Ella West Gallery opens August 19 with inaugural exhibition celebrating Black artistic expression
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Tuesday, October 15, 2024


Ella West Gallery opens August 19 with inaugural exhibition celebrating Black artistic expression
This exhibition marks a significant milestone for Ella West Gallery as it endeavors to create a vibrant artistic space that champions underrepresented artists and cultivates a new era in the world of art.



DURHAM, NC.- Ella West Gallery opened in downtown Durham with the launch of its inaugural exhibition Return to Parrish Street: A Dream Realized. The gallery showcases extraordinary new works from North Carolina artists Kennedi Carter and Clarence Heyward and North Carolina native Ransome, and honor the legacy of its location in the heart of Durham’s Black Wall Street.

Dedicated to the memory of iconic artist and Durham native Ernie Barnes (American, 1938–2009), the exhibition opens with works on view by the celebrated late artist in conversation with new photography and paintings available for purchase by Carter and Heyward; portraiture by Ransome will be added September 11. These works probe perception, identity, and vulnerability, creating a visual dialogue around dreams and destiny.

Return to Parrish Street: A Dream Realized is on view through October 21, 2023, offering budding and established art collectors and enthusiasts a unique opportunity to access these internationally acclaimed artists.

This exhibition marks a significant milestone for Ella West Gallery as it endeavors to create a vibrant artistic space that champions underrepresented artists and cultivates a new era in the world of art. Nestled within the heart of Black Wall Street’s Parrish Street in the building that once housed the printing presses of The Durham Reformer, a 1920s-era Black newspaper, the gallery is poised to act again as a destination for raising marginalized voices.

Return to Parrish Street: A Dream Realized reflects gallery founder Linda Shropshire’s mission to amplify diverse voices and provide a platform for emerging and established regional, national, and international artists.

“Return to Parrish Street: A Dream Realized looks both backward and forward, celebrating generations of Black achievement while working to nurture the artistic growth of a new class of artists poised to shape the future of art history,” said Shropshire, a longtime collector and arts advocate. “Through their distinct art practices, Ernie Barnes, Kennedi Carter, Clarence Heyward, and Ransome express a sense of agency and autonomy that embodies the spirit of Ella West Gallery and more importantly, the neighborhood the gallery calls home.”

Photographer Kennedi Carter (American, b.1998) creates lush images that celebrate beauty, the body, and Blackness. After honing her skills as a celebrated editorial fashion photographer working with British Vogue, Essence, Vanity Fair, and The New York Times, Carter’s fine art practice explores the aesthetics of the Black quotidian, capturing the unexpected, unknown, and unimaginable slices of life that she finds tucked away in the corners of society often overlooked, and aims to reinvent notions of creativity and confidence in the realm of Blackness. She lives in Durham.

Clarence Heyward (American, b.1983) is a painter and collagist whose work explores notions of the Black American experience through his dynamic and fresh take on figurative art, investigating cultural truths, challenging stereotypes, and questioning identity. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Heyward relocated to North Carolina to study art education at North Carolina Central University.

He has shown his work at venues including the 21c Museum of Durham, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for Cultural Arts, the Block Gallery in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, and (CAM) the Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh. Heyward was the recipient of The Brightwork Fellowship residency at Anchorlight, Raleigh in 2020, the Emerging Artist in Residence at Artspace, Raleigh in 2021, and was the 2022 Artist in Residence at North Carolina State University. His work is in the collections of several notable private and public institutions, including a recent acquisition by the North Carolina Museum of Art. He currently lives and works in Raleigh.

Artist and illustrator Ransome (American, b.1961) fuses together the tactile patchwork motifs of rural quilters with the rhythm and spontaneity of hip-hop DJs. His expansive portfolio is cinematically colored and richly layered; household names like Harriet Tubman and Serena Williams share focus with everyday working heroes, intertwining the narratives and references of Black history across the canvas with every stroke.

The Rich Square, North Carolina native graduated from the Pratt Institute in addition to receiving a Master of Fine Arts from Lesley University. He is a recipient of The Hudson Valley Artists Annual Purchase Award from the Dorsky Museum and has exhibited his work in the Katonah Museum of Art, The Sigal Museum of Easton, Pennsylvania, The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) Museum of Art in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the Visual Art Center of New Jersey. The View from Here was his first solo exhibit which opened in 2020 at the historic Barrett Art Center. Say It Loud at the Elaine Bailey Augustine Gallery at the University of North Alabama, Alabama, and Harmony of Difference at the Alpha Gallery in Boston, Massachusetts, both opened in 2022. He was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration and IBBY Honor Award for children’s books The Creation and Uncle Jed’s Barbershop. Ransome lives in Rhinebeck, New York.










Today's News

August 20, 2023

"Dreamland: Tim Burton's 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'" marks the film's 30th anniversary

Berenice Abbott captured Manhattan in the throes of heady change

'The Topography of Memory' featuring the work of Teresa Baker, Elizabeth Hohimer, and Hank Saxe

LGDR, superstar art gallery, implodes after just two years

Library of antique British boxing books, ephemera is main event at Chiswick's Books & Works on Paper auction

Mitra Abbaspour appointed Curator and Head of Modern and Contemporary Art at Harvard Art Museums

Ella West Gallery opens August 19 with inaugural exhibition celebrating Black artistic expression

How Metallica hard-wires a different set list every night

Springfield Art Museum welcomes traveling international group exhibition 'Tradition Interrupted'

New species of Triassic reptile reveals lifestyle of ancient pterosaur relatives

Getty announces 2023/2024 Artist in Residence

Jessica Poon's animated film 'Sunset Singers' now open at Museum Folkwang

Walid Raad's 'Cotton Under My Feet: The Hamburg Chapter' coincides with International Summer Festival 2023

Han Nefkens Foundation announces a new initiative: the Moving Image Commission 2023

D'Stassi Art presents UK debut solo show of Trevor Andrew, Olympic snowboarder turned creative phenomenon

An Arabic adaptation of 'Chicago' razzle dazzles Lebanon

To stop an extinction, he's flying high, followed by his beloved birds

Historic Forten Family Bible donated to Museum of the American Revolution by descendants of James Forten

New British Library report confirms libraries are engines of economic recovery and growth

Bridget Banton and Samir Patel join Museum of London Board of Governors

Heritage's jewelry auction celebrates sparkling diamonds, dazzling colored gems and chic designer beauties

Elevate Your Living Space with Comfy: Your Destination for Home Decor Bliss

How to Get YouTube Premium Free?

Windows 10 vs. Windows 11 - An In-Depth Comparison



Wrongful Death in a Car Accident in Miami, Florida

26 Exciting Gift Ideas for Pokémon Fans

Struggling Artists Find Relief Through Debt Forgiveness Programs

A World of Chance: Exploring the Diverse Casino Games in Online Gambling




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful