The Chosen One by Khalidah Carrington
“Cause We Be Complicated: Dialogues of Black Artists” will be on display at the Ann Street Gallery, 104 Ann St. in Newburgh from March 25 through April 29, 2023.
The multi-media art exhibition features 16 extraordinary visual artists and was conceived by co-curators Jonette O’Kelley Miller and Karen E. Gersch. It was originally installed at Art Design Spirits Gallery for February, it has seen a stellar draw of visitors and received glowing reviews.
The participating artists hail from Orange, Ulster, Rockland, and Dutchess Counties, as well as from Brooklyn, Manhattan and Atlanta, Georgia. Their art is riveting, poetic and thought-provoking; ranging from watercolors to acrylic and oil paintings, photographs and mixed media collages, sculptures, assemblages, archival ink, digital art, handmade books and a documentary film.
Each artist, with a history of longevity in the arts, provides a unique perspective in their work, exploring the reality that members of the African Diaspora are not monolithic. Similar to all human beings, the dreams, tastes, languages and lives of Black people are birthed in a variety of social and ethnocultural nuances.
An opening reception on March 25 from 4:30-7:30 p.m. will launch the exhibition. It is free and open to the public.
Beginning March 26, the Gallery will be open every weekend though April 29, from noon to 5 p.m. In addition to public viewing hours, the Curators will offer (by appointment only), free weekday tours for regional schools, cultural centers, libraries, youth and arts organizations. For more information, contact the curators at jom.writes@gmail.com or keg37@frontier.com
Under the umbrella of Safe Harbors of the Hudson, a nonprofit organization that combines supportive housing and the arts, Ann Street Gallery presents contemporary art through exhibitions and programming which create new opportunities for education and immersion in the arts in Newburgh. Ann Street Gallery’s exhibitions, events and programs seek to increase arts literacy and appreciation by engaging community and promoting forward thinking, socially responsive, and under-represented positions in contemporary practice.