Featured Exhibit
Memories and Inspiration: The Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art
The traveling exhibition Memories & Inspiration: The Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art presents sixty-seven selected works from a body of art amassed over thirty-five years by an ordinary working-class couple. Often choosing artworks over material items and other creature comforts, Kerry, a retired mailman, and Betty, a former television news producer, have opted instead to live with drawings, paintings, prints, and sculpture as their principal luxuries.
While their stated intention to 鈥減reserve cultural memories and provide their community with a source of inspiration鈥� are goals shared by most art enthusiasts, Kerry and Betty do not search exclusively for well-known and/or documented artists, keeping in mind 鈥渢he importance of gathering and preserving a spectrum of approaches to the black image in order to console the psyche and contribute to a more authentic articulation of the self.鈥� To this end, the Davises continue to be students of the visual arts through visits to galleries and museums and through their voracious reading of exhibition catalogues, artist monographs, books, and online data about artists, art genres, mediums, and history.
More about Memories & Inspiration
The Davis Collection has evolved considerably over the years, as its owners went from sifting through entries posted on various auction sites to visiting artists in their studios, dropping by galleries, trading with other collectors, going to estate sales, and receiving artworks from artists as gifts. The result is an eclectic gathering of pieces crossing different mediums, subjects, and styles by a group of artists of the African Diaspora who鈥攊n terms of training, experience, and expression鈥攁re singularly diverse but unified in their use of cultural and historical narratives. As their collection has grown, so has the Davises鈥� storehouse of memories of discovering new works of art, building friendships with artists, and conversing with museum professionals and other collectors in their home. They have also continued to expose their collection to family, friends, and church members who, while receptive to the fine arts, are unlikely to visit such local institutions as the High Museum of Art in Atlanta鈥攑rompting the artist Leon Nathaniel Hicks to refer to their residence as 鈥渁 museum in a home.鈥�
Memories & Inspiration: The Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art is organized and toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC.
Sedrick Huckaby b. 1975 Fort Worth, TX | She Wore Her Family's Quilt 2015
Events
Second Saturday Family Hour
This free event for creatives of all ages allows families to come together and enjoy our current exhibition.聽 A guided free craft activity and story time with Elaine at the Osterhout Library make up a wonderful afternoon of art appreciation.
Second Saturday Family Hour: Freeform Fun
Join the Sordoni Art Gallery on Saturday, October 12 from noon to 2 pm for our next Second Saturday Family hour! This free event for creatives of all ages allows families to come together and enjoy our current exhibition.
What is nonobjective art? Also called non-representational art, nonobjective art defines art that does not depict any recognizable person, place or thing. Join us for two projects that focus on color, line, shape, form, and texture – yarn painting and construction paper sculptures.
Storytime with Miss Elaine from the Osterhout Free Library is at 1 p.m.!
Art in Context Director’s Tour: The Women Artists of Memories & Inspirations
Join SAG Director Heather Sincavage as she walks you through the women trailblazers included in the Memories & Inspiration exhibition.聽 Several of the artists were instrumental in advocating for fair representation of artists of color in museums and texts.聽 Discover their lasting legacy through this intimate discussion amongst the art.
Cocktails & Culture; co-hosted with Diamond City Partnership
This special evening celebrating Memories & Inspiration is an opportunity to take in art, enjoy southern cuisine and cocktails, and live music is a wonderful way to enjoy the arts in downtown 91茄子Barre. A short tour with the Sordoni Gallery director will guide visitors through the magnificent display of art. Tickets are $30, $25 for Sordoni Gallery members.
Second Saturday Family Hour: Stamp & Repeat
Sordoni Art Gallery鈥檚 current exhibition, Memories & Inspiration, features a variety of printmaking. It is a fun way to make multiple pieces of art at once. Join us on November 9 from noon to 2 p.m. for a stamp making workshop! We will be making stamps for coasters and notecards. You will be able to use your stamp again and again!
Don鈥檛 forget to join us for storytime with the Osterhout Free Library at 1 p.m.!
Art in Context Screening: I am not your Negro by James Baldwin; Talkback with Dr. Helen Davis, Dept. of English
In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, “Remember This House.” The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and assassinations of three of his close friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin’s death in 1987, he left behind only 30 completed pages of this manuscript. Filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished.聽 Dr. Helen Davis, Dept. of English, will conduct a casual talk back following the film.
Registration is required. Email melissa.carestia@wilkes.edu to reserve your spot!