Thoughts On the In Black Show leading up to the exhibit

When I first thought of the In Black exhibit, I was just thinking up a way to allow each artist to fully express their artistry without restrictions, as I know that often restrictions can push an artist into a corner and really not allow for a full expression of self. Although in some ways, having a "show title" does that in some ways as well, In Black was a theme that I thought would give a little bit of room to be interpreted however the artist wanted to interpret it. The artist could play with the words from a social standpoint or just focus on white as the opposite of black. It was a completely open topic. One thing I did tell the artists was to work big. For 2 reasons. The first reason was I believe that working big gives room for ideas. In art school I remember wanting to work small, but was always gently encouraged by my instructors to work big because it gives you "room" so to speak. The second reason was practical. Since there were only 8 of us, we needed to be able to fill the space without "filling" the space.
The weeks leading up to the exhibit, I periodically contacted each artist to get an idea for where they were going with their pieces. I was excited with the responses I was getting, no one had the same idea, and there were definitely a range of subjects. One thing I did notice however is that most of the guys wanted to talk about social and racial aspects of the term black. This really got me to thinking about how much such issues mess with their psyches so deeply. I felt a sense of relief that this experience would also lend them this outlet to get their messages and feelings "out and in the open."
As the artists began to drop off their work, I would get a jolt of happiness as I saw them. Ellene was the firs and her work greeted me one morning as I entered the gallery. I was so stunned I texted her immediately on a job well done. Kenneth's piece "Desired" was the second to make it to the gallery. I was so moved by his work that I could feel my heart racing. I even gave him a big hug and congratulated him on a job well done.

More to come ...