Nashville's Centennial Art Center Gallery To Celebrate Black History With New Exhibit

From the City of Nashville:

January 20, 2021

1/20/2021

Frederick Douglass (abolitionist) charcoal drawing by Nadine Wondem

Centennial Art Center gallery commemorates Black History Month with Voices of the Past: A Celebration of Black History - a visually impressive art exhibit by local African American artists. This exhibit, on display February 5 through March 25, 2021, provides a wide array of stunning artwork ranging from realistic to abstract expressionist paintings as well as expressive charcoal drawings of historical and current cultural figures.

Artists participating in the exhibit include Nadine Shillingford Wondem, Dennis Mitchell, Henry Jones, Donna Woodley, Carol Saffell, and Joseph Love. The opening reception, on February 5, is a virtual gallery tour which will feature some of the artists discussing their work. The gallery, however, is open to the public 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Thursday, with COVID 19 protocols strictly observed.

Rosary for Carlis, painting by Dennis Mitchell

has created stunning charcoal portrait drawings of prominent historical and current culturally prominent African Americans specifically for the exhibit. Powerful quotes such as this one by Vice President Kamala Harris, "What I want young women and girls to know is: You are powerful and your voice matters." accompany each drawing to provide gallery guests with a more intimate view of history and a hopeful vision for the future.

Dennis Mitchell combines luscious colors with an impressionistic or realistic style to create paintings which delight the senses. Dennis studied advertising art at Harris School of Advertising Art in Franklin, TN in the late 1970s. Building on this foundation of comprehensive course work, Dennis has continued to hone his skills and grow as a painter ever since. Dennis focuses primarily on portraits and landscapes working from his home studio in Murfreesboro, TN.

Henry Jones

Together We Rise, painting by Henry Jones

creates vibrant, expressionist paintings full of color. In paintings like, Together We Rise, Henry shows a shadow world in which hope and light merge. Originally from Chicago, Henry finds inspiration in how forces shape the world. His work focuses on social and cultural issues filled with messages of hope and redemption. In addition to painting, Henry is an activist, author and performance artist.

Donna Woodley's oil paintings primarily discusses the dichotomy between Black and American culture. The figure in her paintings confronts the visibility and value of African Americans within the historical and contemporary context of American society. In paintings such as Internal Chaos (shown here), she creates striking figures using confident brush work and suggestive color. Her work captures the complexity of human emotions and relationships.

Internal Chaos, painting by Donna Woodley

creates intense, large scale abstract paintings that engage the viewer. Her inspiration comes full of personal introspection evoking an emotion that moves and inspires people with the flow, texture and overall movement of the colors. Carol sometimes intends for her art to appear raw and unfinished because she believes that it represents people - raw and unfinished but always striving to become more like a masterpiece. Her painting, Gold, glows with light and beauty.

Joseph Love excels in portraiture - both grayscale and color. In his oil painting, Screaming Eagles, he works to combine two disparate views of Jimi Hendrix - one as a young musician in the 101st Airborne (Clarksville, TN) where he began his music career juxtaposed with an intimate portrait of the rock legend he was to become. In addition to portraiture, Joseph has moved into colorful abstract art which will capture the viewer's imagination.

Screaming Eagles, painting by Joseph Love

Voices of the Past: A Celebration of African American History will open to the public on Monday, February 8th at 9 a.m. The art in this exhibit serves to honor the role of African Americans in the local art scene as well as their formative role in making Nashville a vibrant city.

Centennial Art Center Gallery is located at 301 25th Avenue North (in the northeast corner of Centennial Park). Centennial Art Center offers 24 weekly classes to a diverse student population in three locations. The Center is a visual art learning center and community art gallery. Operating hours are 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday - Thursday. For more information, visit the Art Center's website at www.nashvile.gov/cac

This press release was produced by the City of Nashville. The views expressed here are the author’s own.