AFRICOBRA at the University of Chicago Logan Center: Black History in Kool-Aid Colors

As an alumna of The University of Chicago who studied art while I was there, I cannot praise my alma mater enough for finally making a real investment in its art departments. Last year I had the opportunity to visit The Logan Center during the grand opening weekend. I went back again to see the opening of an exciting new exhibit: the AFRICOBRA show.

AFRICOBRA is a really cool acronym for African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists, a revolutionary group of Black artists in the 1960s. Their work is political, provocative, and engaging. They used bright "Kool-Aid colors" in much of their work, drawing attention to them and adding a sense of excitement. And as you will see in the photos below, the gallery walls were painted in hues that echo the intensity of the ones found in the artwork.

During the opening reception, several of the AFRICOBRA artists spoke about their work. One of them exhorted those of us who are emerging artists to create work that has a message and not just focus on aesthetics and beauty. And I agree with him on that. What I love about the work in the AFRICOBRA show is that it both beautiful and meaningful.

The show at the Logan Center is part of a larger, three part exhibition. Work from AFRICOBRA is also on view at the South Side Community Art Center until July 7th. Another portion of the collection will be shown at the DuSable Museum of African American History from July 26th through September 29th.

The Artists of the 2013 Gold Coast Art Fair

I went to the Gold Coast Art Fair (which is actually in Grant Park) yesterday, and was really impressed and inspired by the art and crafts I saw there. It was really nice to see artists I've seen there before coming back again, as well as the new artists whose work I just discovered.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Lisa Toland

Luisa Velasquez

Alla Tsank

Gabor Koranyi

Robert Rydin

Lauren Wimmer Jewelry

Garden Deva

Dan Neil Barnes

Caroline Kramer

TIZO Designs

Enfiniti Design

Carol Long Pottery

Presteau

Philip Saxby

Casarietti Studio

Carla Bank

Gerardo Leccese

The art fair continues today. It starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m. and is bordered by Columbus and Lake Shore Drive on the east and west sides, and Congress and Jackson on the north and south. Click here for the fair's website.

Color Cornucopia: pods, paint, and podcasts

Remember when I said I was "almost finished" with Color Cornucopia several months ago?  I was so wrong.  That painting, like so many other pod paintings, is made of crevices.  Each pod is like a little gaping mouth, hungry for paint.  In the back of my mind a little voice cries out "you missed a spot!" whenever there is a discrepancy.  Pod paintings drive me crazy.  That's why they cost more.









Color Cornucopia
acrylic on cardboard and wood panel
30" x 20"
$500

When I get to the tedious part, the crevice-filling-in portion of the work, I like to listen to podcasts.  It gets my mind off of the tedious task I'm doing.  So I put my phone in airplane mode and listen to the ones I have downloaded.  Some of my favorite podcasts are Radiolab, Snap Judgment, Fresh Air, The Field Negro Guide to Arts and Culture, Bad At Sports, To The Best of Our Knowledge, Filmspotting, and WTF.  Radiolab makes science more fun and interesting.  Their best podcast, so far, was one about the science of colors.  It was so wonderful to work on a painting while listening to it.  If you like Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, you might also enjoy his podcast, The Field Negro Guide to Arts and Culture.  What I like about WTF is the way the show's host, Mark Maron, asks his fellow comedians about how they got started in the business when he interviews them.  I'm always fascinated by those kinds of stories.

Color Cornucopia is now for sale on Etsy. It ships for free and even comes with a free copy of my book. If you happen upon this post after it's been sold, don't despair. I can make a similar custom painting for you. Click here to learn more about my commissioned art process.