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Spotlighting ART FOR CHANGE Black Artists all month long |
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This February, ART FOR CHANGE is excited to celebrate Black History Month by featuring a collection of works from a multigenerational group of award-winning, contemporary Black artists whose work centers personal and cultural histories in America. Year-round, we are honored to collaborate with artists from the Black community, celebrating their cultural contributions and amplifying their enduring influence. Discover more about these talented artists and their practices below, and join us as we take a deeper look at their work throughout the month. |
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Ascension 26 x 21.25 inches Archival pigment print
Limited edition of 5 Hand-embellished, signed and numbered by the artist
Limited edition of 10 with 5AP + 1PP Signed and numbered by the artist
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David Shrobe merges drawing, painting, collage, and found objects with his own practice of carving wood, to construct original worlds and narratives. The artist mines familial, historical and online sources to build a unique archive that becomes a springboard for multi-layered portraits and assemblage paintings. Set within an oval frame that suggests a portal into a liminal space, Ascension stems from a body of work that builds on Shrobe’s interest in folklore and creation mythologies. A reflection on the relationship between the artist and the women in his family, the female figure within the composition stretches an arm around her male counterpart, implying her role as the protector in the depicted moment. |
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24 x 17.3 inches Archival pigment print Limited edition of 15 with 5AP + 1PP Hand-embellished, signed and numbered by the artist
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Alfred Conteh uses his practice to explore his personal identity and history from a number of different perspectives. Born in Fort Valley and based in Atlanta, the artist explores the ways in which African Americans have dealt with the generational disparities that have affected their communities, particularly in the Southern United States. His figurative paintings place contemporary members of the African diaspora—often subjects who he has met and interacted with—in mundane environments. Intended to memorialize a moment in which the artist was forced to reconcile with his own biases, Daishon depicts a young, Black man that he once encountered, who held up two fingers while wearing a sweatshirt. Conteh initially perceived the stranger as a threat, but soon discovered that the gesture was simply intended to be a peace sign. This interaction reminded the artist of his own experiences as a Black person constantly confronted by suspicion and discomfort. |
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Archival pigment print 24 x 36 inches
Limited edition of 20 with 5AP + 1PP Signed and numbered by the artist
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Rico Gatson is a Brooklyn-based mixed media artist working at the intersection of figuration and abstraction with experimentations in color and shape. Over the course of nearly two decades, he has been celebrated for politically layered artworks inspired by significant moments in Black history, such as the Watts Riots, the formation of the Black Panther, and the election of President Barack Obama. Shirley #3 celebrates the inspiring life of its titular figure, Shirley Chisholm, who combated racism and sexism to become elected as the first Black woman in Congress, as a representative of New York, in 1968. |
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21 x 21 inches Archival pigment print
Limited edition of 15 with 7 AP and 1 PP Hand-embellished, signed and numbered by the artist
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Philadelphia-based painter Patricia Renee’ Thomas’ wistful sensitivity enriches her central figures in her first collaboration with ART FOR CHANGE, Boardwalk (With Fries). The artist uses her practice to remedy lived and inherited experiences through dreamlike compositions of embodied memories and comforting touches. Harkening back to her childhood, like the slats along her boardwalk she reconstructs ancestral sanctuaries where socialized racial codes and dynamics evaporate. Hand-embellishing the print with beach balls and additional details, Boardwalk (With Fries) builds a vision of the future from the glimmering remnants of a personal past. |
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