The Spring Valley library is kicking off Black History Month with an African American art exhibit that will run through its Black History Month celebrations. Students from Platt College have entered in several pieces of art throughout the library based on how they relate to African American History. With graphic illustration, photography, charcoal and photo collage, they have successfully created an art show that celebrates fits in with both Black History and African American History. It is a show well worth the visit to the library, especially if you want time to walk around and examine each piece. But, they will still be available at the Karamu.
Freddie Richardson, graphic illustrator student said his work “Soul Sister” that will immediately take you back to the days of “Soul Train” with its psychedelic look and bright colors. Its originality it clear, but has a bit of retro art style to it. He said his inspiration was in portraying what he saw in “African American female beauty.”
Derek Gardner decided to work with charcoal for this project and chose rapper Mos Def as his subject at a younger age as he saw him as a teenager. He said though he has become a cool actor, he began as an underground MC and he always liked his rhythm and his rhyme.
Kia Foster, digital design student worked in digital art and chose a young Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela as her subjects.
“Both of those men are big powerful people,” she said. “For me it is all about the quote.”
Her pieces are colorful and artfully finessed, with a collage of pictures, graphic arts and words.
Rogers Smith from Spring Valley did straight photography entering three photos. His focus was children because of his love of children.
“They are kind of the right moment at the right time pieces,” he said. “I do not set up photo shoots, but I’m always around kids and shooting photos. Two of them came from church events and “Cry Baby” is a picture of a newborn that began to cry while I was there.
Nicole Lewis, Spring Valley head librarian and Platt College instructor said the student art show is to celebrate African American History and to create an African American dialogue through the art. She asked all the students to create a piece for the art show.
“You’re going to see photography, graphic design and charcoal,” she said. “These students major in digital design, which includes graphic design, 3D animation, video and web design.”
Platt instructor Richard Morris teaches graphic design worked as an advisor in helping the students with their art for the show.
“This has been a different process than anything we have done before,” he said. “We have a small African American community at Platt College so it was good to see all of us working together. It was encouraging to see that.
Morris said the dialogue with the students about his life an African American graphic designer and being able to share his story was the best part of the process. Each of the students in the show have been his student at one time or another, some of them more than once, so his working with them on this special project strengthened the student/teacher relationship even more, he said.
“I believe the show came out very nice,” he said. “Knowing each of them personally I can see a bit of each of them in each of the pieces of art that came out.”
Take time to stop by the Spring Valley library and look at wonderful art that has a story behind it. Spring Valley Karamu (Feast of Feasts) is Feb. 21 from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. and will have entertainment for all ages. Singer and songwriter Lisa Sanders will perform, the La Presa Middle School Jazz Band, Thunder Squad Drumline, Poetry Slam will be part of the celebration along with the student art show. Jennifer Teitelbaum, Spring Valley branch manager said they expect several hundred people through the day and is proud that its Black History Month celebration is “continuing and is becoming an enthusiastically awaited celebration.”
