Exhibition Opening Reception Recap

The Radical Voice of Blackness Speaks of Resistance and Joy Exhibition Opening Reception Recap

MEDIA ADVISORY 

For Immediate Release

November 14, 2022  

Contact: Jan F. Lee, Director of Marketing and Communications /  jan.lee@maryland.gov / (410) 216-6185

Annapolis, MD – On last Thursday, November 10th, the Banneker-Douglass Museum in collaboration with guest curator Myrtis Bedolla of Galerie Myrtis presented The Radical Voice of Blackness Speaks of Resistance and Joy exhibition to the public. The opening reception was well-attended by featured artists, exhibit sponsors, art community leaders, and a host of art and history enthusiasts.

“We are truly honored to present this milestone exhibition. To exhibit such a large survey of Maryland-based contemporary Black artists, whose work is at the forefront of art in America, is a historic moment for our state,” said Chanel Johnson, Executive Director, Banneker-Douglass Museum and Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture. 

Guests explored thought-provoking paintings, photographs, prints, videos, and conceptual works illustrating themes of “resistance” and “joy”, serving as conversations on Black empowerment while sanctioning and proclaiming Blackness and its humanity. 

As a dazzling backdrop, guests were also able to experience the museum’s newly renovated historic wing, that was once Mt. Moriah AME Church. Restorations include new and restored pine wood flooring, new sound system, lighting, and more!   

Featured artists in attendance were Devin Allen, Tawny Chatmon, Edward D. Ghee, Sr., Phylicia Ghee, Monica Ikegwu, Megan Lewis, Charles Mason, III, Wendel Patrick, and Chrystal Seawood. Also in attendance was famed writer/author D. Watkins in support of friend and exhibiting artist Devin Allen (photos in gallery).

The Radical Voice of Blackness Speaks of Resistance and Joy presents multidisciplinary works of art by seventeen cross-generational Black Maryland-based artists, including pieces from the Banneker-Douglass Museum Fine Art Collection. This exhibition explores America’s fraught history of systemic racism while celebrating the resiliency of a people who have persevered despite social and political devices to suppress them. 

Programming in alignment with the exhibition is scheduled throughout the duration of the exhibit, to include Radical Voices of Blackness: Artist Talk Pt. I in January/February 2023 and Celebrate Black Women: Curator’s Convo with Myrtis Bedolla in March 2023. The exhibit will be open through September 30, 2023.

Special thanks to exhibit sponsors for their support: BGE, PNC Bank, Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC), Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation, Inc., Friends of Banneker-Douglass Museum, Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area, Arts Council of Anne Arundel County, and Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County.

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Images for press/media usage are available here. View the recap video here. Photo/video credit: Christian Smooth, Smooth House Productions. 

About Banneker-Douglass Museum

The Banneker-Douglass Museum is the State of Maryland’s official museum of African American heritage and culture. It is operated by the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture. It serves to document, interpret, and promote African American history and culture through exhibitions, programs, and projects in order to improve the understanding and appreciation of America’s rich cultural diversity for all. The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Admission is free. To learn more, visit http://bdmuseum.maryland.gov. Follow us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 

About Myrtis Bedolla & Galerie Myrtis

Myrtis Bedolla is the owner and founding director of Galerie Myrtis, an emerging blue-chip gallery and art advisory specializing in twentieth and twenty-first-century American art with a focus on work created by African American artists. Bedolla possesses over 30 years of experience as an advisor to private collectors and institutions in the acquisition and sale of fine art; and provides professional curatorial services, lectures, and educational programming to corporate, civic, and arts organizations.  

The gallery opened its doors in 2006 to utilize the visual arts to raise awareness for artists who deserve recognition for their contributions in artistically portraying primarily African American cultural, social, historical, and political landscapes; and to recognize art movements that paved the way for freedom of artistic expression. Represented is a diverse roster of mid-career to established artists who have achieved regional, national, and international acclaim. For more information, visit http://galeriemyrtis.net/.