Daughters of Diaspora — Women of Color Speak, an art exhibit showcasing mixed media from 16 women artisans, opens Feb. 20 at the Landmark Building, 201 Market Street, in Hot Springs.
The exhibit will run through May 13 and is open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m., on the second floor of the Landmark Building, with extended hours until 8:30 p.m. for Gallery Walk on the first Friday of each month.
Sponsors for the exhibit include Henderson State University, Hot Springs Academic Initiatives, Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance, Virginia Clinton Kelley Democratic Women’s Club, and Hot Springs Life Long Learning Institute.
The opening reception for the exhibit is Friday, Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. Garbo Hearne, director of Hearne Fine Art in Little Rock, and curator of the exhibit, will provide a guided tour of the exhibit with artists Melverue Abraham, Loni Rainey, and Sondra Strong.
Abraham is a folk art expressionist, and her artwork Harmonic Convergence was a book cover for the best seller Spirit Speaks To Sister by June J. Gatlin.
Strong is an acrylic painter who expresses fondness of all aspects of culture and life through her use of bold colors and broad strokes.
Rainey, a pastel artist and printmaker, has traveled and taught abroad, most recently in Kampala, Uganda. She draws inspiration from her experiences and creates abstract representations of her journey through her various roles of mother, wife, artist, educator and student of life.
Additionally, artists Marjorie Williams-Smith and Maria Villegas will give a lecture on March 3 at 2 p.m., and on May 3 an artist reception will be held during Arts & The Park festival at 6:30 p.m.
The Daughter of the Diaspora –Women of Color Speak’s featured Arkansas artists include Melverue Abraham, Teresa Cates, LaToya Hobbs, Louise Mandumbwa, Loni Rainey, Marjorie Williams-Smith, Sondra Strong and Maria Villegas.
National and international artists in the exhibit include Phoebe Beasley (Los Angeles, California), Lillian Blades (Atlanta, Georgia), Bisa Butler (West Orange, New Jersey), Elizabeth Catlett (Cuernavaca, Mexico/New York, New York), Artis Lane (New York, New York), Samella Lewis (New Orleans, Louisiana), Evita Tezeno (Dallas, Texas) and Anyta Thomas (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
For more information, 501-625-3837. Visit HSU-Hot Springs Academic Initiatives on Facebook or Hearne Fine Arts website at hearnefineart.com