Artist’s Talk with Stephen Towns: Take Me Away to the Stars: The Mystery, Magic, and Myth of Nat Turner
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Take Me Away to the Stars - Stephen Towns
Tea with Myrtis: Take Me Away to the Stars
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Artist’s Talk: Myrtis Bedolla and Artist, Stephen Towns discuss his current exhibition, Take Me Away to The Stars: The Mystery, Magic, and Myth of Nat Turner. Using the historical and mythological chronicles of Nat Turner’s slave revolt, Towns explores the moral legitimacy and political efficacy of violent protest by blacks in their fight for freedom and equality. view the exhibition
Tea with Myrtis: Artist Stephen Towns and film critic Tim Gordon engage in a lively discussion about the exhibition and the timely cinematic prospective from the 2016 film The Birth of a Nation. Myrtis Bedolla will served as moderator.
About the Tea with Myrtis Panel
Stephen Towns
Stephen TownsCurrently, based out of the gritty, metropolis of Baltimore, Maryland, Mixed-Media Artist and Muralist, Stephen Towns was born in the Deep South (Charleston, South Carolina). Towns primarily works in oil and acrylic drawing much of his visual inspiration from Medieval altarpieces, Impressionist paintings and wax cloth prints. His work has been exhibited at Gallery CA, Platform Gallery, Hood College and is in the collection of the City of Charleston, South Carolina. Most recently, Towns was honored as the inaugural recipient of the 2016 Municipal Art Society of Balti- more, Travel Prize and received the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance Rubys Artist Grant in 2015.
Tim Gordon
Tim GordonFilm Critic, Association President, Historian, Podcaster, Award Show Founder, Adjunct Professor, Executive Director, Brand Creator, and lover of ALL things film, Tim Gordon remains a cinema innovator.
Gordon has turned his passion for film into his life’s work, seeking to educate future generations and alter the perspective of African-American portrayals on the screen and in the executive suites of Hollywood.
He began his career as a film historian studying early African-Americans in early Hollywood and its impact on current trends. In 1992, Gordon created Third Renaissance to bridge the gap between Hollywood and the African-African community. He published the company’s newsletter, The Renaissance Review, which was distributed nationally.
In 2000, Gordon created The Black Reel Reel Awards, honoring African-Americans in feature, independent and television films, as well as the online site, Reel Images Magazine, which covered the entertainment industry.
Gordon created the movie brand, “FilmGordon” in 2008, consolidating his film content and social media platforms under one umbrella.
His work has appeared in the USA Today, Variety Magazine’s prestigious Bureau of Film Critics, and has been a guest on NewsOne with Roland Martin, BET Tonight with Tavis Smiley and BET’s Screen Scene and Howard University’s Evening Exchange (WHUT-TV).
Myrtis Bedolla
Myrtis BedollaMyrtis Bedolla is founding director of Galerie Myrtis, a contemporary fine art gallery and art advisory located in Baltimore, Maryland. She was featured in the October 2013 issue of the Baltimore Style Magazine article “Women in the Arts” which honored women at the helm of the Baltimore art scene.
As a writer, Bedolla has contributed to The International Review of African American Art and Valentine Magazine; online newsletters: ARTINFO and IRAAA (International Review of African American Art). And she has written numerous exhibition essays.
In 2015, Bedolla curated two seminal museum exhibitions, “Shadow Matter: The Rhythm of Structure / Afro Futurism to Afro Surrealism” featuring the work of sculptor M. Scott Johnson held at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African America Art in Detroit, Michigan, and “Michael Gross: Abstraction” featuring painter and printmaker Michael Gross presented at American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center in Washington, D.C.
Appointed board memberships include: the Association of African American Museums, Washington, D.C.; Art Advisory Board, University of Maryland University College, College Park Maryland; Robert Deutsch Foundation, Baltimore, Maryland; Board of Directors for the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, Washington, D.C.; and Executive Board for the Station North Arts and Entertainment District, Baltimore, Maryland.
Bedolla is a member of ArtTable: a national organization for professional women in the visual arts. And sits on the Practicum Advisory Committee for the Masters in Curatorial Studies for Maryland Institute College of Art; Audience Committee for the Walters Art Museum; Leadership Council Committee for the Open Society Institute of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland; Scholarship Committee for the Congressional Black Caucus, Washington, D.C. and is a past Grant Panelist for the District of Columbia Commission for the Arts and Humanities.
Photograph courtesy Stephen Spartana
photography.spartana.com
Tea with Myrtis: Saturday, February 18, 2017, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Join artist Stephen Towns and film critic Tim Gordon for a lively discussion about the exhibition and the timely cinematic prospective from the 2016 film The Birth of a Nation. Myrtis Bedolla will serve a moderator.
Tea served with savory treats starting at 3:00pm
Discussion begins at 3:45pm $20 per person
Artwork: I Will Fear No Evil, 2016, Acrylic, paper, fabric, metal leaf, panel, 12”x 12”
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
Stephen TownsTake 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.
I will Fear No EvilThe 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.
Black SunThe 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.
No Remembrance of Things
to ComeIn 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.
Shall It Declare Thy Truth?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.
Birth of a NationIn 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
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.
Artist: Stephen Towns
Curators: Myrtis Bedolla
Exhibition Dates: November 5, 2016 – February 18, 2017
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 5, 2016
Artist/Gallery Talk: Saturday, January 28, 2017
Tea with Myrtis: Saturday, February 18, 2017, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Artwork: Gods Ways are Mysterious, 2016, Acrylic Oil, Metal Leaf on canvas
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.”
January 30, 2016: Executive Pastry Chef, Audra Weisel will creates a custom designed cake with the assistance of Consumption artists who will bring their food-related art to life. Participating artists: Matthew Adelberg, Anna U Davis, Dave Eassa, Christi Harris, Sue Johnson and Stephen Towns.
Opening: January 30, 2016, 2 – 4pm
Artists’ Talk: February 21, 2016, 2 – 4 pm
Panel Discussion: March 20, 2016, 2 – 4 pm
Artists:
Matthew Adelberg
S. Ross Brown
Anna U Davis
Dave Eassa
Christi Harris
Roberto Guerra
Sue Johnson
Jeffrey Kent
Delita Martin
Chistina St. Clair
Arvie Smith
Eric Telfort
Stephen Towns
Shark-cuteri (partial), 2015, acrylic, ink and paper collage on canvas, 72 x 96 in by Anna U Davis
Consumption: Food as Paradox
January 30 – April 3, 2016
Consumption: Food as Paradox examines how food is inextricably linked to the social, political and economic aspects of life—class, culture, race, religion, gender and health. A baker’s dozen of contemporary artists, working in paint, collage, porcelain and printmaking, explore food and its connection to the world around them.
Consumption: Food as Paradox examines how food is inextricably linked to the social, political and economic aspects of life—class, culture, race, religion, gender and health. A baker’s dozen of contemporary artists, working in paint, collage, porcelain and printmaking, explore food and its connection to the world around them.
Food is enjoyable and accompanies a lifetime of celebrations. Sharing the tastes of our individual homes and homelands can be a way to cross divides between classifications of people—relating to others over a foodway can lead to greater cultural understanding and empathy. But that can also be displaced by tremendous anxiety. Passing down traditional recipes can morph from intergenerational connections to memories of slaves who worked in the kitchen and the continuation of the domestic sphere forced on women. Images of watermelon and berries evoke racial tropes. Adorable animals in TV dinners remind usof the flesh that we consume, but obscure with words like ‘meat,’ ‘beef’ and ‘pork.’ And piles of this meatreveal gluttonous men who treat women with a similar desire for consumption.
Food can be made holy, blasphemous or banal based on the religion, class and race that it is tied to. How can we know what arbiters of taste and health we can trust? Foods are alternately villainized and sainted—their status constantly in flux, depending upon a variety of mysterious government agencies and corporations. We are a nation obsessed with dieting but plagued by illnesses resulting from the ways food affects our bodies. The artists of Consumption investigate these concerns, propose questions to ask, actions to take and, occasionally, offer a view of a future that is healthier in body and cross-cultural relations.
Aden Weisel
Artists
Matthew Adelberg
S. Ross Browne
Anna U Davis
Dave Eassa
Roberto Guerra
Christi Harris
Sue Johnson
Jeffrey Kent
Delita Martin
Arvie Smith
Christina St. Clair
Eric Telfort
Stephen Towns
Artist Talk
