Through our work, we are paying respects to African and African-American culture.
-- Akili Ron Anderson, AfriCOBRA artist
The works of a half-century-old collective of black artists were revealed at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center at the Sept. 20 opening reception for "Respect: Celebrating 50 Years of AfriCOBRA." The opening of the exhibit, guest-curated by Hearne Fine Art owner Garbo Hearne and her daughter, Auna, also was a celebration of the museum's 10-year anniversary.
Eight of the nine AfriCOBRA members -- Adger Cowans, Akili Ron Anderson, Napoleon Jones-Henderson, James Phillips, Renee Stout, Pine Bluff native Kevin Cole, Nelson Stevens and Michael D. Harris -- were on hand for the event. Member Frank Smith was not in attendance. They and other guests were treated to passed hors d'oeuvres, drinks and later, celebratory cake as they perused the galleries containing the artists' various works, 46 in all, on loan. Music was provided by Tim Anthony and Afrodesia.
A program consisted of remarks by Christine Shutt, Mosaic Templars director, as well as Stacy Hurst, director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. Shutt and Cole then unveiled At the Crossroads, a collaborative work of art commissioned by the museum in celebration of its anniversary. Later, artists mingled with guests and signed copies of the distributed posters that featured them.
AfriCOBRA, which stands for African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists, was formed in Chicago in 1968 by Jeff Donaldson, a native of Pine Bluff who died in 2004, along with Wadsworth Jarrell, Jae Jarrell, Barbara Jones-Hogu and Gerald Williams. They "created an aesthetic philosophy to guide their collective work -- a shared visual language for positive revolutionary ideas," according to a University of Chicago article on a 2013 AfriCOBRA exhibit in that city. The exhibit, which includes a tribute to Donaldson, will continue through Dec. 2.
High Profile on 09/30/2018