Historic Oak Park, Sacramento, California – Evolve the Gallery proudly presents “Exhibiting Blackness” for 2014 Black History Month. The exhibit embodies a diverse perspective by African American artists who have set themselves apart with their skill and vision. Prominent and emerging African American contemporaries will be exhibited alongside legendary African American Master fine artists including Marion Coleman, Charly Palmer, Dawn Williams Boyd, Richard Mayhew, Charles Bibbs, Deb Willis, Cedric Adams, Gene Pearson, Ben F. Jones, Bryan Keith Thomas, Miles Regis, Willie Little, Shanequa Gay, Toni Scott, Michael Massenburg, Kevin O’Keith and more.
A community art discussion with Dr. Bridget R. Cooks is scheduled for Saturday, February 8th at 1pm. Dr. Cooks will present research from her book “Exhibiting Blackness”, which examines the representation of African American culture in mainstream art museums from the 1920s to the 2000s and chronicles the challenges black artists faced in getting their work shown. Dr. Cooks’ book and a commemorative catalog will be available for signature and purchase following the discussion.
“We’re excited to showcase works that inspire spirited dialogue about history and the experiences between African American artists and their contributions to society,” states gallery owner, A.Michelle Blakeley
Please contact the gallery directly, at (916) 572-5123 or info@evolvethegallery.com, for youth activities during Black History Month.
The exhibit is free and open to the public.
Who: Evolve the Gallery
What: Exhibiting Blackness (featuring Dr. Bridget R. Cooks on Saturday, February 8th)
Where: 3428 3rd Avenue, Historic Oak Park Sacramento
When: Saturday, February 1 through April 26, 2014
The exhibit is free and open to the public.
About Bridget Cook. Bridget R. Cooks teaches in the Art History and African American Studies departments at the University of California, Irvine. Her research focuses on African American art and culture, Black visual culture, museum criticism, film, feminist theory, and postcolonial theory. In 2002 she earned her doctorate in the Visual and Cultural Studies Program at the University of Rochester. She has received a number of awards, grants, and fellowships for her work including in 2000 the prestigious Henry Luce Dissertation Fellowship in American Art. Cooks has curated several exhibitions of African American art at the de Saisset Museum and most recently The Art of Richard Mayhew (2009-10) at San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora. Some of her recent published writings can be found in American Studies, Afterimage, Exposure, the International Review of American Art, African American Review, Studies (Center for the Advanced Study of the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.), Pedagogy, and the International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics. She published her first book entitled Exhibiting Blackness: African Americans and the American Art Museum (forthcoming from the University of Massachusetts Press).
About Evolve the Gallery. Evolve the Gallery, is a private fine art gallery, redefines the role a gallery plays in broadening the art experience for patrons and the community. It only really takes a moment to understand how pivotally art is linked to culture, learning, community or conflict. As the art world continues to evolve, art increases its capacity to educate, open dialogue, be therapeutic and enhance environments. Art transcends political, ethnic, gender and religious boundaries and penetrate cultures in a non-intrusive or aggressive way, which gives it the power to break down boundaries and strengthen intercultural understanding. Our exhibitions are smart, creative, poignant and meant to give way to valuable dialogues, collaborations and cultural development that might not other wise take place. For more information, visit www.evolvethegallery.com or call (916) 572-5123. For directions, visit http://tinyurl.com/directionstoevolve
For more information, please contact:
A.Michelle Blakeley
amb@evolvethegallery.com
(916) 572-5123
Evolve the Gallery
3428 3rd Avenue, Historic Oak Park
Sacramento California 95817
www.evolvethegallery.com
