Jacob Zumo, a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a Catholic artist who has studied in Florence, Italy. He told the Register that Mother Mary has been a “constant” in his life, “a lifeline and an intercession to Jesus.” His “Mother Mary” series reflects “a reflection of repetition of the Hail Marys in the Rosary. All originals are a part of his morning Rosary “warm-up,” including color coordination, texture and prayer — “seen in the expression of Mary’s face uniquely different by the guidance through the Holy Spirit.”

• HONORING MARY. ‘The Blessed Virgin Mary transcends time and space. She transcends human categories such as age, race and socioeconomic status. In this world, she was poor materially, but rich in what matters,’ said artist Zumo. As he also told the Register, ‘My hope is to mold beauty in visual arts with a spiritual underlining that all can relate to. My prayer is that all who view, collect and support my passion can feel like they are a part of something greater than themselves and grow in that experience,’ adding that he aspires ‘to modernize sacred art and transform traditional Catholic paintings into works of beauty and originality.’

• ‘SPARK PRAYER.’ ‘Whether a classical Renaissance realism piece that finds a home in a sanctuary of a church, a pop-art-style painting that just brings recognition and appreciation to the faith in certain specific public or private settings, or just a simple symbol that reflects the faith in our homes, all have a place in the rejuvenation of faith to spark prayer, conversation and storytelling around Jesus and the Gospel,’ Zumo said, adding that he desires ‘to rejuvenate the face of Catholic art: bring it back to the forefront of culture and the art world, to help build back our Church home and domestic church in the family, one painting … at a time.’

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Zach Woolsey and his wife appear with country music artist Shania Twain. Image courtesy of Zach Woolsey

LOGAN – Growing up in Logan, even as young as seven, Zach Woolsey’s focus in life was to stay busy drawing.

Now, 40 years later living in the Boise area, he is an illustrator, designer and graphic artist with a national profile. He is prominent in the worlds of hip hop, rap and Marvel comics, and more.

In 2017 he provided some art pieces to be auctioned at Shania Twain’s Kid’s Foundation in Canada and it earned him an invitation to her concert in Salt Lake City where he met the artist.

“She is a really sweet lady. It was super fun to meet with her,” Woolsey explains. “After the opening act she asked us to walk with her to the stage. So, we did that, she went up on stage and we went to the seats she provided for us. As she came out to open the show she waved at us. It was fun.”

Not to drop names, but he continues to do work — including album cover illustrations and other art — for Snoop Dog, Dr. Dre, TechN9ne and several other artists. He admits most of his art is a bit on the dark side.

“For whatever reason, I guess I have a tendency to travel that way,” Woolsey says. “People seem to enjoy that and it’s brought a lot of good opportunities for me, whether it’s been either cards or books or merchandise or anything like that.”

Since 2018 he has provided sketch art for Topps cards.

“There’s a lot of wonderful card sets coming out, like Star Wars Masterworks Series,” says Woolsey. “We’ve done a lot with the Mandalorian which I love, too. I’ve gotten really good at drawing storm troopers; I can pretty much do them any time anywhere.”

He is proud of his 15 X 10 foot mural in downtown Boise — “Breaking Boise” — which is an homage to the television series “Breaking Bad.” He was asked to create in an area called the Freak Alley Galley.

Aaron Paul, one of the stars of Breaking Bad, is a native of the Boise area.

“Last year Aaron was in town on business and he brought Brian Cranston with him,” explains Woolsey. “And it was funny while Brian was here he actually autographed the mural, signing on his nose right across the painting.”

Zach is the son of Janet and Steven Woolsey. After Logan High he sought further art training in Minnesota before earning a degree at Boise State.

His work can be found online at magicartwerx.com.

Details

By Darren Thompson and Neely Bardwell

August 14, 2023

On August 19 at 9 a.m. the Sante Fe Indian Market opens. The market has a 101-year history and is the largest juried American Indian art show in the world. 

The two-day weekend event is organized by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), the event can only be described as legendary as it generates more than $160 million in revenue for artists and the community.

More than 1,000 Native artists from more than 100 Tribal communities in North America and Canada will display their original art. The market also includes film screenings, fashion shows, panel discussions, live entertainment, side events, and more. 

Attendees will have the opportunity to view and purchase a wide range of traditional and contemporary Native American art, including jewelry, pottery, textiles, paintings, sculptures, and clothing.

Artists will have the opportunity to show their work and compete for awards in SWAIA’s prestigious judged art competition, with tens of thousands of dollars in prizes. 

The market is free and open to the public, although there are some events that require tickets or are open to SWAIA members only, including an artist’s reception and a sneak peek at the award-winning art. 

Performances include live entertainment with a lineup of Native singers, dancers, drummers, and a presentation from the  Native American Rights Fund on their continued fight for tribal sovereignty. There will also be a Native Clothing Contest where Native people from across North America display their traditional regalia and clothing, representing their respective nations. 

Closing out the weekend is the event’s 10th Indigenous Fashion Show, featuring seven premier Indigenous designers on the runway at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center Ballroom.

Details

By Elyse Wild

August 14, 2023

The third annual Forbes 50 over 50 Impact List came out last week, and three women making an impact in Indian Country made the list along with high visibility women like Jamie Lee Curtis. 

The list highlights dynamic female leaders and entrepreneurs who have achieved success over the age 50, often overcoming formidable odds or barriers, providing that success has no age limit. 

This year’s list, produced in partnership with Mika Brzezinski and the Know Your Value platform, divides these women into four categories: Impact, Investment, Innovation, and Lifestyle. 

Meet the three women–already well known to Indian Country–who make the list: 

Joy Harjo (72), Artist in Residence, Bob Dylan Center: Joy Harjo (Muscogee Creek Nation) is an internationally renowned performer and writer who became the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States. She served for three terms from 2019 to 2022. Her project as Poet Laureate, “Living Nations, Living Words,” is a digital mapping of contemporary Native poets about the importance of place and is now in the Library of Congress’ permanent collections. She received The Leadership Award from the Academy of American Poets, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Book Critics Circle in 2022 and Yale’s 2023 Bollingen Prize for American Poetry. In 2022 she released a book of prose, a collection of poetry and a new children’s book. She also helped write “We Are America,” an experimental American anthem sampling sounds from across the country. Harjo has built her career on poetry but has made a living through other creative means, including writing screenplays, teaching in academic institutions, playing saxophone, performing and speaking. 

Stephine Poston (55), Co-founder of Native Women Lead: Stephine Poston is one of the co-founders of Native Women Lead, an organization she helped establish to invest in and provide loans to Native women founding and running businesses. She is also the founder of Poston & Associates, a full-service communications firm specializing in serving the Native American population. Under Poston’s guidance, Native Women Lead has piloted three lending programs since 2020 to help Indigenous businesses in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. She launched the Matriarch Restoration Fund in March 2022, which offers $10,000 to $50,000 loans at 3 percent interest rates to Native women artists, makers, crafters, and creatives in the Indigenous communities. 

Cynthia Chavez Lamar (51), Director of the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution: Cynthia Chavez Lamar (San Felipe Pueblo) took office as the director of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). She is the first Native American woman to lead a Smithsonian Institution museum. She oversees an institution with more than 1 million objects and photographs and over 500,000 films, digital images, and other media documenting Native Nations and tribes’ cultures and experiences. Chavez Lamar grew up in Katishtya, the Pueblo of San Felipe (her tribe’s reservation), and earned a doctorate in American studies from the University of New Mexico. Chavez Lamar’s career is coming full circle. The first job she took after earning her doctorate was an internship at NMAI, contributing research towards the museum’s expansion. Under her leadership, the NMAI dedicated the National Native American Veterans Memorial in 2022. It was a $15 million project and the first large public celebration the NMAI held since March 2020. 

Ramona Bennett (84), Activist: Romona Bennett (Puyallup Tribe) is a longtime leader from the Puyallup Tribe from western Washington state and a pioneering civil rights leader who has dedicated much of her life to advocating for the rights of indigenous people in the U.S. Throughout her life, she’s fought for social and healthcare services and tribal fishing rights. Her work has been peppered with threats to her safety and she has survived multiple assassination attempts during the Fish Wars protests of the 1960s and 1970s. In 1978, Bennett’s advocacy and testimony in legislative hearings helped pass the Indian Child Welfare Act. She was Puyallup tribal chairwoman from 1971 to 1978 but was denied entry to the national tribal chairwoman’s committee for being a woman. She held her ground and insisted on being present. In 2022, she began campaigning to amend a law that she believes undermines the fishing rights of tribes in the Pacific Northeast.

Update: A previous version of this article named Fawn Sharp as a 50 over 50 Impact List and omitted Ramona Bennett.

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SALAMANCA — Good Medicine Creatives art gallery has opened its doors at 215 Broad St., the former WGWE radio station building, serving as both a classroom and space for 10 local Seneca Nation artists to display and sell their work.

The gallery will give the artists a space to create new art and interact with the public by teaching classes and holding exhibits to educate, connect and inspire the community.

In addition to workshops and classes, the artists plan to have speakers and, eventually, some digital art classes. Artist Penelope Minner said they also plan to have an open studio where the public can observe an artist at work.

Fellow artist Cliff Redeye said he’ll be working on a leather project Wednesdays from 1 to 6 p.m. He invites people to stop in and watch. He’ll be happy to answer any leather-related questions.

Minner said there are stories behind every piece the artists create. A number of her handmade baskets are on display that she has incorporated with her delicate beadwork. She is also showing corn husk dolls, an art that was passed on to her by her mother.

“The dolls make us realize we are not alone,” she explained. “They were a play object for the Haudenosaunee children way back when.”

Minner is trying to make at least six to eight dolls this season representing women in the Haudenosaunee culture. The first one was a no-face doll and it has a story explaining why the corn husk dolls don’t have a face. According to Minner, several different stories have been handed down through the generations between the nations and tribes. She said “it’s all about vanity.”

The basketmaker, shown in a display case, was her second doll. Minner laughed as she said “this one is like a self-portrait of me busy making my baskets.”

There are some particularly moving art pieces in the gallery, especially that of Redeye, who explained a few currently on display. He dedicated a large leather tooled bag to his grandmother, Phoebe Redeye, who went to the Thomas Indian School when orphaned at 7 years old.

“The piece portrays her going to the school as a child and having the native teachings of the Three Sisters (corn, beans and squash) discouraged by the school matrons around her,” he said. “The piece represents the traditional teachings of the Seneca being replaced by the school. The wooden handle actually came from my grandmother’s house.”

Good Medicine Creatives is part of the Artist Employment Program under the Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY) award in collaboration with the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum (SINM).

Minner said the gallery was made possible through the two-year program that funds employment for 300 artists working in collaboration with community-based organizations across New York state. She said participating artists receive an annual $65,000 salary plus benefits and dedicated time to focus on their artistic practice. Collaboratives, the SINM/OCC, will receive money for hosting the artists and working with them. Each collaboration is different across the state.

“We began showing our work and selling it at the SINM, but this gallery is an extension of the museum and (the artists) are a separate entity,” she said. “Hayden Haynes, director of the Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center at the museum, oversees the program and has worked with the artists from the start.”

Minner said the 10 artists from the Allegany and Cattaraugus territories came together as a group and applied for the grant under the SINM. Redeye said they applied as a group and developed what they wanted and envisioned.

“When we applied for the grant, we had a goal to get a building to create an arts district of sorts. There are so many artists in town and it’s a way to highlight the ones that people don’t realize are here,” he said.

Good Medicine Creatives is an art collective established in 2022 on the Seneca Nation Allegany Territory. As artists and culture bearers, they seek to inspire and be inspired by art in all forms to promote positivity and good medicine for the people.

The artists and culture bearers include Cliff Redeye (leatherwork, painting, carving); Leeora White (traditional Iroquois interpreter, watercolor, crafts; Patrick Redeye (photography, video); Maurice John Jr. (painting, visual art, photography); Tami Watt (graphic art, photography, beadwork); Penelope Minner (baskets, beadwork, corn husk dolls); Karlene Familo (painting, beadwork, skirts, hats); Hilton Johnny-John (gustowehs, gunstocks, rattles, drums, performer); Jocelyn Jones (performing and body artist, public speaker, botanicals); and Brett Maybee (traditional Iroquois orator, musician, and host of a national radio show with Native Voice called Gaënö’ that highlights native artists).

Regular gallery hours are Wednesday through Friday from 1 to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday. For more information, visit goodmedicinecreatives.com

For information about classes, events and featured speakers, scan the QR code found in the gallery. For more details about Creatives Rebuild New York, visit creativesrebuildny.org.

Indigenous Artists Speak Out Against Stereotypes in “Savages and Princesses: The Persistence of Native American Stereotypes,” at the Pauly Friedman Art Gallery

Indigenous Artists Speak Out Against Stereotypes in “Savages and Princesses: The Persistence of Native American Stereotypes,” at the Pauly Friedman Art Gallery

Misericordia University’s Pauly Friedman Art Gallery fall exhibit “Savages and Princesses: The Persistence of Native American Stereotypes,” will run from Tuesday, September 5 through Sunday, October 22, 2023.

In the exhibition “Savages and Princesses: The Persistence of Native American Stereotypes,” twelve contemporary Native American visual artists confront misconceptions of Indigenous identity and culture with humor, defiance, and honesty. Artworks include ceramics, prints, and mixed media pieces from found objects such as vinyl records. Oklahoma artist and editor of First American Art Magazine America Meredith initially curated this nationally-touring exhibit.

“Savages and Princesses: The Persistence of Native American Stereotypes” embraces Native Americans’ power to replace stereotypical images that permeate the current pop culture landscape. Recognizing that stereotypes often occur without conscious awareness, the exhibition includes didactic information that explores common stereotypes about Native Americans that are falsehoods, followed by the truths behind them.

Presented originally at Tulsa’s “108|Contemporary” in 2016, this exhibition is organized by “ExhibitsUSA,” a program of the Mid-America Arts Alliance.

There will be a free reception and artmaking event on Saturday, October 21, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Live music performance by Patrick Temple, professor of Guitar at Misericordia University.

Exhibition: “Savages and Princesses: The Persistence of Native American Stereotypes”

Host Organization: Misericordia University’s Pauly Friedman Art Gallery

Dates: September 5 – October 22, 2023

Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Thursday, 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Friday – Sunday, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; all other times are by appointment

Location: Misericordia University, 2nd floor Insalaco Hall; 301 Lake St, Dallas, PA, 18612

Admission: Free

Contact: (570) 674-6250; misericordia.edu/art

About ExhibitsUSA

ExhibitsUSA, a Mid-America Arts Alliance national program, tours this exhibit. ExhibitsUSA annually sends more than twenty-five exhibitions on tour to over 100 small- and mid-sized communities. These exhibitions create access to an array of arts and humanities experiences, nurture the understanding of diverse cultures and art forms, and encourage the expanding depth and breadth of cultural life in local communities. For more about ExhibitsUSA, email MoreArt@maaa.org or visit www.eusa.org.

About Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) strengthens and supports artists, cultural organizations, and communities throughout our region and beyond. We achieve this primarily through our national traveling exhibition programs, innovative leadership development, and strategic grant-making. We are especially committed to enriching the cultural life of historically underserved communities by providing high-quality, meaningful, and accessible arts and culture programs and services. We believe in more art for more people. Additional information about M-AAA is available at www.maaa.org.

About the Pauly Friedman Art Gallery

The Mission of the Pauly Friedman and MacDonald Art Galleries is to engage the Misericordia campus and community in creative experiences through visual arts exhibitions and programs that foster critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and global citizenship. Regular gallery hours are 12-7 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday and 12-5 p.m. Fridays to Sundays. Other times are available by appointment. Closed during university closings and holidays. Admission is always free to all. Please call or check the gallery website, www.misericordia.edu/art, to confirm your visit. To schedule a free tour or private appointment, or for more information, contact the art gallery director, Lalaine Bangilan Little, Ph.D., at (570) 674-6250 or email llittle@misericordia.edu.

There’s something sobering about Summer, a photograph from Wendy Red Star’s Four Seasons series. It’s not the sun-drenched forest or bed of lemon-yellow, cherry-red and ivory blossoms. Neither is it the snow-capped mountains or spindly pines. It’s the Apsáalooke (Crow) artist herself, pictured in the foreground, looking at something in the distance with a gaze that startles. The setting, on closer inspection, is artifice: the mountains, a photograph; the florets, mere plastic. She alone is alive, eyes affixed on a world out of frame.

So opens “Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea,” an enthralling survey of 48 modern and contemporary artists at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., the final stop on a two-and-a-half-year tour. By turns serene and harrowing, the West here brims with life. In one canvas, Michael Brophy’s Beaver Trade, a sky of muted blues, ashy purples and flamingo pinks is broken by a totem pole scarred with tendril-like footprints. In a photograph, from Christina Fernandez’s series Maria’s Great Expedition, a woman stands, slumped-shouldered, before a teal wall and rusting stove. Her gaze is unnerving. “I’m here,” she seems to say. “I always have been.”

“These artists are speaking from a place they know well,” says Anne Hyland, curatorial coordinator of the museum’s Art Bridges Cohort Program, a five-year exhibition partnership funded by the Art Bridges Foundation. Arrayed on the exhibition’s jewel-toned walls is the work of Black, Asian American, Indigenous, LGBTQ+ and Latinx artists, for whom the West is a lived experience, explains Amy Chaloupka, curator at the Whatcom Museum, where the exhibition traveled last year. “It is imbued in who they are,” Chaloupka says. Some of the works provoke, others shock, and still more delight. But they are all, uniformly, present: Here is life laid bare. This is not a Wild West but a pulsating one.

One haunting example is Rick Bartow’s Buck. In the grand self-portrait, set against a yellow ochre ground, the artist is on the verge of collapse. His limbs appear tacked on, formless. His hands are out of place, one rendered in periwinkle blue, the other, ballerina pink. The forms seem to break away, even as they coalesce. Bartow, a Vietnam veteran and member of the Wiyot Tribe of Northern California, painted the canvas two years after his second stroke, explains Danielle Knapp, a curator at the University of Oregon’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, where the show toured last fall. In the portrait, Bartow is seated in a wheelchair, but he wasn’t using one regularly when he painted the work. He is vulnerable, with intention.

That vulnerability runs through Barbara Earl Thomas’ Night Crawlers and Earth Worms. In the small linocut, three fishermen are poised before a rushing stream, set against a deep yellow ground giving way to creamy whites. Crouched, the fishers meld into the fluid scene, as if rocks in the marsh. Here, it seems, is a day like any other. Beyond the brush, in the deep, are people working tirelessly, wordlessly. The print calls to mind the work of 20th-century painter Jacob Lawrence, who taught Thomas, a Seattle-based visual artist, at the University of Washington. In Lawrence’s The Builders, completed in 1980 and on view midway through the show, laborers—their saws and wood planks cast in mustard yellows and bubble gum pinks—hammer away at a building taking shape, tools strewn about. The West exists, just behind the scaffold.

So, too, does it linger in Roger Shimomura’s American Infamy #2. The sweeping work presents Minidoka, an internment camp in Idaho where the Japanese American artist was incarcerated for two years in the early 1940s. The camp—peopled with a girl on a scooter, a woman in a coral suit and sage-green hat, and a group of men in cool grays—is obscured by heavy, navy-black clouds jutting across the frame. The effect is suffocating, as if the walls are closing in. For a minute, we, too, are trapped in this life lived apart—in the shadows, out of sight.

“It’s easy to start being preachy,” Shimomura told an interviewer in 2017. If you follow your first tendencies, what you end up with is “propaganda, not painting.” In American Infamy #2, viewers see Shimomura walking that line, offering fragments of life like whispers, never veering into protest.

If Shimomura gives us glimmers, the late Chinese-born American painter Hung Liu bathes us in light. In her oil Mandarin Ducks, a woman in a dress of wine-tinged beige is set against a muddied ground, flanked by ducks and powder-pink lilies. Dabs of black paint in the foreground give the work a tentative feel: In a moment, she might vanish. The woman pictured is Polly Bemis, who was sold by her parents in China, in the early 1870s, and smuggled to the United States, where she later escaped deportation, eventually running a saloon and boarding house in Warren, Idaho. Hers “could have been a life of subjugation,” says Melanie Fales, executive director and CEO of the Boise Art Museum, where the show opened in 2021. In Liu’s hands, it’s more complicated. Bemis here is elusive, as if seen through a curtain. What is she thinking? The question hangs in the stale air. Bemis gives nothing away.

Where “Many Wests” soars is when it gives room to these artists to tell their own stories, in works that marvel. There’s an air of empathy, love even, that runs through a show like this one, suggests Alisa McCusker, a senior curator at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, where the show toured before arriving in Washington, D.C. This artwork, arrayed on jewel-toned walls, presents the West not as it could be but as it is: heartbreaking, gorgeous, real.

V. Maldonado’s The Fallen takes this a step further. The frenzied work of amorphous figures, overlaid with a dense web of psychedelic pinks, blood oranges and sky blues seems impenetrable. Keyed to shock, the abstracted canvas gestures to the multi-tonal masks of Mexican lucha libre wrestlers and the artist’s own double consciousness, ever aware of the gaze of others. The veiled forms come forward and recede, as if pangs of pain, swelling to the surface only to fall back again. Maldonado, a Portland, Oregon-based interdisciplinary artist who sets out to “make visible the invisible structures,” here triumphs, the work a reminder that art can still jolt us.

Alfredo Arreguín’s Bitterns is a subtle rejoinder. The luminous work, of two marsh birds soaring through iridescent skies, waves cresting in the dappled ground, is unlike any other in the show. Born in Morelia, Mexico, Arreguín grew up in Seattle and served in Korea. On a visit to Japan, he was introduced to the ukiyo-e, or woodblock prints, of the master artist Hokusai. The influences of the Japanese artist and Arreguín’s native Mexico come through in Bitterns, from the delicate plumage of the herons to the scalloped-edged brushwork and subtle gradations of light. Works like these require a keen eye, an ability to sit and observe until what’s before you comes to life. You don’t so much look at Bitterns as soar with it, winged, high above East and West.

Across the way, the show closes, as it opens, thunderously. Mounted on a deep emerald wall, a blazing oil from the late San Antonio artist Angel Rodríguez-Díaz, The Protagonist of an Endless Story, demands attention. In the towering work, Mexican American novelist Sandra Cisneros stands before a searing sky of impossible reds flecked with fiery yellows and deep maroons. In a velvety black dress, Cisneros is starling-like, her gown embellished with gold embroidery and robin’s-egg-blue and ruby pearls. Delicate as her dress is, Sandra is impassive. The strain in her face echoes the molten skies with an air of atonement, as if she’s saying, “You will pay for what you’ve done.”

It’s difficult to imagine that Cisneros was once fragile and racked with self-doubt. In the introduction to her 1984 novel, The House on Mango Street, she enumerates her anxieties as a young writer: walking home in the dark, falling in love and getting stuck, moving back home because she wasn’t “brave enough to live alone.” Perhaps it was her fears that ennobled her, forcing the novelist to look life in the eyes and write about what she saw. In her 1991 short story “Woman Hollering Creek,” a woman is trapped in a loveless marriage. In her 2002 novel, Caramelo, a family keeps secrets from each other, the truth tamped down until it swells to the surface. Cisneros holds nothing back. It’s that woman who looks back at us in Rodríguez-Díaz’s painting: a woman at the brink.

In The House on Mango Street, Cisneros introduces us to Sally, a girl who wears blue paint on her eyelids and whom the other kids call names. At the end of one chapter, the narrator conjures up a better world for Sally: “You could close your eyes and you wouldn’t have to worry what people said … nobody could make you sad and nobody would think you’re strange because you like to dream and dream.”

The artists in “Many Wests” are strange, deliberately so. They present themselves as vulnerable, opaque, a cacophony of annihilating blues and dizzying reds that rivet even as they beguile. They are a reminder that the West isn’t a single place, or even a place at all. It is a person, telling her story. It is a person who dreams and dreams.

“Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea” runs through January 14, 2024, at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.

Detroit, the city once largely known for its automobile manufacturing, now takes on a vibrant new identity as a cultural nucleus. A canvas portraying a blend of music, history, paintings, and an impressive array of other artistic forms, Detroit is an irreplaceable part of America’s cultural DNA. A crucial factor driving this cultural renaissance is the emergence of artists amplifying Black culture, and among them, Detroit native Darius Baber stands tall, channeling the spirit of Motown through his breathtaking murals that bedeck Detroit’s East Riverfront.

Baber, a proud product of Detroit’s public education system and a graduate of Pershing High School, has made a name for himself with his vibrant and poignant depictions of Motown legends. His creative prowess showcases the power of local education, laying emphasis on the strength of roots and the profound impact of a city on an artist’s evolution.

Oftentimes, with artists, people are so enthralled in their artwork that they seem to think they have a sense of who the master is behind the piece. When asked the question, ‘who is Darius Baber?’ Baber responded, “I am Darius Baber, an artist who thrives on capturing the essence of life’s intricacies through my creations. With a background rooted in painting and a passion for exploring various forms of expression, I aim to unveil emotions and stories that resonate with others.”

His journey, from the classrooms of Pershing High School to the heart of Detroit’s art scene, is a testament to the city’s resilience and rich cultural heritage.

“The ignition of my creative genius was a multifaceted journey. While there wasn’t a single catalyst, a pivotal figure in this evolution was my high school art teacher and friend, Carol Morisseau,” Baber told the Michigan Chronicle. “Her unwavering encouragement and her own artistic dedication became my guiding light. Her influence ignited a spark within me to embrace my creativity fully.”

His most colored artwork, steeped in the legacy of Motown, serves as a vivid reminder of Detroit’s enduring spirit, its cultural tapestry, and the role it continues to play in shaping the future. Baber’s recent project serves as a larger-than-life tribute to the musical giants who once graced the stages of Motown, transforming the cityscape into a mesmerizing outdoor gallery.

Prominent figures like Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, David Ruffin, Ron Isley, Gladys Knight, Tammi Terrell, and the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin, find a new lease of life in Baber’s vivacious portraits.

These art installations, commissioned by Bedrock in collaboration with Library Street Collective, are more than mere visuals. They are a testament to Detroit’s monumental contribution to music and are strategically placed to guide visitors and locals to the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre. Each portrait captures the essence of these Motown greats, lighting up not just the surroundings but also the hearts of those who pass by.

Speaking of his work, Baber stated that including Aretha Franklin was an absolute necessity, given the proximity of his art pieces to the amphitheater bearing her name. His intention was to highlight the city’s rich musical heritage and its unrivaled contributions to the world of music.

“Collaborating closely with site designers and architects, I meticulously planned each Aretha Franklin painting,” said Baber. “Months of digital creation ensued, with multiple iterations to ensure each piece aligned perfectly with the installation’s dimensions.

Each piece, painted with careful precision, bursts with color, showing the legendary singers in their prime. The murals are also equipped to light up at night, illuminating the riverfront and serving as a beacon of culture, history, and art, making them a sight to behold as the city sinks into the twilight hours.

The transformation of Detroit’s cultural landscape signifies a remarkable shift, where art and history intertwine to narrate a compelling story of resilience, innovation, and rhythm.

Baber’s take on the dynamic form of art is one that is more of a personable process, “Art, to me, is the scientific exploration of creativity. It’s a realm where artistic and scientific methodologies merge to unveil the raw essence of emotions, thoughts, and experiences,” he shared. “I am drawn to the process of experimentation, learning from both successes and failures, while creating visual stories that resonate.”

However, this project is one of many masterpieces Baber has trailblazed. He notes that his most dynamic moment was a self-portrait, winning a notable award back in 2006. While Baber’s 2018 I Can’t Believe piece was his most sought-after.

“The first piece I truly connected with was a self-portrait that earned a gold key in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards,” he said. “This recognition, fueled by Carol’s (high school art teacher) encouragement, pushed me beyond my doubts. My most sought-after work is a 30×30” oil painting titled I Can’t Believe. It captures a friend gazing out of a window and resonates with viewers, which has led to both original sales and numerous print requests.”

Detroit, through Baber’s eyes, is more than just a city. It’s an epicenter of culture where music, art, and history converge, reverberating with a rhythm that beats with every heartbeat of the city. A rhythm that is, undoubtedly, a melody of Motown, reminding us of the city’s vibrant past and its promising future.

“Through my work, I hope to evoke emotions and introspection. I aim to prompt viewers to pause and contemplate their own experiences, making personal connections to my art. Ultimately, I seek to spark conversations and inspire dialogue about the various facets of human existence.”

About Post Author

Ebony JJ Curry, Senior Reporter

Ebony JJ is a master journalist who has an extensive background in all areas of journalism with an emphasis on politics, community, and social justice. She serves as senior reporter and can be reached via email: ecurry@michronicle.com
Keep in touch via IG: @thatssoebony_