Ekua Holmes presents art work and lecture at Bunker Hill Community College

On Thursday, March 10, I attended a gallery talk & reception at the Bunker Hill Community College Art Gallery. The art on display was for Ekua Holmes: Pieces of a Dream – A Solo Retrospective Exhibition. Holmes spoke for about fifteen minutes before fielding questions from BHCC students, art enthusiasts, and members of the public. Holmes explained that through this exhibit she seeks to honor her family, friends, and community. Holmes has not spent her entire professional career as an artist. Holmes explained that she used to work for the Massachusetts state welfare department art division. She quit her job there to become a full-time professional artist. As her career has developed, collage has become Holmes’ primary medium. “Most of these [collages] are not quick endeavors,” she said. At the gallery, several of Holmes’ most recent pieces of art were on display. The idea for “Sufficient Grace,” a collage on paper piece, came from a woman Holmes saw at a Legal Sea Foods restaurant. The woman was wearing an elaborate hat that caught the artist’s attention. Also on display is “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” a mixed media on canvass board, and “Eden” another mixed media piece. “Every face tells a story… every person has a novel in them.” Holmes says that what she truly loves about creating works of art is being able to work and play at the same time. “You have to take time to take a step back from your work [to appreciate it],” Holmes says. Holmes, who is known for her colorful artwork, says that her influences include her grandmother, Elma Lewis, Ruth Batson, and Romare Beardon. “I learn from my work all the time,” she says. Holmes explained that her journey into the art world has been a process. Holmes majored in photography while she was a student at Mass College of Art. She spoke about her experience in graduate school in Baltimore where she encountered an element of racial bias. Holmes explained that some of her professors did not want her to include black subjects her work. She had difficulty with this concept since her work has always been inclusive. Holmes advised the art students who attended the lecture to be patient with their art. “There are some days where I’m not motivated, but I go [to the gallery] anyway,” she said.