October 17, 2020 – January 3, 2021
Art League Gallery
Reception: Friday, October 16, 2020 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Please join us with Jamea Richmond-Edwards for a free, public gallery talk about her work beginning at 7:15 p.m.
Artist Statement
“This body of work is a physical representation of the emotional and psychological phases I experienced during the course of the quarantine. The inception of this work began while attending an art residency in New Orleans that was essentially cut short because of COVID-19. Before leaving the residency to quarantine with family, the spirit of the great south touched me in a very impactful way. This body of work is also influenced by my sonic experience of blues and jazz. My interest in the genres heightened while I was culturally immersed in its birthplace of the Southeast while in residency.
As time passed while in quarantine, I realized the unique opportunity this moment in history presented; A time to be still.
In the painting, Procession for the Return of the Ancient Ones references a return to simplicity and a restoration of spiritual fortitude.
Twenty Twenty is the year my studio and spiritual practices integrated. The painting, No Games Played, symbolizes a collective spiritual rebirth as the world we once knew shifts. Making this work was very cathartic and liberating and illustrates my artistic and spiritual maturation.”
Jamea Richmond-Edwards (American, born 1982) creates mixed media collages utilizing a variety of papers and hand-drawn elements. Her paintings examine Black Americana and the intersection of Indigenous American identity.
Born and raised in Detroit Michigan, Richmond-Edwards graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Jackson State University in 2004 where she studied painting and drawing and went on to earn an MFA in painting from Howard University in 2012. She is a recipient of the 2019 Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Award and a 2020 Joan Mitchell Artist in Residence. Jamea has exhibited her artwork nationally and internationally including the California African American Museum, Charles Wright Museum in Detroit MI and Kravets Wehby Gallery in New York. Her work is included in the collections of the Studio Museum of Harlem and Rubell Family Collection. She currently resides in Maryland with her husband and three sons.
Learn more about Jamea and her work at kravetswehbygallery.com.
Image: Jamea Richmond-Edwards, No Games Played, 2020, Acrylic, spray paint, mixed media, paper collage, and ink on canvas, 72 x 96 inches, diptych; Courtesy Kravets Wehby Gallery
The South Bend Museum of Art thanks the sponsors of this exhibition:
Arts, Cultural & Destination Marketing Organization Grant Program
Artist accommodations provided in part by the Courtyard at Marriott
