Our Faces, Our Voices, opening September 4rd at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, features 15 local DFW artists of various mediums and styles. This exhibition seeks to highlight these people of color who are statistically under represented through out the art world in both galleries and museums. This show also brings female artist to the forefront, with them making up over 50% of the show, when typically they have little to no representation within group showings.
This exhibition is proud to feature artworks by: Jeremy Biggers, Ari Brielle, Dr. Valerie Bennett Gillespie, Riley Holloway, Amanda Jackson, Jerry Lynn, Stacie Monday, JD Moore, Abi Salami, Armando Sebastian, Madelyn Sneed-Grays, Susan Sponsler-Carstarphen, Desiree Vaniecia, James Zamora, and Stephen Zhang. The mediums each of these artists use range from traditional oil paint to photography/video, giving them unbound expression of their voice.
Minority men and women have historically been underrepresented in western art. According to a recent study of 18 museums across the U.S., it’s estimated 85% of the art in their collections are by white artists. The past few years have begun to see a divergence from this, as more artists of color gain national notoriety for their talent and accomplishments. This exhibition seeks expose people of all ages, and especially children, to artists of different races and heritages, but allows them to relate to them on a more personal and human level by making their voices be heard.
Previously, “master” artists used self-portraits as a demonstration of their ability, and as an announcement of their place within society, their chosen vocation, and artistic style and skill. This collection of self-portraits come from artists who themselves grew up lacking representation of people that looked like them and role models within the art world. They hope to inspire the next wave of minority children who typically do not get to see people like themselves within the halls of museums and galleries. In their own way, each artist has been giving a voice to aspects of history previously untold, and changing the way we see the world and their place in it.
This art exhibit is co-curated by Raymond Wyatt and Shauna Benoit. Our Faces, Our Voices is on view at FWCAC from September 4th through November 7th, 2020. Fort Worth Community Arts Center is located at 1300 Gendy Street in Fort Worth, Texas. The center is open Monday – Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
