Art Exhibit Highlights African American Painters

              
In celebration of Black History Month, the Bunker Hill Community College Art Gallery presented an exhibit titled: Paint: Black on Canvas.  The free exhibit highlighted selected works of art by several African American painters from the Boston area.  I had the chance to visit the gallery last month and I was quite impressed!  A total of eleven African American painters had there work on display at the BHCC Art Gallery.  The exhibit, which included over twenty paintings, was on display from January 20, 2009 to February 28, 2009.                 
Upon entering the gallery, the first painting that could be seen by onlookers was Obama (oil on canvas 2009) by Ralph Beach.  This painting is a portrait of President Barack Obama.  The portrait of President Obama is the focal point of the painting.  However, below the president there are smaller images of several African Americans including: Mary McLeod Bethune, Charles Drew, W.E.B. Du Bois, George Washington Carver, Malcolm X, John Lewis, Cornell West, Thurgood Marshall, Tavis Smiley, Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King, Jr., and others on the bottom of the portrait.  The significance of the images of the other people below President Obama is too show that there are other African Americans who have been courageous leaders who have worked for the betterment of humanity.  Their work, at times unrecognized, gave Barack Obama the opportunity to become President of the United States.                       
Across from the Obama painting were a collection of three paintings by Darrell Ann Gane-McCalla.  The paintings titled: It’s a Girl’s World, Hip Hop Moms, and Unbroken, portray likenesses of African Americans in their daily lives.                      
My favorite painting in the gallery was Muse 1 an acrylic and fabric on canvas piece by Cynthia Marie Bogues.  This painting shows the faces of a man and a woman who show their affection for one another through the art of painting.                
Other artists who had their work on display at the gallery were Laura Palmer Edwards, Paul Goodnight, Radiant Jasmin, Cagen Luce, Destiny Palmer, Pamela Reynolds, Cullen B. Washington, Jr., and Barbara J. Ward.                     
From March 9 to April 17, 2009, the BHCC Art Gallery will host an exhibition called Women in Print.  The exhibit will display artwork from Boston area women printmakers.

Comments

  1. SMSChicaMay 8, 2009 at 7:37 PM

    I really, REALLY enjoyed seeing this exhibit as well! The paintings were absolutely fascinating, I hope to see them again when they come back to Bunker Hill Community College! It's amazing the works of art people can bring to the community.

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