Tuesday, January 18 – Thursday, March 19, 2022

Blaque Cleveland

Brendan Whitt, curator
Dakarai Akil, Kiara Booker, Daivon Shepherd, and Isaiah Williams, artists

This exhibition showcases four Black artists who have lived in Cleveland and had their art influenced by the city and region. Each artist explores their own idea of “Blackness” in their given medium. It has been scheduled to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month, and Women’s History Month. This timely exhibition reaffirms CSU’s commitment to community and diversity.

Guest Curator Brendan Whitt has assembled these artists through personal friendship, admiration, and recognition of talent. Whitt is a CSU alumnus (‘14 BA in Journalism and Promotional Communications and ‘19 MA in English) and former CSU Art Gallery student employee. Brendan works as an independent author, publisher, screenwriter, and educator in Santa Monica, CA. This exhibition is a long-anticipated homecoming for him as he introduces these talented artists to a larger academic audience. It is also Whitt’s first exhibition under his OPAL Beatrice branding.

Participating artists include the following: Isaiah Williams with his studies of landscapes and the human form, Kiara Booker with her exploration of Black women in acrylics, Dakarai Akil and his collages examining society and purgatory, and Daivon Shepherd’s visions of young Black lives through his camera lens. This show will highlight some of Cleveland’s strongest voices in the Black Visual Arts community. Commentary on police brutality, inner-city life, and the metaphysical will be on display.

Wednesday, March 23 – Friday, April 1
CSU Arts Campus, The Galleries at CSU
50^th Student Show Dropoff 

Gallery Viewing Hours:
Sunday and Monday: Closed
Tuesday-Saturday: 12 to 5 p.m.
Closed on University Holidays

COVID PROTOCOLS:
COVID protocols will be enforced, including mask-wearing, physical distancing, one-way traffic, and capacity limitations.

The Galleries at CSU are located at 1307 EUCLID AVENUE, in the historic Cowell and Hubbard building, at the corner of East 13^th Street, in the heart of the recently launched Arts Campus at Playhouse Square. The elegant, newly restored gallery venue features three distinct exhibition spaces, a multi-purpose media room, a meeting and classroom space, and a study area, as well as state of the art lighting, surround sound, and new-media capabilities.