n partnership with the Evansville African American Museum, the Kenneth P. McCutchan Art Center/Palmina F. and Stephen S. Pace (MAC/Pace) Galleries are hosting exhibitions by four artists with ties to the Museum now through Friday, August 30. The artists were selected by Tory Schnedel-Vyvoda, Curator at the Evansville African American Museum, and Dr. Greg Blair, USI Assistant Professor of Art and interim Director of MAC/Pace Galleries.
Matthew Fields: Self Awareness IV: Developmental Expansion
Fields is an Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff who received his MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He combines painting and sculpture, creating installations that function as existential questions for the artist; “I’m questioning where I come from, how I got here, who’s responsible for this, where do I belong, where does the world think I belong, who am I with, and who is with me?”
Sophia Okotah: Now, with curiosity, …
Born and raised in Ghana, Okotah is an Assistant Professor of Art and Design at USI. Earning her MFA from Indiana University, Okotah is a designer who prioritizes empathy and positive social change in her practice. “(My work) principally embraces themes surrounding the well-being of the individual, and it is inspired by observation, personal experiences and the identification of noteworthy social issues surrounding me.”
Kenneth Randle: The Unknowns of Soulism
Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Randle is a MFA candidate at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, but during his artistic career, also held the title of Graphic and Communications Designer, Tattoo Artist and Gallery Coordinator. “Light is so important in my work because it gives visible identification to an invisible subject matter. Much of what I strive for as an artist is to bring forward that subject matter for deeper elaborations and contemplations.”
Ayinde Rochon: Genesis Preview
Rochon is a doctoral student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying education policy, organization and leadership. His research focuses on efficacy and identity development of Black students at predominately White institutions. Rochon utilizes photography and filmmaking as a form of autoethnographic research, using his artwork to uplift Blackness while simultaneously giving members from globally underserved communities a platform to tell their story.
Each artist featured in the MAC/Pace Galleries this summer is also participating in the Black Art Workshop Weekend being held in the Liberal Arts and Art Center buildings on Saturday and Sunday, June 29-30. A full list of activities happening during the workshop can be found on the website.
A closing reception for the exhibition will be held at 4:30 p.m. Friday, August 30.
