Arizona State University
Seven artists, with seven distinct styles and approaches to art, will be featured at ASU Gammage Jan. 12-March 6.
The seven are members of Artists of the Black Community/AZ, a group that was founded to promote “an understanding and support for African and African-American arts and artists.”
Showing their work will be Larry Wilson, J. Eugene Grigsby Jr., Khandra Howard, Rhonda “Shakur” Carter, Archie Coles, Stephen Marc and Mark Herring.
Carter, a Glendale resident, will exhibit works of oil and acrylic paint on layered wood. Carter said she is a self-taught artist who has been creating art as far back as she can remember. “I am inspired by life all around me, the good and the bad,” she said. “I believe in good spirit, family, education and keeping our Earth healthy for future generations.”
Coles, of Phoenix, describes his art as “assemblage-tage 3-D.” He said, “My work begins with the frame. It soon becomes the focal point for the beginning of my work. Once the frame is just right, I envision the whole piece.”
Coles served in the famed 25th Infantry Regimental Combat team, the last Army unit to be integrated. He worked as a machinist for 41 years, then tried his hand at painting, eventually beginning his “assemblage-tage” works.
Marc, a professor of art in the ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, received his MFA from Temple University and has done extensive research on the Underground Railroad. One of his books is “Passage on the Underground Railroad.”
Marc recently completed two site-specific works in Chicago, for the Avalon Pubic Library and the CTA 79th Street Red Line Station.
Howard, of Scottsdale, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer science. She began working with clay in 2003 after taking local art classes and teaching herself.
“I am drawn to clay because of the infinite ways it can be used, treated, and shaped,” she said. Her recent work demonstrates a preoccupation with “nature colors,” the mixture of various colored clays and repeating patterns, marks and textures carved into flat clay surfaces such as tile or platters.
She finds inspiration in African textiles, nature, se life, insects, and the unpredictable nature of clay. “Inspiration is never a problem…I find it in everything,” she said.
Wilson, of Tempe, will exhibit charcoal, chalk pastel and Sharpie pen drawings. Herring a Phoenix resident, will exhibit photography, and Grigsby will show oil and acrylic paintings.
Exhibit hours at ASU Gammage are 1 to 4 p.m., Mondays. Due to rehearsals, event set-up, performances, special events and holidays, it is advisable to call (480) 965-6912 or (480) 965-0458 to ensure viewing hours, since they are subject to cancellation without notice.
Visitor parking is available at meters around the perimeter of ASU Gammage. Entrance is through the East Lobby Doors at the Box Office.
For more information, contact Brad Myers, (480) 965-6912, or brad.myers@asu.edu.
