Davis
|
Discarded materials found on urban streets become tribal masks and the stuff of African myths in the hands of artist Willis Bing Davis, whose works opened Sunday, Jan. 9, and runs through Feb. 13 at the IU Kokomo Art Gallery. The exhibit is titled On the Shoulders of Ancestors II.
The first visiting scholar in Wright State University’s African and African American Studies program, Davis uses his art to connect the spirituality and rituals he witnessed in 10 pilgrimages to Africa with the urban experiences of African Americans.
Davis will visit IU Kokomo in February to address classes and present a public lecture. He will speak in the gallery on Thursday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. A 6:30 p.m. reception near the gallery entrance will precede his talk. Davis will also address a Feb. 11 Teen Forum, one of IU Kokomo’s annual workshops for area minority high school students.
Davis has presented more than 60 one-man exhibits with works in private and public collections throughout the United States, Canada, France, Germany, West Africa, South America, England, Russia and Italy. Born in Greer, S.C., Davis grew up in Dayton, Ohio, where he lives today. His career as an educator includes 20 years at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, where he also served as the director of the Paul Robeson Cultural and Performing Arts Center, and as an artist-in-residence at the School of Education, University of Dayton.
The Greater Dayton’s United Arts Fund and Arts Council presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to Davis in 2004, honoring works that “reflect the beauty and pathos of the human experience (which) celebrates the splendor that surrounds us, yet is commonly unnoticed or ignored.”
The award noted how Davis played a major role in community reclamation and revitalization by opening and operating a studio/workshop site in Dayton’s historic district. It also lauded a teaching career in which Davis “has trained and inspired generations of young artists and fostered an appreciation of art among students everywhere he has lectured or demonstrated his creative expression.”
The award also stated that Davis has “brought national recognition to artists and art forms that had been neglected” and served as a guiding force in many arts organizations. He has served as president of the National Conference of Artists, the oldest national organization of African-American artists.
On the Shoulders of Ancestors II is sponsored through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Tippecanoe Arts Federation, Indiana Arts Commission, Howard County Community Foundation and Indiana Humanities Council.
Admission to the exhibition and all gallery activities is free. Gallery hours are Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Wednesdays, until 8 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays, noon–4 p.m. For additional information, call 765-455-9523 or visit:
http://www.iuk.edu/artgallery
|
