Black Art Energy!
We looked up and it was FEBRUARY 2023 already, right? Well, I’m excited about it. I know many of us celebrate Black history all year long, and right on, but it is still important to take time as a collective to acknowledge the struggle, the journey, the contribution, and the unmatched beauty of African American culture.
Last week, Visit Howard County, in partnership with guest curator, Marlon Powell, kicked off an experimental exhibition, “Rise Above”, to explore the resilience of Howard County’s Black community and the legacy of one of Maryland’s most significant historical figures, Benjamin Banneker. Featuring fine art in a variety of mediums, including my own, this exhibit will be on display at the Howard County Welcome Center through April 30th.
On the college scene, “Expressions of our Blackness” curated by Wanda Crowdy at Bloomfield College and “SparkNight” at the Rutgers University Zimmerli Art Museum reminds us how Black excellence continues to shape another generation. Organized by the Rutgers African-American Alumni Association, Black traditions were celebrated at SparkNight through food, music, visual art, and spoken word performances this past week. Bloomfield College’s exhibition, featuring the art of eight local artitsts including myself, will remain on view through the end of the month, and on February 11th, the campus Art Center will open up to feature a Black-Owned Business Marketplace at the ETV Empowerment Expo where attendees will learn to prepare for business success and navigate challenges to building generational wealth. Be sure to visit Carter Fine Art Services at the expo to view and purchase my art!
The extraordinary works of emerging talents, Demarcus McGaughey, Danielle Scott, and Rosalind Nzinga Vaughn-Nichols are on view in their solo exhibitions entitled, “Kindred”, “Kinfolk”, and “Alkebulan Pulp Stories”. McGaughey’s intimate display of work descends from his own rich family history while Vaughn-Nichols pays visual tribute to the mother of mankind with art that has a lyrical and spiritual quality. Scott’s riveting exhibition features an assemblage of historical documentation and ancestral storytellinHarlem, the birthplace of the most important artistic renaissance in African American history, is bursting with creative energy this month. I recommend attending the amazing Harlem Art Stroll beginning February 11th to tour the neighborhood’s finest African American collections of art. The stroll includes Calabar Gallery, Claire Oliver Gallery, Kente Royal Gallery, Heath Gallery, and many more. Do not leave without checking out the hottest fragrance speakeasy, MUSE, which is a one-of-a-kind experience promising to transport you around the world through fragrance. The Harlem Fine Art Show also returns to New York City to celebrate its 15th Anniversary February 24-26. It features some powerful Diasporic artists, including Aleathia Brown.
Award winning writer, director, and producer A’ndre Davis presents, “Is This What We Paid For”, a unique musical theater experience sure to start some conversations. It premieres February 18th at Theater 71 in NYC and will show February 24th at Wilshire Grand in West Orange, NJ. While you’re in West Orange, be sure to check out “The Diva Difference: Sisters with Voices Unabashedly Bold Unapologetically Black Exhibit” featuring Maria Estrela at the West Orange Arts Center.
It makes me smile to see that some organizations like Above Art Studios in New Brunswick, NJ, and Build Bronzeville, Il, are presenting month-long and week-long event calendars to ensure programming that fits into everyone’s schedule. Above Art Studios is hosting some unique, fun-filled celebrations, like Black Game Night, Black Wine Tasting, and a Black Love Paint & Sip. Black Bronzeville Week includes a curated list of events at local businesses and historical landmarks in Chicago.
More from Chicago! “The Love Language of Beauty in African Art” is on view through February 27th at the Art Institute of Chicago and the “The Negro Motorist Green Book” exhibit s on view at the Illinois Holocaust Museum. In a systemic effort to deny basic human rights, not even the road has been a safe place for Black travelers. The Smithsonian Institution of Traveling Exhibition Services in collaboration with award-winning author, Candacy Taylor, offers an immersive look at how the guide served our community.
Art in the Atrium, Inc. and Mayo Performing Arts Center have collaborated to present “The Soul of African American Art” on view through March 5th in Morristown, NJ.
Studio Montclair, hosts “Rhythm & Blues”, on view through March 10th in Montclair, NJ.
Curator, Nico Wheadon and Program Partner, Babz Rawls-Ivy, present “Made Visible: Freedom Dreams” on view at CAW through March 18th in Connecticut.
Daisha Board Gallery presents “Why Question”, a visual conversation on the topic of LGBTQIA by artist Nii Narku Thompson on view in Dallas, TX through February 25th.
Blackbird Gallery premieres a Detroit screening of “Chasing Ghosts”, the story of Bill Traylor on Wednesday February 8th in Michigan.
The Gallery Space in Rahway, NJ, presents “Cultural Connections” on view through March 10th.
My art is currently available to view/purchase at:
Expressions of Our Blackness, Bloomfield College Scott H. Kaplan ‘02 Gallery, 02-03-23 through 02-27/23
Rise Above Art Exhibition, Howard County Welcome Center, 02-03-23 through 04-30-23
Windows of Understanding Public Art Project, New Brunswick, NJ, 01-16-23 through 04-01-23
Cultural Connections, The Gallery Space, Rahway, NJ, 02-12-23 through 03-10-23
ETV Empowerment Expo, Carter Fine Art Services, 02-11-23