LANCE G. NEWMAN II, A Thousand Words - The Exhibition

Let's be honest, a picture is worth much more than a thousand words. 

And Art can be worth thousands of dollars but which has more value? 

The words or the picture? 

As a spoken word poet, for two decades, I've collected words. Stories filled with letters that were expertly placed by an artist who needed to convey a thought. I used to be one of these artist. I'd paint pictures on pages, that resembled humanity and reality. I used graphite and ink and keyboards as materials and then exhibited my work in front of crowds, on a stage, to ensure the emotional transaction was delivered. Yet in my evolution, I lament to find that we no longer value words as a society. We loath words, for they have been used to elect bad policy, misinform the masses and shame the most vulnerable among us. 

I now have too many words. My notebooks can no longer hold my feelings or express the sentiments I am considering as I grow older. The poem is an exercise in scuba diving. Going deep enough to see all the beauty beneath the surface but lasting only briefly. I intend to submerge myself and live amongst my traumas. I seek to explore the themes that were once suppressed. The Patriarchy. Fatherhood. Masculinity. Commitment. Culture. Promiscuity. Intimacy. Purpose. Love... With my first solo visual art exhibition, I plan to confront these themes.

I once thought I was bare as a poet. I thought that because I wrote the words, that they'd heal my heart while helping others. But the words faded from the publics memory once I finished and the poem only served as a reenforcing tool of denial, leaving little room for more words to be written. A 3 minute poem cannot be lived with; it does not hang on the wall and remind you each day of the beauty you find in living. The poem often servers as a reminder of pain, bitterness, and everything wrong. I no longer wish to rely on words for my expression, now i seek to inspire words, conversations, ideas, and imaginations. 

Each piece in "A Thousand Words" was created using found objects, pastels for color and Black&Mild Cigar paraphernalia. Discarded wooded boards, doors, and tables that I've rescued from Westend alleys act as canvases. The Black&Mild Cigar paraphernalia is provided by continuously collecting them from friends, gas stations and my own purchases. This material is special to me, because I've been intimate with this product for years. This materials' papers, and tobaccos, and plastics, and smells, all lend themselves to an artistic experience that interacts with multiple senses at the same time. All coming together with hopes that you take more than a thousand words home with you and share those words with those you love. 

SpreadLove...

Lance G. Newman II

Louisville Visual Art is excited to be partnering with Korea Fiber Art Forum on the exhibition, Korea Fiber Art 2023 Louisville: From Birth to Death. The LVA Gallery will be exhibiting artworks during this multi-site exhibition alongside several local arts organizations including KMAC Museum, Hite Art Institute, 21c, Louisville Metro Hall, and Asia Institute Crane House.

The show will be on view at the LVA Gallery at 1538 Lytle Street from March 16th - April 16th, with an opening reception on March 16th from 5:00 - 7:00 PM.

Korea Fiber Art 2023 Louisville is a continuing exhibition of the Korea Fiber Art Biennale, held in Suwon, Korea in the fall of 2022. The goal of the exhibition is to break down the boundaries between fine art and craft, and to showcase the diverse expressions in fiber art. This will be a festive event that encompasses traditional and contemporary fiber arts. Those participating include craftsmen, emerging artists, and established artists who have driven modern fiber art in Korea.

Korea Fiber Art International consolidates leading artists in Korean fiber arts to organize symposiums and workshops in correlation to exhibitions. The objective of KFAF is to shed light on Korea's creative endeavors using a wide range of fiber-based materials. The scope is broad from artistic narrative expressions to practical approaches that encompass function.

Louisville Visual Art is excited to be partnering with Korea Fiber Art Forum on the exhibition, Korea Fiber Art 2023 Louisville: From Birth to Death. The LVA Gallery will be exhibiting artworks during this multi-site exhibition alongside several local arts organizations including KMAC Museum, Hite Art Institute, 21c, Louisville Metro Hall, and Asia Institute Crane House.

The show will be on view at Metro Hall from March 16th, 2023 - January 9th, 2024, with a Mayor’s Reception on May 9th.

Korea Fiber Art 2023 Louisville is a continuing exhibition of the Korea Fiber Art Biennale, held in Suwon, Korea in the fall of 2022. The goal of the exhibition is to break down the boundaries between fine art and craft and to showcase the diverse expressions in fiber art. This will be a festive event that encompasses traditional and contemporary fiber arts. Those participating include craftsmen, emerging artists, and established artists who have driven modern fiber art in Korea.

Korea Fiber Art International consolidates leading artists in Korean fiber arts to organize symposiums and workshops in correlation to exhibitions. The objective of KFAF is to shed light on Korea's creative endeavors using a wide range of fiber-based materials. The scope is broad from artistic narrative expressions to practical approaches that encompass function.

Listen to an Interview with Curator Moon-he Baik on Artists Talk with LVA 

Joyce Barbour
Amy Davis
Magnolia Hensley
Sara Noori
Taylor Sanders

Curated by Keith Waits

In order to encourage an interdisciplinary exploration of performance, a group of artists was invited to collaborate, some from a background in visual arts and some from the world of theatre. Together they developed individual pieces that interpret the concept of sanctuary in 2023. Safety, security, escape. . . we all have our own needs in seeking sanctuary.  

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On February 23, 2023, Joyce Barbour & Magnolia Hensley from LVA's The Sanctuary Project were interviewed on Artists Talk with LVA by curator Keith Waits for WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com.

Read a review of the The Sanctuary Project in Arts-Louisville.com by Martin French.

Sometimes, when life is especially tumultuous, it can be easy to lose sight of how truly important we are. How much we contribute to our communities, relationships, and the world around us just by existing. I took this project as an opportunity to create sanctuary through affirmation—outward affirmation, affirmation of self, and the power and love that comes from spreading affirmations to others. The hope is to gently remind us of the positive impact we can make every single day through our thoughts, words, and by being our most authentic selves. It is an exercise in vulnerability to look at yourself in the mirror and think kind thoughts, have kind things said about you, and even be presented with questions that put those affirmations into practice. Mental health matters. You matter. And if you take one thing with you, please remember: the world is such a better place because you’re in it. - Magnolia Hensley

Taylor Sanders, an artist raised in West Louisville, uses the Sanctuary Project as a time to acknowledge the violence and drug use in this city from a different perspective. By using African American culture and style in a mourning environment, her goal is to remind the viewers that death in low-income neighborhoods is not just a statistic. These are real people and real families that attend these funerals.

Depending on your background, sanctuary can take a variety of forms. It can be a physical space, a community of supportive individuals, or a moment created for yourself. When I explored the theme of sanctuary, I imagined a space where you can be yourself fully, unhindered, and unfiltered— a haven free from the harmful external stimulus that invites you to rest.

I chose meditation as the foundation of this work as I view it to be a helpful and accessible tool to improve mental wellness. As a transgender person, maintaining good emotional health is vital for my well-being. This is especially pertinent considering the current socio-political climate that seeks to erase trans people through legislation, harassment, and violence. Being in such a targeted group, coupled with the complexity of the trans experience, adds excess stress that threatens my, and many other trans people’s, mental health.

My wish is that this piece will provide a temporary space to allow you to step away from everything, just for a moment, and rest. - Joyce Barbour

Performance with mix media: Wall panels, white cloth, spotlights, mylar disco ball balloons, silver latex balloon, vinyl glove, spikes, finger shield and dagger, mesh glove with faux pearls, white bodysuit, white headscarf, mirror face shield, artist audio mix. 

I discover that it often feels like I am in a tug of war between the idea of sanctuary and the current state of mind I bring to my own sanctuary spaces. In this way, my inner world and outer world feel more like mirrors, reflecting both the beauty and brutality of the reality I see and experience in 2023.

Sanctuary can be something we seek, an exalted state of safety, security, solace, and bliss. As we search internally and externally, our perception of ourselves and our surroundings influences our idea of sanctuary. At times, sanctuary is a place outside of myself, a place just out of reach, that I must travel towards. At other times, sanctuary is more like a flowered hill upon which I run, and I love it there.

This sanctuary I've created recalls dance floors and queer-inclusive safe spaces to which I pay homage—spaces that have been increasingly under attack, both physically and politically. My choreography evokes the way my aunt danced, wrists and shoulders tilting and twisting in the privacy of our living room, dancing in her headscarf. It is a recollection of my bloodline, and the women who fight for their life and freedom. The sanctions that are placed upon our bodies often try to find homes in our minds. But this sanctuary is an invitation to dream, to hold space for our peace, to celebrate, accept, and welcome the humanity in us, to dance in a place that is sanctified, and for you, all of you. - Sara Noori

BLANKET FORT (or Pride Flags for the Very Frightened) 

They can't get me when I’m under the covers. 

When creating BLANKET FORT, I initially started out trying to experiment with quilt making using fabric I've hoarded since childhood and interesting scraps picked up in my 10+ years as a costume maker. Quilting is an ancient and vibrant art form that requires and rewards careful planning, however I took the stance of the absolute beginner. I

prioritized spontaneity and speed to fit pieces together, preventing as much waste as possible and seeing how fast I could create something big.

As I made the quilts, letting them take the size and shape each wanted to become, I began to write and draw, sometimes silly jokes I didn't want to forget, other times angry things I couldn't say without screaming. I worked in this project on and off for about year and what started off as a silly scrap busting activity became a sacred place to store my fear, anger and disappoint. What is the point of making soft art in a world were powerful people are killing you slowly and legally? Why keep sewing scraps together instead of chucking it to the dump? I really can’t say, but the Big Queer Mystery “what if I?” pushed my ancestors to power and it keeps whispering in my ear too. Old fears and joys came out to play, and my hope is that the blanket fort can temporarily house these spirits on their journey.  - Amy Davis

Sheila Fox is a mixed-media artist who resides in Louisville, KY, originally from Chicago, IL. She has been drawing for well over twenty years, but has been painting since 2016. She signs her works under the artist name GodivaGoddess

 Her motivation is rooted simply by being a Black Woman in America. She focused most of her life attending to work and supporting her family, but has always known, at a soul-level, she was an artist. Her work is unique and will make a statement that you simply cannot miss. She specializes in capturing the timeless essence of black women; and tackles the beauty within history, race, power and repression. 

Sheila always wanted to attend an art school but was not financially able to. This enabled her to be her own teacher; becoming skilled in using different mediums, paints, brushes and canvases. Those skills brought her artistic expressions to life.

In her words:
“I’m a mother of 4 beautiful children; 2 girls and 2 boys. In her words: Full time Welder/Fabricator; and proud mother of four beautiful, smart, loving children; two girls & two boys. Art is a true passion for me, reminding me of my children; it’s something I can’t live life without it…”

godivagoddessart.wordpress.com

July 11 - October 7, 2022

Tia Wells began taking art seriously in high school and enrolled in the Advanced Placement (AP) Program for art. That’s where she started learning foundational techniques of painting from Darrel Smith and Dennis Whitehouse. She was also a Governor’s School for the Arts where she studied with Susan Harrison. Tia earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Louisville with a double major in Psychology and Fine Art.

In 2022 she became a member of Pyro Gallery, where in January 2022 she exhibited in "Tad & Tia: Art from the Heart from Tad DeSanto & Tia Wells"

May 9 through July 8, 2022

I started painting three years ago as a way of healing trauma. I am completely self taught with no formal training. The medium I work mostly with is acrylic and sometimes I incorporate spray paint into a piece.

I believe vibrant, wild color combinations have an emotionally uplifting effect on the mind and I want to spread that feeling through my artwork. This piece is a part of my quadtych series called Extend The Zen. It’s all about spreading a positive vibe into the viewer’s psyche.

Alongside music, abstract art is among the purest forms of expression as it allows artists the freedom to communicate feelings and emotions unconstrained by forms found in objective reality.

Currently I am compiling my art and launching a website to fully display the collection. The collection ranges from four piece canvas to single canvas. Commissioned pieces are also available to create your own personal vision”

The Spring 2022 Exhibition features:
NIKKI DIAKHATE, KRISTINA KLEINERT, DAVID METCALF, MONICA BARNETT, LACEY TORREALBA, DRU PILMER, KELCIE HALL, JEANNE FREIBERT & MAUREEN HAGERMAN

Louisville Visual Art (LVA), in association with AC Hotels (Nulu, LLC), is reviewing submissions from local artists for installation on the first and second floor lobby of the new AC Hotel for the 2022 season. Seven artworks will be selected. Artists of all mediums are encouraged to apply. All artwork must be ready to hang with the appropriate hardware. The AC Hotel exhibition space hosts 2 exhibitions per year. These artworks will have high visibility and will be prominently displayed within the restaurant/bar and foyer in the AC Hotel. Artist receives 100% of sale price when artwork is sold through the AC Hotel.
Hotel information

Ashley Brossart: Painter and muralist

Ashley Brossart is an artist living in Louisville, Kentucky. Brossart has been creating artworks influenced by architecture, space, and place since 2004. Her work explores a variety of media including public art, murals, and photography.

“I think of my art as environments. My intention is to create a place and space influenced by architectural forms with an organic and feminine influence through the use of pattern, shape, and color.“

“These pieces are from my Metamorphosis series created in 2021 as a sort of personal reflection on the rapid change and growth taking place in the world over the past few years."

ashleybrossart.com

Native Reflections: Visual Art by American Indians of Kentucky

Among the many cultural groups living in Kentucky today, some Kentuckians are descendants of the first people to live on this land.

The experiences of these indigenous groups and individuals vary widely. Among those who survived generations of displacement and genocide conducted by European colonists in America, some maintained their cultural identity while others assimilated to avoid discrimination or concealed their ancestral identity in order to survive. Some belong to federally recognized or state recognized tribes, while others practice living traditions passed down through their families and communities.

The Kentucky Arts Council, the Kentucky Native American Heritage Commission and the Kentucky Heritage Council—agencies of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet— worked together to invite American Indians living in Kentucky to share their visual art. A panel of American Indians and experts on Native American heritage selected works to include and the result is this amazing collection.

Native Reflections has been touring the state since early 2020, and Metro Hall and Louisville Visual Art are excited to host this important exhibit on its final stop in Louisville!

Braylyn Stewart’s family moved to Louisville when he was a child, and he credits the street energy here for his distinct brand of art, a blend of graffiti and traditional painting.

Stewart studied traditional painting in DuPont Manual’s visual arts program and was introduced to calligraphy and lettering. His first encounter with graffiti was when he met New York artist Sen-One while painting a mural at the now-defunct Basement Skateshop on Clay Street.

Locally, Stewart has painted murals for numerous private residences and local businesses. These three studio pieces reflect the distinctive visual dynamic that characterizes Braylyn’s multiple public murals around Louisville.

"Vaxed Derby"18x24in, acrylic ink and acrylic on canvas

"Abstract Reality 1 & 2"20x60in each, acrylic ink and acrylic on canvas

An LVA Exhibit for Louisville’s Metro Hall
October 8 – November 23, 2021

Three local artists, working in different mediums and each with their own unique perspective, bridge time and space in charting facets of the Black experience. Celebrated as a sculptor, William M. Duffy spent much of his earlier career as a printmaker, touching upon the deep reservoir of African American history. Known as a trailblazer in music education, with his camera Ed White captures people who occupy the space of the streets. Whether it be in neighborhoods or downtown business or municipal blocks, Ed sees them all as part of the same community; Citizens of Louisville. A good many of these images are of people going to the polls in November 2020, exercising the most cherished privilege of that citizenship. In the heightened imagery of MAD MOON VyBE we find real people upon which the artist has projected a myriad of cultural hopes and struggles.

Stairway: Chip “Kafele” Calloway aka MAD MOON VyBE is visual and audio artist who working in Louisville and St. Louis and a member of Healing Walls Project. He creates counter-cultural illustrations that “bring out the hip-hop head in all of us” calling his works “visual dope lyrics”, heavily influenced by black music, animation, and comics like the X-Men. These pieces are my thoughts, my hopes, my fears, and journeys”. Although not strictly an Afrofuturist, MAD MOON’s work is resonant of that aesthetic, full of imagination expressed through calculated distortions of form and color.

2nd floor hallway: Edward “Nardie” White devoted his life to leading the African-American drum corps he co-founded with wife Zambia Nkrumah in Louisville, Kentucky three decades ago. Together they inspired youth from their West Louisville neighborhood to thrive by connecting them with the art and cultural traditions of their African ancestors. After leaving this legacy to his predecessor, Mr. White has decided to pursue his lifelong passion of photography.

4th floor hallway: William M. Duffy's works have been featured in shows at Bellarmine University, Spalding University, and Jefferson Community College and can be found in numerous private, corporate, and public collections, including Phillip Morris USA, Brown-Forman Corporation, YUM! Brands, Inc., Humana Inc., The Louisville Orchestra, and the Speed Art Museum. In the area's exhibitions of African-American artists' work, his graphics and sculptures have been recognized often with purchase awards. Most recently, he was a key artist for “On The Banks Of Freedom”, a public installation that is part of (Un)known Project from IDEASX Lab.

Andrew Cenci
Part of the 2021 Louisville Photo Biennial

“A Walk in the Park” is a part of a large body of work that features black and white photographs made in the Shelby Park neighborhood of Louisville. This project started by accident, when I started shooting photos around the neighborhood to learn more about film photography. Six years and 1000 images later this body of work is as much a portrait of the neighborhood as it is exploration of my photographic interests and growth. The images represent the dreams and realities that a neighborhood holds, the natural beauty, and harsh reality of endings.

Andrew Cenci is a photographic artist based in Louisville, KY. He uses photography to focus on the beauty of the everyday through portraits, contemporary landscapes, and candid images. A self-taught photographer, working with traditional practices in order to create bodies of work with poetic sensibility. His photos highlight the beauty, joy, loneliness and longing of the realities of everyday life. To learn more about Andrew you can listen to his interview on The Real Photo Show which is hosted by Michael Chovan-Dalton and sponsored by the School of Visual Arts MFA Photography, Video, & Related Media.

andrewcenci.com