Black, an exhibit on African American history and culture

February is Black History month and in honor of that, Sacramento State’s Art history students have brought contemporary African American art to the Library Annex Gallery at Sac State. BLACK displays artwork by the artists, Blackwell, Burgess, Harris and McDaniels, all who have provided work that addresses both female and male, historic and idealized concepts of African American culture. Upon entering the exhibit one is immediately transported back in time through the artwork which contains imagery of African American history, the true meaning behind Black history month.

Frank Blackwell, American History (3 panels), 1987, oil on canvas, 36x72 each

Paintings like these above by Frank Blackwell, show images of the African American male’s journey from slavery to freedom, from the buffalo soldier, to black universities and African Americans taking place in what appears to be Olympic sports. It shows their journey, their struggles and how they overcame them. It truly is a powerful piece.

 

Frank Blackwell, Mr. President, 2008, Acrylic on canvas, 36x24

 Frank Blackwell even continues with this journey by portraying African American children participating in sports that at one point in time may have only allowed white children to take part in, and he doesn’t stop there, he even paints the first African American president, Barrack Obama, seen as an inspiration by most.

Shonna McDaniels, Black Madonna,  Naiyonah's Headdress, Upholding Dignity, Claudia and Rosetta

Shonna McDaniels shows the feminist side of the African American journey. Paintings like her Black Madonna or Naiyonah's Headdress show strong African American women who appear to be proud of their culture. The detail that she puts into their clothing and their head dresses really gives you a sense of culture and pride.

This show is truly an inspiration and it coinciding with Black History month really tops it off. The show is only on view for a few more days. I encourage you all to head on over to the annex gallery to take a look and don’t miss out on XHIBITING BLACKNESS, a related exhibition on view at the Evolve Gallery in Oak Park through April 26^th (Here is a link to a kqcra video clip that discusses some of the works that will be on view).

http://www.kcra.com/news/sacramento-art-exhibit-features-works-for-black-history-month/24237086

And don't forget to keep an eye out for my review on Terry Berlier's exhibition, coming soon.

 

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You

This blog, that is. Last week I had the opportunity to visit Terry Berlier's exhibition, Erased Loop Random Walk, at the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art. This intriguing art exhibition includes many works of art which incorporate kinetic features and sound elements with some that even require participation and collaboration from the viewers, like this one here,

Terry Berlier, Where the Beginning Meets the End, 2013; 88 piano keys, Mac mini, computer keyboard microcontroller, wire, wire nuts, wood spool, wood, copper pipe, screws, and speakers.

Terry Berlier: Erased Loop Random Walk was on view at San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, in San Jose, from November 9, 2013 through February 15, 2014.

My review for the exhibition will be posted within the next coming weeks.