Fw: Daily Plant: Parks Celebrates Black History Month With Gallery Show

Wednesday, February 1, 2012Volume XXVII, Number 5551   Parks Celebrates Black History Month With Gallery Show"Faith, Courage & Purpose: Artists of the Diaspora" On Display Through February 28, 2012   The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation is pleased to announce Faith, Courage & Purpose: Artists of the Diaspora, an exhibition of seven artists with more than twenty artworks on view at the Arsenal Gallery in Central Park.   On display through February 28, 2012, visitors to the Arsenal can view this rich tradition of Diaspora artists whose faith and courage have enabled them to continue on course in spite of racial adversity and exclusion.   Curated by Karen and Sharon Mackey, founders of Mackey Twins Art Gallery, the exhibition includes: internationally renowned artist James Denmark's captivating signature collages; co-founder of the Studio Museum in Harlem and Children's Art Carnival Betty Blayton's noted circular canvases of "spiritual abstracts"; Leroy Campbell's captivating images of rural and urban life on backdrops of old newspaper prints, fabrics and objects; Charly Palmer's complex collaged images make use of stenciled patterns and textured mixed media; Stacey Brown's watercolors of serene and peaceful getaways; works by Essud Fungcap, the "composer of color, mediums, and emotions," and April Harrison's tapestry-like images of love.   Located in Mount Vernon, New York, the Mackey Twins Art Gallery was founded in 2005 by twin sisters Karen and Sharon Mackey. Dedicated to supporting artists of color, who are not sufficiently represented in larger art venues, they remain true to cultivating communities of collectors. Artworks from this exhibition are available for purchase.   This exhibition is organized by Parks & Recreation's Art & Antiquities division in conjunction with Parks' Ebony Society Black History Committee, which has helped to organize an annual Black History Month exhibition in the Arsenal Gallery since 1991.   The Arsenal Gallery is dedicated to examining themes of nature, urban space, wildlife, New York City parks and park history. It is located on the third floor of the Parks Department Headquarters, in Central Park, on Fifth Avenue at 64th Street. Gallery hours are Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., excluding holidays. Admission is free. For more information on the Arsenal Gallery, please call 212-360-8163.   QUOTATION FOR THE DAY   "Pregressive art can assist people to learn not only about the objective forces at work in the socity in which they live, but also about the intensity social character of their interior lives. Ultimately, it can propel people toward social emancipation."   Angela Davis (1944 - )