HOUSTON (Feb. 7, 2008) - The African American Art Advisory Association (Five-A) of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents the 12th Annual Citywide African-American Art Exhibition at nine venues from February 1 to 29, 2008. Photography dominates the works by the 28 artists in this year's exhibition, and fashion is included for the first time. Other media represented are paintings, drawings, sculpture, mixed media, and assemblage.
This year, the Lone Star College-North Harris Library Gallery, located at 2700 W.W. Thorne Drive in North Houston, will be one of the sites displaying the works of two artists, Christian Perkins and John Foreman, as part of the college's Black History Month celebration. The community is invited to an artist reception, Monday, Feb. 18, 1-2 p.m. in the gallery.
"We are pleased and honored to be an MFAH gallery site this year," says Gary M. Conners, LSC-North Harris fine arts gallery director and art professor. "It gives us the opportunity to help MFAH showcase their amazing exhibits to a broader geographical audience and it exposes our diverse campus to some incredible and important art and programs."
The Citywide Exhibition is a community outreach program that gives emerging African-American artists the opportunity to display their artwork to a larger, more diverse audience. The exhibition's goal is to introduce these underrepresented artists to the community and help to further their careers in the visual arts by showing their work at public venues. The artwork is for sale.
The exhibition also awards a $500 prize for the show's top entry selected by a panel of judges. Judges this year are Eugene L. Foney, artcetera; Clint Willour, Galveston Art Center; and Valerie Cassel-Oliver, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.
The African American Art Advisory Association (Five-A) is a volunteer support group of the MFAH. In 1996, Five-A began to implement the educational and outreach goals outlined in its mission statement by presenting the Annual Citywide African American Art Exhibition each February during Black History Month.
Participating artists for the 2008 edition are: Regina Agu, Cedric Akue, Gregory Carter, Jeralyn Carter, Theresa Collins, Jade Cooper, Jouxlyn Bonier, Benjamin Buggs, Valerie Burkes, Courtney Dirden, Shannon Duckworth, Lance Flowers, John Foreman, Cedric Franklin, Mary Hamilton, Bettie Harris, Robert Hodge, Bryce Hairston Kennard, Koko Loudermill, Gretchin Williams-Morris, Marc Newsome, Lovie Olivia, Abidemi Olowonira, Christian Perkins, Dalzenia Sams, Shrilette Thompson, Michael Kahlil Taylor, Bobbie Wallace Wright, and Jason Woods.
Venue Information
Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston
5216 Montrose, 713.284.8250; www.camh.org
Cova
5600 Kirby Drive, 713.838.0700, www.covawines.com
Museum of Cultural Arts, Houston
908 Wood Street, #150, 713.224.2787, www.mocah.org
Houston Community College Gallery
Central Art Gallery, Fine Arts Department
3517 Austin, 713.718.6600, www.ccollege.hccs.edu/instru/fineart/art.htm
Houston Area Urban League
1301 Texas Avenue, 713.393.8700, www.haul.org
JP Morgan Chase Building
600 Travis Street, 713.223.0441, www.chasetower.com
Lone Star College-North Harris
Library Art Gallery
2700 W.W. Thorne Drive, 281-618-5617, www.northharris.lonestar.edu
Rice University
Farnsworth Pavilion
6100 Main Street, 713-348-4096, www.rice.edu
University of St. Thomas
Campus Life Mall
3909 Graustark, 713-525-3576, www.stthom.edu
For more information about the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, call 713.639.7300 or visit: www.mfah.org.