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/