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Fostering cultural awareness is a crucial part of the mission at Kaw Valley Arts and Humanities.
Carol Kariotis, the nonprofit arts agency’s executive director, says the artistic community in Kansas City, Kan., is rich in cultural diversity. In an effort to represent that, Kariotis has curated “Celebrating Women Artists of Color,” a jaunty exhibit featuring 22 works by seven female artists from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.
Quilts by NedRa Bonds and Sherry Whetstone-McCall are among the strongest works in the show.
Bonds, raised in a family of quilters, is perhaps best known for her quilt about black people following the Underground Railroad from slavery in Missouri to freedom in Kansas.
One of the four quilts in the exhibit leaves North America and its history behind. A skillful arrangement of patterned fabrics, “2 Masaai Boys” shows two figures in red clothes against an arid African landscape.
“When He Thinks About Nothing” humorously illustrates the tumult of thoughts men might have when claiming mental vacancy. References to sports, war, wealth and women ecstatically dance around the silhouette of a head.
Whetstone-McCall, who came to quilting after working in an African art shop, received international recognition when one of her works was selected for the U.S. Embassy in Malawi.
In her most ambitious work, titled “Jazz Evolved Here,” she clearly sees Africa as the birthplace of jazz. Over an exuberant patchwork of earthy textiles decorated with sparkling sequins and tribal mask pendants, a tree sprouting from the African continent represents the music and its branches of styles.
“I Am Perfect” is an upbeat work about people perceiving themselves as attractive. Flanked by figures in African headdress, a mirror sewn into the vibrant fabric lets viewers see their own reflections framed by a declaration of beauty.
Painting in oils, Carolyn Chaperon combines watercolor techniques with a system of layering and glazing to make her abstract and figurative works.
Unfortunately, four of her five abstract paintings on offer amount to little more than a smudgy surface of pastel sweeps and dashes. While putting great emphasis on color, “…The Woman, the Horse, & a River…,” for instance, appears dull.
“Dehn,” on the other hand, enjoys a flattering outcome. Inspired by a friend who helped her through a creative block, it consists of fresh strokes of cool blues and a modicum of yellow, orange and red.
Five works by Ada Shakir Mahmud display little stylistic continuity, but her charcoal on newsprint piece mounted to black poster board is nevertheless compelling.
“She Afrikan” is a result of racial prejudice Mahmud experienced at Colorado State University in 1972. Based on a photograph of an African woman, the drawing is not so much a portrait of an individual as it is an icon of strength.
On opening night, folk singer Nicolette Paige set a festive mood for a show that ultimately succeeds in celebrating its featured artists.
By NICK MALEWSKI |
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