"Visions, Voices, Viewpoints and Victories of African American Artists" at Peltz Gallery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin opens January 21, 2011 and...

..."Textural Rhythms" is opening January 20th at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. It runs through April 24, 2011 and lots of events are associated with it (workshops, artist talk, curator talk, etc..) and you can see two of my pieces in it, as well as a great many others. Alas, I can't make it to the opening. Heavy sigh.

However...

"Broken Landscape" is on exhibit again, but this will be the first time in Milwaukee, WI. It has been previously exhibited at FAVA (Oberlin, OH) and at the Wisconsin Museum of Art (West Bend, WI). I rarely exhibit in my hometown, so if you are local you may want to stop by the Peltz Gallery to see my work in person, as well as the other wonderful offerings in this group exhibit. This is Milwaukee's Winter Gallery Night/Day weekend as well, and Peltz Gallery is also offering their famous Free French Breakfast on Saturday January 22 11:00 a.m. -4:00p.m. which includes "coffee, conversation and comfort food". Don't miss it if you are available. I will be on hand Friday night at some point during the evening (for those of you intersted in how my hair is looking nowadays). I TOOK OFF WORK...CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? I can't. But I did. Milwaukee Public Television's "Black Nouveau" interviewed Della Wells, the guest curator of the exhibit, along with gallery owner, Cissie Peltz. Della is standing right in front of my piece for much of her interview. Plus, you get a short preview of other work throughout the segment including Reginald Baylor, Mutope J. Johnson, Evelyn Patricia Terry, Sharon Kerry Harlan, Zeph Farmby, George Williams, Jr, Trish Williams, etc. Click here to view the interview on YouTube or you may also watch it on the MPTV website (whichever suits your fancy). It is the very first segment following the introduction. Plus, following that segment, there is a great piece about the Milwaukee Art Museum's exhibit of internationally renown artist Chakaia Booker's work you might want to check out as well.

I asked Della if I could reprint her curatorial statement for the exhibit because there will undoubtedly be the same old local voices asking the same old question "why is an African American art exhibit necessary in this day and age?" Also with that same old question will come, I predict, the same old hypercritical judgements based in Eurocentric male dominated stereotypes (I have nothing against them, Eurocentric males, I mean...it's just those stereotypes are so darned troublesome) or perhaps just plain ignor-ance of the exhibit all together (you know, as in "to ignore") by the "mainstream" art community here (until February of course) OR...maybe excessive attention from those who feel guilty (over?.....) and I think that Della's statement addresses the issue in a short but to the point manner...plus, she's so much more tactful than I am. But, hey...I haven't lost my touch for a great run-on sentence.

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"Visions, Voices, Viewpoints and Victories of African American Artists"

Curatorial Statement
by Della Wells

In bringing together all the artists for “Visions, Voices, Viewpoints and Victories of African American Artists”, my goal was to give the viewer a glimpse into what African American artists are producing, particularly here in Wisconsin. Each artists works in various media such as painting, print making, collage, quilts and sculpture. And I am sure that some will ask the question why an African American art exhibition in the so call post-racial America?

A discussion which has permeated the art world here and elsewhere in the United States asking, is there still a need to produce exhibitions based on racial, cultural or ethnic designation? After all, as some have claimed we now live in a so-called post-racial America, since the election of the first African American President. Furthermore, there have been criticisms that exhibitions should not be based on race, gender, ethnic, or culture and should only be arranged based on media and/or the merit of the work. Gallery owner, Cissie Peltz has faced these criticisms before with her annual exhibitions “The Remarkable Women” and “Return of The Men” exhibitions.

These viewpoints overlook three key factors: the artist's intention, context and who makes the decisions about the merit of any particular artist's work. Art is created for all types of reasons and by all man/womankind and the experience of the artist, whether it be related to culture, gender, religion, for arts sake, etc. These reasons may or may not influence an artist’s art making process. And for us to understand any art we have to consider the artist’s intention and context in which the work is produced.

And another important question is how is the category African American art to be defined? Is African American art solely defined by the race of the artist who produced it? These are two questions I want the viewers to think about while viewing this exhibition. And please consider this, exhibitions are organized around all types and subjects and reasons. An exhibition’s focus is the reason audiences may be drawn to a particular exhibition. The art work in this exhibition was chosen not simply because the artists were African American, but because each of the artists has a definite vision, voice and viewpoint. And like many artists in our western influenced culture, African American artists fight for victories to have their artistic visions seen and understood.

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And, if anyone is remotely interested anymore, I am going to try very hard this year to write once a week, nothing grand, but I sure have gotten out of the habit and I apologize to those who were following me and were actually interested in what I was writing about and creating. I'm not much for resolutions and this is as close to one as I will get...I call it a birthday wish, because right now it is closer to that and I want to start MY new year of continuing life by getting back on my wandering track. Heavy sigh. No...no heavy sigh. No sighing, just forward, productive living. Yeah...that's a lot better. (small, really really small almost imperceptible supertiny exhail)