ART AND A GOOD MEAL

It is often said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. When I was younger, I didn’t quite know what that meant. Over the years I’ve seen such an explosion of art and art forms of every description that I came to understand that beauty has no limits, and I don’t limit myself to just the beauty of art. I get just as much pleasure from a beautiful meal; its visual appeal as well as its taste. The intricacies and layers of a good meal, a fine wine or a palate pleasing desert can also satisfy the soul. Food or dinning has often been the focus of art, and we have all struggled over a still-life of a bowl of fruit at some point in our artistic lives. We wanted the shapes to be just right and look “real”; training for the more diverse avenues we would take later in the world of art.

When I visited Florence, Italy, the wine tasted so much better than any bottle from my local store. Was there really a difference or was it the surroundings: the cathedral of 7 colors of marble, the stone statuary, stain glass windows and paintings? Art influences us much more than we realize, even adding to the enjoyment of a meal. The excitement of viewing the pyramids added just the right amount of spice to the evening’s conversation at the diner table; food and art, art and food. The gathering of chiefs in Ghana was quite spectacular; full of color and carvings, gold and multihued fabrics, and recognition of similar faces like those back home, but even more exciting was to share these sights and sounds around our evening meal. When I make wine, I want to serve it beautifully. It is not only a statement of my skill but also my creativity, food becomes art and art is becoming to food. We who make art, live to create. It is not a choice, it is who we are.

Daniel T. Brooking (July 2006)

Convergence of Vision: The Power of Art

Convergence of Vision: The Power of Art
Keep on Converging- Black Artist of DC, BADC

Convergence is when two or more different things,
ideas, experiences, techniques, materials, come
together to create something else that exceeds
expectations. Black Artists of DC (BADC) is a
convergence of artists, their visions and a direct
manifestation of the power of art. [Harlee Little]

As you all know BADC is evolving as a group; together
we are embarking on a path claiming our rights to
thrive and prosper as a community of artists and those
who appreciate art.

Within the past two years we have out grown the
meetings place at Moca Hut, and claimed the Graham
Collection as “our home base,” and its gallery for
our first group show, “Hidden Treasures.”

We have grown to more than two-hundred people. We now
co-ordinate workshops, artist talks, peer studio
visits and art-trips. We have designed an official
logo, a group CD catalog and have purchased our
www.blackartistsofdc.org website. Now as symbolized
by our second group show we have collectively deemed
our selves “Found.”

All of these accomplishments have brought us to our
current endeavor, The Convergence of Vision: The Power
of Art. This show represents all that we have
accomplished in the past nine years of existence and
provides a glimpse of our future.

This will be the first group show that BADC will be
producing and displaying in a public institution.
Production includes coordination of artist talks
throughout the month of the show and producing
documentation specifically focused on BADC’s history.
The Convergence of Vision Show is sponsored by the
Perfect Plan of Greater Washington and Prince George’s
Community College. Each of these organizations shares
a similar vision of art, education and community
development.

We are fortunate to have three very talented and
prominent jurors, James Phillips, professor of
Painting at Howard University and Africobra member;
Norman Parish, curator and owner of the Parish Gallery
www.parishgallery.com and Maricia Battle, of the
Library of Congress Art Division.

The selected artists will also have the opportunity to
be part of a video taped interview that will be
featured on Micheal Valentine New York’s website
www.thefineartchannel.com.

The exhibit will begin on Monday September 18, 2006 to
October 12, 2006. For all other details please
contact me. The show is open to BADC members only and
open to all media, including opportunities for public
art displays. The submission deadline is Wednesday
July 12, 2006. For all other details or concerns
please contact Amber Robles-Gordon at
aroblesgordon@yahoo.com.

The aim of this exhibition is to demonstrate how the
vision of over two hundred individual artists can be
collected, organized and focused to make a statement
of power, beauty and eloquence. We are seeking the
vision that makes you create, the vision that gives
expression to your dreams and histories, ideas and
concerns. These are the visions that will converge
and declare the power of art from the Black Artists of
DC. [Harlee Little]

As we prepare of this event I have had the honor of
getting a peek at some of the art, ideas and concepts
in progress and I am so amazed at the talent and
ingenuity within our group.

Converge on, Brothers and Sistahs
Amber Robles-Gordon

FOUND! A BADC EXHIBITFOUND! A BADC EXHIBIT

Last year, Hidden Treasures, an exhibit designed to discover the artistic gems hidden in DC’s Black Artists community unearthed the artistic treasures buried in this wonderful city we live in. Not only did sixty-five artists participate, but proved that anything is possible when spirit, creativity and energy is the motivating force.

This year we have been FOUND!, the name of our 2^nd annual Black Artists of DC exhibit. The challenge for the BADC was to take the word “found” as a springboard and create works outside their forte.

Traditionally, found objects are a part of who we are as human beings, in that we are collectors of inanimate objects and permeate in them a spirit to make it our own. As African Americans, we tend to take these inanimate objects and make them intimate conductors of spirit. For example, we formulate sculptural totems to friends and family who have died, creating a monument of spiritual continuity. Renee Stout’s Womba Doll taps into a deep seeded ancestral remembering, rooted in the Mkisi of the Congo. In this exhibit, she captures the same mysterious ambiance in her rarely seen photographs.

Gloria Kirk, Anne Bouie, Daniel Brookings, Liani Foster and Nicole Cutts found a deeper understanding of their media, reaching and exploring beyond known boundaries. Others took the word literally, like Julee Thompson, Francine Haskins, Miriam Rylands, Gwendolyn Aqui, T.H. Gomillion, and Viola Leak and created art work from discarded refuse. While Denial Poem for Tawana, Buffalo Soldiers, Ornaments no. 1 and Remembering LN found the emotional impact of events and stories of untold heroes and heroines.

Frank Smith and Bill Harris discovered the rhythms of jazz musicians, piecing together bits of fabric and vibrations, pulling from the past and the future creating beautiful works.

As curator, I chose this exhibit in hopes to evoke the Spirit’s presence in our ever -changing world. I feel that this challenge has been met. We look forward to you joining us in a celebration of spirit, creativity, self discovery, storytelling and positive vibrations.

Barbara Blanco

Curator

The Graham Collection

3518 12^th Street NE

Washington, DC 20017

202-832-9292

More information: http://blackartistsofdc.org/Found/