During a period when African-American artists were overlooked in the mostly white art world, five black artists followed their vision and passion and paved the way for generations to follow.
Now, the MCC community and Greater Rochester residents will have an opportunity to enjoy the rarely seen works of Benny Andrews "https://bennyandrews.com/", Romare Bearden "https://www.beardenfoundation.org/artlife/biography/biography.shtml", Robert Freeman "https://robertfreemanart.com/", Alma Thomas "https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1040" and Richard Yarde "https://www.richardyarde.com/". Known as The Freedom Place Collection, the exhibition will be displayed at MCC’s Mercer Gallery from Jan. 24 to Feb. 27, with a slate of events open to the public in celebration of Black History Month.
Events include a gallery talk by Freeman at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, and an original Sankofa African Dance and Drum Ensemble "https://www.brockport.edu/dance/sankofa/index.html" performance integrating elements of the art collection into their music and movements at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11. (Check the Trib regularly in January for details and a schedule of upcoming exhibit-related events at MCC.) While this special collection is on loan to MCC, Mercer Gallery will extend its hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, and 1-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
The Freedom Place Collection belongs to Stuart Marshall Bloch and Julia Chang Bloch, Washington, D.C., residents who have amassed this body of work over the past 35 years and are now sharing it with the public.
The five artists represented in the exhibition speak with their own artistic style and vision – from abstract to figurative, from rural to urban – in their drawings, collages, lithographs, oils, acrylics and watercolors. Scenes of cotton fields and paintings of jazz musicians and partygoers will share space on the gallery walls with portraits and canvases filled with geometric forms.
The exhibition and related events are sponsored by MCC’s Diversity Council, Mercer Gallery and the Creative Arts Committee. For more information, contact Kathleen Farrell, director of Mercer Gallery, at (585) 292-3121 or "mailto:kfarrell@monroecc.edu".
Diane Cecero, Chief Diversity Officer,
and Charlotte Downing, Diversity Council co-chair
12/21/2010 |