Black & Brown Faces - Flow

Welcome

MESSAGE FROM ARTSWAVE’S PRESIDENT & CEO GREETINGS! THANK YOU, RICO AND PALOOZANOIRE, FOR BRINGING 10 LOCAL BLACK and Brown artists together at Cincinnati Art Museum to shine light on the emotions of this immensely unsettled year. Their art reflects so much about this moment and suggests a larger array of stories, important and waiting to be heard.

Against the backdrop of a global pandemic and vivid racial and social injustices, Black & Brown Faces illuminates both pain and promise. It makes us lean in, which is a requirement for further momentum. ArtsWave commits to accelerating and expanding programs and investments, like the one we’ve made in Black & Brown Faces, that will support the elimination of systemic racism and bridge cultural divides.

This past year, ArtsWave launched a new grants program for African American arts to build capacity in17 organizations. In addition, we funded payment to the artists behind Cincinnati’s Black Lives Matter mural. Likewise, we supported “Black Excellence in Zone 15,” a first-of-its-kind mural in Lincoln Heights designed by artist Myntia Daniels (also one of the artists featured in Black & Brown Faces). And, in July, we partnered with P&G’s Cincinnati Music Festival to create an Outdoor Museum featuring local Black and Brown artists. Even earlier, just as the coronavirus shut down our theaters, we offered our community the proud debut of Flow, an African American Arts Experience. Designed to bring more nationally renowned Black and Brown artists to Cincinnati’s premier stages with greater frequency, Flow promises to engage a diverse audience for years to come.

The arts can give us as strangers, regardless of our differences, new pathways to friendship. Through the shared experience of art, we can compare notes; those notes become the foundation of empathy and compassion.

I look forward to experiencing this art with you.

Sincerely,

ALECIA KINTNER |

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ArtsWave President & CEO

Welcome

MESSAGE FROM PALOOZANOIRE FOUNDER PALOOZANOIRE, A CINCINNATI-BASED ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO EMPOWERING Black professionals throughout the Midwest, welcomes you to Black & Brown Faces. This exhibition was birthed from the need to express oneself creatively, paired with the opportunity to release emotions and feelings in a room of like-minded individuals through experiences, meaningful conversations and understanding.

We’re featuring 10 local creatives in an exhibit format focused on the struggle, reality and uplifting of people of color as we depict the extremes of living in and through 2020. We encourage organic conversations while taking in incredible visual art with open minds and hearts, all for the good of our and others’ mental health and wellness.

We acknowledge that Black & Brown Faces would not be possible without the support of our phenomenal partners, and we appreciate all who got behind this exhibition without hesitation, including the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, ArtsWave, My Black Is Beautiful, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Besomebody Inc., AGAR and the Cincinnati Art Museum. We also acknowledge our community’s support and impact as a driving force contributing to the success of Black & Brown Faces.

We say “thank you,” and we hope you enjoy interacting with the exhibition as much as we have producing it.

Be well. Be kind. Be great.

RICARDO GRANT | Paloozanoire Founder

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Welcome

MESSAGE FROM FLOW CO-CHAIRS WELCOME TO BLACK & BROWN FACES, A COLLABORATION OF MANY COMMUNITY cultural leaders including Paloozanoire, the Cincinnati Art Museum and ArtsWave.

In February, with much anticipation, we launched the first year of Flow, an African American Arts Experience. Two sold-out performances of the renowned Dayton Contemporary Dance Company at the Aronoff Center demonstrated ArtsWave’s commitment to supporting art that elevates and celebrates African American culture. Those evenings amped up our excitement for the promise of 2020—three additional weekends of performances featuring Lil Buck & Jon Boogz with Movement Art Is; Jazzmeia Horn; and Norm Lewis.

Then COVID-19 struck, and the arts were hit hard locally and across the country. Performances at all our venues were canceled or postponed for months to come. At this writing, we still do not know when we will be able to safely gather in concert halls and theaters again, at capacity levels that make performances economically feasible.

It feels good to be back together, and what a treat it is to have two exhibits —one local and the other national —to explore perspectives of the African American experience.

The Black & Brown Faces exhibit focuses our attention on the power of portraiture, as expressed by an admirable group of artists of color who all have ties to our region. The art explores struggle and uplift with an emphasis on facial expressions of people of color during the extremes of 2020.

Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal. . . is a bold, thoughtful and deeply moving collection of works that asks us to see and challenge systems of inequality woven into the fabric of contemporary life. Its timing on the heels of so many senseless deaths—George Floyd, Breonna Tylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others—underscores art as an essential tool for us during the ongoing struggle for social justice.

We’re grateful that the Cincinnati Art Museum has taken a leadership role in showcasing both these exhibitions together under its roof in a moment when we seek solace, reflection and dialogue about all that is happening.

Enjoy both exhibitions and know that we look forward to experiencing Flow with you in the future.

Sincerely,

MEL GRAVELY |

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Flow Co-Chair

MARY STAGAMAN |

Flow Co-Chair

Welcome

MESSAGE FROM THE CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM’S DIRECTOR WELCOME TO BLACK & BROWN FACES, A PROJECT OF THE CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM, Paloozanoire, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, and ArtsWave’s Flow, an African American Arts Experience.

It is fitting that 10 living artists with Cincinnati ties have taken up residence in the Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Gallery in the historic Barnhorn/Duveneck studio of the Cincinnati Art Museum. Each of these Black American artists has chosen to speak out about the intense emotional, physical, psychological, and economic trauma of present-day racism amplified and exposed in 2020.

In this grand gallery of the Art Museum, more than one generation of Cincinnati artists learned and shared company in the 19th and 20th centuries in tandem with the Art Academy of Cincinnati. Entire chapters of Cincinnati’s art history are marked by the influences of these artists and educators. This exhibition now raises important awareness both of commissions and omissions in art history, and the role of our arts organizations historically and toward the future.

The Cincinnati Art Museum is deeply engaged in a comprehensive process of reconciliation and inclusion in 2020 and beyond. Equity, social justice, and community change are centered in this work and are shared core values of all of the partners in this project. We, together, are committed to lasting, durable, and constructive social change.

Thank you to Ricardo Grant of Paloozanoire, each of the artists who participated so generously, and the community partners and sponsors who made this project happen with expedition, purpose, and belief in the power of art.

CAMERON KITCHIN | Louis and Louise Dieterle Nippert Director, Cincinnati Art Museum

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Featured Artists

Mark Anthony Brown Jr. Mark Anthony Brown Jr. was born in Columbus in 1991 and raised in Cincinnati. His photography seamlessly aligns with traditional street art while simultaneously fulfilling his responsibility as a Black artist in addressing social issues. From process to subject matter, his identity and life experiences help produce authentic imagery from a credible point of view of the Black experience.

Brown’s work is centered around likeness between humanity, Black representation and understated Black narratives. He currently lives and works in Atlanta.

Adonte Clark Inspired by the rich art culture of Chicago, Adonte Clark decided to tell stories through abstract expressionism. He transforms day-to-day interactions into visuals and narrates the human relationship to nature and the journey of life. Clark uses hidden elements to represent those relationships, and allows the consumer some space for their own unique interpretation—all the while hopeful that those thoughts, feelings and perspective can inspire someone and be enjoyable to many.

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Featured Artists

Michael Coppage Originally from Chicago, Michael Coppage has lived and worked in Cincinnati since 2007. He’s been in the news recently after participating in the city of Cincinnati’s Black Lives Matter mural and for receiving hate mail after his controversial and provocative series American+, where he depicts White Americans as monkeys in uncomfortable scenarios with Black men.

Coppage’s work addresses the appropriation of African-American culture, demonization of Black men and what he calls the “systematic” destabilization of Black people in America.

Daryl Myntia Daniels Daryl Myntia Daniels is a contemporary artist who combines figuration and abstraction through a process of performance, documentation and mark-making techniques. She investigates layers of the figure through painting, while drawing a connection between societal beauty standards and mental health across the African Diaspora.

Daniels was born and raised in Cincinnati and currently lives in the Bronx. She received her BFA in Painting at Ohio University in 2013 and her MFA in Fine Arts in 2016 from the School of Visual Arts. Her work has been shown in places like the Kennedy Museum of Art, the Untitled Space, the Hole Gallery and the Andrew Freedman Home.

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Featured Artists

Terence Hammonds Terence Hammonds earned an MA degree from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, then served as full-time Artist and Director of Artist Outreach for Rookwood Pottery. His work is in the permanent collections of the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Summit Hotel and the 21C Museum Hotel.

Hammonds was one of 103 American artists selected for the 2013 State of the Art exhibition at Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas. Solo shows have taken place at the IFÖ center in Bromölla, Sweden (2018) and at Cincinnati establishments such as the Weston Art Gallery, Clay Street Press and Aisle Gallery.

Gee Horton Gee Horton is a self-trained Hyperrealist visual artist who has recently transitioned from a career in the corporate world to focus primarily on making art and building communities. Having earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Louisville, he often incorporates his education and life experiences into his art to achieve a kind of power that for many triggers emotional associations.

Horton’s current work makes a connection between his African roots and American attitudes on the social and emotional development of the African American male experience. He’s working on a series called Coming of Age in collaboration with photographer Jason Carter to debut in 2021, his first gallery showing in Cincinnati.

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Featured Artists

Hannah Jones Hannah “Jonesy” Jones is a 27-year-old mixed race queer artist and intersectional feminist in Cincinnati. Her work fantasizes a world that thrives outside basic hetero-normative thinking, using loud, vivid, saturated pop imagery to tell stories that illuminate and dignify all humans on every level of the spectrum.

Jonesy wants her audience to see something positive and exciting in her work and feel seen, embraced and celebrated for the unique colors of their existence. She is grateful and honored for the opportunity to be in the graces of such talented, beautiful, Black magical beings.

Annie Ruth Annie Ruth is an internationally respected artist and arts educator based in Cincinnati who’s been using her artistic talents to impact the world for over 40 years. She’s also an award-winning author, having published 40-plus volumes of poetry, books and articles for both children and adults.

Ruth studied graphic design at the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP program and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from National University in San Diego. She also served eight years in the U.S. Air Force Reserves.

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Featured Artists

Kevin J. Watkins A self-taught professional photographer from Oberlin, Ohio, Kevin J. Watkins specializes in lifestyle portraits and events. He began his photography journey seven years ago on a recommendation after a close friend saw what he was capturing on his camera phone. He then began using a DSLR with no goal in mind other than to capture the world around him, and his focus eventually shifted toward portraits and events and more recently telling Black stories from our point of view.

Watkins has lived in Cincinnati since 2001, right when the “riots” happened, and remembers consuming news from mainstream media and not from anyone of color. Today, with so much social injustice and the murders of unarmed Black men and women, he feels it’s important to document as much as he can through photography.

Khonisa X Born in Cincinnati, Khonisa was artistically inspired at a young age by her mom’s exposure to cultural experiences and by her late Aunt Nosha Muhammad, a nationally known fabric artist. She specializes in charcoal and graphite pencil portraits and works in a variety of other media, and each piece she creates has its own unique style.

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ArtsWave is pleased to announce a new set of grants...

2020 African American Arts Grants Launched in January as part of the 2020 ArtsWave Campaign, this new program focuses on arts organizations led by Black artists or serving Black communities. Projects were designed to strengthen organizational capacity or scale ongoing impact. Funding was provided, in part, by Greater Cincinnati Foundation and ArtsWave’s Circle of African American Leaders for the Arts.

2020 Recipients Art of the Piano Artsville Avondale Community Arts Program Bi-Okoto Drum and Dance Theater Cincinnati Arts and Technology Studios Cincinnati Boychoir Cincinnati Music Accelerator Elementz

It’s Commonly Jazz Jazz Alive Juneteenth Cincinnati Learning Through Art PAR-Projects Q-KIDZ Dance Team Red Light Jazz Room Revolution Dance Theatre Robert O’Neal Multicultural Arts Center (ROMAC)

Visit artswave.org/apply for 2021 funding deadlines.

Join the Circle • Bringing together individuals in our community who believe in the power of the arts and philanthropy to bridge cultural divides and deepen roots.

• Galvanizing new resources through the ArtsWave Campaign.

• Celebrating increased resources for Black arts and artists and building new audiences for their work through ArtsWave African American Arts Grants.

Your annual leadership gift of $1,500 or more puts you in the Circle. Members receive exclusive arts and networking event invitations, behind-the-scenes arts experiences, newsletter insights and pre-sale or discounted ticket opportunities for upcoming Flow performances.

Visit artswave.org/Circle for more info.

Upcoming Funding Opportunities artswave.org/apply

Black & Brown Artist Grants: “Truth and Reconciliation” projects Project grant funds for artists working in partnership with the community to illuminate and to heal, made possible in part by the City of Cincinnati and Duke Energy. Deadlines: November 2020 and February 2021 – see website for exact dates and details.

African American Arts Grants for Organizations Capacity-building grants for Black-led organizations, supported in part by ArtsWave’s Circle of African American Leaders for the Arts. Deadline: March 2021 – see website for exact dates and details.

Rubric TK

Looking forward to the

FUTURE!

artswave.org/flow

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Title Sponsor:

Overall Partners

& A S S O C I AT E S

Education Partners

Media Sponsors

Individual Supporters Henry Daniels • Martine & Renee Dunn • Mel & Chandra Gravely • Melvyn Heard • Kristal Howard • David & Guinette Kirk • Anthony Mathis • John & Debra Merchant • Tracey Nowlin • Steve & Julie Shifman • Sheila Simmons • Albert & Liza Smitherman • Ron Kull & Mary Stagaman • Deana Taylor • Stanford Williams & Kristi Clement Williams

Thank you to these generous supporters for making Flow possible!

Many Thanks To The Flow Board of Advisors: Mel Gravely • Mary Stagaman • Tysonn Betts • Eric Combs • Kala Gibson • Agnes Godwin Hall • Damian Hoskins • Kristal Howard • Alecia Kintner • Kick Lee • Janice Liebenberg • Danielle Martin • Deana Taylor • Eddie Tyner • Carolyn Wallace

Thank You To Paloozanoire Sponsors: