review of African American Art as one of 16 African American artists to watch, as they are gaining national and international attention in 2015.

Image courtesy of blackboxpressstudio.com

Exhibitions

Between Spirits and Sisters – Delita Martin – Artist…

Between Spirits and Sisters
by Delita Martin

November 10, 2018 – February 2, 2019

artwork | artist’s talk | film screening | bio | statement | resume

Statement


Wherever two or three women are gathered together, there is the spirit and authority of Sande.”
-Mende belief

“-Women create Sande on the spot where they group together, sharing with one another, excluding men. This space is defined by privacy and secrecy- Women together in their womanhood, in a free exchange of words and actions among sisters -This is Sande.”
-Sylvia Ardyn Boone
Radiance From The Waters: Ideals of Feminine Beauty in Mende Art

The duality of women in this body of work project the spirit and its connection to the physical world, which reinforces the bond amongst women and how they co- exist in the physical and spiritual realms. The mask seen in the work are my interpretation of the Mende mask, specifically created for young girls being initiated into Sande. These masks are created as a reminder that human beings have a dual existence viewed as one body.

In this work, I am also exploring the different signs and symbols that help define the space the women reside in. In my previous works, the backgrounds communicated a specific sign, symbol, or icon to assist the viewer in their conversation with the work. Those signs and symbols helped define the perspective of the image. This body of work transitions the women and their place of residence into a spiritual realm, where the symbolism is less defined, the shapes are more organic, and the icons are left for the viewer to ponder and creating a space for the women to be birthed into.

Image: Where the Blue Begins, Acrylic, Charcoal, Callograph Printing, Decorative Papers, Hand-Stitching, 68 5/8” x 51 ¾” (unframed), 2018

Delita Martin – Between Spirits and Sisters

Exhibition Dates: November 10, 2018 – February 2, 2019
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 10th, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Artist’s Talk: Saturday, January 19th, from 4:00 – 6:00 pm

Galerie Myrtis is pleased to present its first solo exhibition of works by Delita Martin. In Between Spirits and Sisters, Martin offers mixed media works that explore womanhood inspired by the Mende belief “Wherever two or three women are gathered together, there is the spirit and authority of Sande.”

The opening reception will be held on Saturday, November 10th, from 2:00 – 4:00 pm. The Artist’s Talk will take place on Saturday, January 19th; from 4:00 – 6:00 pm. Martin will discuss the “Between Spirits and Sisters” series and traditions shared among the women in her family.

Delita Martin states, “the duality of women in this body of work project the spirit and its connection to the physical world, which reinforces the bond amongst women and how they co-exist in the physical and spiritual realms. The mask seen in the work is my interpretation of the Mende mask, specifically created for young girls being initiated into Sande. These masks are created as a reminder that human beings have a dual existence viewed as one body.” read Delita’s bio

Martin’s work is in the collections of the David Driskell Center, College Park, MD; Crystal Bridges Museum, Bentonville, AR; Minnesota Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN; Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art, Asbury, NJ; U.S. Embassy of Nouakchott, Mauritania; and William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, Little Rock, AK

SCOPE Miami Beach


Galerie Myrtis will participate in the SCOPE Miami Beach during Miami, Basel. The art fair runs from December 4-9. SCOPE Miami Beach features 140 International Exhibitors from 25 countries and 60 cities, and welcomes over 60,000 visitors over the course of 6 days.

FEATURED ARTISTS

LOCATION
SCOPE Miami Beach Pavilion – Booth H15
801 Ocean Drive
Miami Florida 33139
scope-art.com

SHOW HOURS
Platinum First View
Platinum Cardholders or By Invitation
Tuesday, December 4th, 12pm – 4pm

VIP | Press Preview
VIP Cardholders and Accredited Press, or By Invitation
Tuesday, December 4th, 4pm – 8pm

GENERAL ADMISSION
Complimentary for VIP and Platinum Cardholders

Wednesday, December 5th, 11am – 8pm
Thursday, December 6th, 11am – 8pm
Friday, December 7th, 11am – 8pm
Saturday, December 8th, 11am – 8pm
Sunday, December 9th, 11am – 8pm

Day Pass | $40
Multi-Day Pass | $75
Student + Senior | $30

Art Basel

SCOPE Miami Beach 2018

Galerie Myrtis will participate in the SCOPE Miami Beach during Miami, Basel. The art fair runs from December 4-9. SCOPE Miami Beach features 140 International Exhibitors from 25 countries and 60 cities, and welcomes over 60,000 visitors over the course of 6 days.

FEATURED ARTISTS

LOCATION
SCOPE Miami Beach Pavilion
801 Ocean Drive
Miami Florida 33139
scope-art.com

SHOW HOURS
Platinum First View
Platinum Cardholders or By Invitation
Tuesday, December 4th, 12pm – 4pm

VIP | Press Preview
VIP Cardholders and Accredited Press, or By Invitation
Tuesday, December 4th, 4pm – 8pm

GENERAL ADMISSION
Complimentary for VIP and Platinum Cardholders

Wednesday, December 5th, 11am – 8pm
Thursday, December 6th, 11am – 8pm
Friday, December 7th, 11am – 8pm
Saturday, December 8th, 11am – 8pm
Sunday, December 9th, 11am – 8pm

Day Pass | $40
Multi-Day Pass | $75
Student + Senior | $30

Exhibitions

Between Spirits and Sisters – Solo Exhibition by Delita…

Between Spirits and Sisters
by Delita Martin

 
Exhibition Dates: November 10, 2018 – February 2, 2019
Opening Reception: November 10th, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Artist’s Talk: January 19th, from 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Film Screening: January 20th, 2:00 pm
Daughters of the Dust – Parkway Theater, Baltimore, MD

artwork | artist’s talk | film screening | bio | statement | resume

Galerie Myrtis is pleased to present its first solo exhibition of works by Delita Martin. In Between Spirits and Sisters, Martin offers mixed media works that explore womanhood inspired by the Mende belief “Wherever two or three women are gathered together, there is the spirit and authority of Sande.”

Delita Martin states, “the duality of women in this body of work project the spirit and its connection to the physical world, which reinforces the bond amongst women and how they co-exist in the physical and spiritual realms. The mask seen in the work is my interpretation of the Mende mask, specifically created for young girls being initiated into Sande. These masks are created as a reminder that human beings have a dual existence viewed as one body.”   Delita’s bio

Martin’s work is in the collections of the David Driskell Center, College Park, MD; Crystal Bridges Museum, Bentonville, AR; Minnesota Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN; Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art, Asbury, NJ; U.S.
Embassy of Nouakchott, Mauritania; and William J. Clinton
Presidential Library and Museum, Little Rock, AK

Artist

Delita Martin Artwork

Delita Martin

artwork | video | statement | bio | resume


Building Bridges The Politics of Love Identity and Race

Opening Reception: May 13, 2017, 3:00 – 6:00 PM.
Artists’ Talk: May 13, 2017, 5:00 – 6:00 PM.
Community programming will be offered during the course of the exhibitions.

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

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