Still I Rise: Celebrating Black History Month
Melissa Dvozenja-Thomas, Executive Director, Arts Mid-Hudson
Every February, the United States honors and pays tribute to the generations of African Americans who have helped shape the nation during Black History Month. Throughout the Hudson Valley, the community can participate in discussions, attend concerts, and visit galleries all honoring these individuals. The Arts Mid-Hudson Gallery in Poughkeepsie is currently presenting a multi-media art exhibition through March 3 called, Still I Rise: Celebrating Black History Month curated by Willie Mae Brown. This exhibition highlights the work of artists exploring Black humanity and Black pride expressed in a variety of styles and methods.
Brown left Alabama at the age of 17 in 1970 to start a new life in Brooklyn where she worked for the New York Telephone Company until 2003. A visual artist as well as an author, she began writing stories about her childhood in 2012 and reading them in public in 2015. Known for infusing her narratives with the vernacular of her Southern upbringing, Brown has read at numerous public events including Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations at Brooklyn Borough Hall, as well as at many special events across the city, in her home state, and beyond.
This show is so beautifully titled after Maya Angelou’s poem of resilience and empowerment. If you are unfamiliar with the poem, I would recommend looking it up and giving it a read. This work is not only a proclamation of Angelou’s own story but also calls others to go beyond, rise if you will, the society in which they were brought up.
Another piece inspired by Angelou is “Still I Rise” an acrylic work by Dorothy Brodhead that depicts Maya Angelou in bright bold colors with a light blue background. Angelou’s gaze at the lower corner of the work with her mouth slightly open appears to be speaking the words that bring this exhibition together.
Leon Tillman’s piece, “Hope for All”, watercolor and marker is a conceptual piece by the Brooklyn-based artist. The young Black girl’s profile is looking out and off the page with the appearance of yellow light in her gaze. Tillman states, “I am motivated by color and sound, preferably working with noise and people around to feed my decisions on shade and value. Loving all things and people of this world, I believe one should produce beauty by any means necessary when given the gift to create.”
Barbara Masterson’s work, “Thirsting”, 24 x 36'“ oil on canvas illustrates a migrant worker, standing tall, arms at their side, with their face towards the sun. Masterson’s piece invites the viewer to see the portrait of individuals who are often invisible in our society. Masterson states that her “work can expand our perceptions of these workers. If only by their images in paintings, the viewer will come to see these persons for the vital role they have in our lives.”
Other participating artists include Audrey Anastasi, Gülnar Babayeva, Harrison Brisbon-McKinnon, Dorothy Brodhead, Martial Davis, Priscilla DeConti, Marielena Ferrer, Katrina Ganpatt, Karen E. Gersch, LotuZ, Gwen Laster, Elinor Levy, Barbara Masterson, Susan Miiller, Shirley Parker-Benjamin, Leon Tillman, Lisa DeLoria Weinblatt.
The works of the artists represented in this show uplift the diverse contributions of visual artists in the area working in various mediums. Join the opening reception and artist talk to learn more about the artists, their work, and their motivation to create.
If you go:
Still I Rise: Celebrating Black History Month
January 30 - March 3, 2024
Opening Reception: Sunday, February 4, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Artist Talk: Sunday, March 3, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Open Tuesday- Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. or by appointment
Arts Mid-Hudson Gallery, 696 Dutchess Turnpike, Poughkeepsie, NY
(845) 454-3222
www.artsmidhudson.org/still-i-rise
