PINE BLUFF -- Two mixed-media works by a University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff professor were recently obtained by the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock as part of the center's traveling exhibits collection.
The works by Danny Campbell, chairman of the Art Department at UAPB, are titled Overcoming the Challenges of Dehumanization and A Hopeful Journey to Freedom's End.
Campbell said the works "examine the spirit of Arkansas natives Maya Angelou, Wiley Austin Branton, Silas Hunt, John Johnson and Edith Irby Jones. The portraits serve as iconographic images from the ancestral landscapes of Africa to Arkansas."
The portraits were composed using abandoned tire treads and automobile parts collected from alongside area highways.
"I want my works to uplift the African-American race and share our mental and physical toughness by using recycled auto and tire remnants," Campbell said in a news release. "These works are symbolic and show our ability to bounce back and get back on course regardless of what we have been faced with throughout history."
Campbell said he chose to feature these notable Arkansans in works because they have contributed to society over the years.
"Their service has made our world a better place," he said. "I am very thankful for their generosity to our nation and this is my way to show an appreciation and immortalize their significant contribution."
Campbell is a native of Dumas and has taught art at many institutions including Howard University in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta Metropolitan State College in Atlanta. Campbell's works, along with other Arkansas artists, will run through March 31 at the cultural center.
State Desk on 10/15/2015