Up & Coming Weekly

February 01, 2022

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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12 UCW FEBRUARY 2 - 8, 2022 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Being an Artist : A Way of Life is the newest upcoming exhibit opening at Gallery 208 on Feb. 8. What defines the nature of being an artist sounds like a riddle: "inside out, outside in." This exhibit will showcase art- ists with different art careers but live the riddle by remain- ing practicing artists. Being an Artist : A Way of Life includes a variety of styles, confirming how each artist experiences the "outside in," resulting in the ex- pression of those experiences, "inside out." Being an Artist : A Way of Life is one of four local exhibits in February and March celebrat- ing how a historically black university (HBCU), Fayetteville State University, enriches the local, regional and national cultural landscapes. HBCUs were founded in the 1800s to provide Black Ameri- cans an opportunity for higher education. Like all institutions across America, it was the path to becoming successful aca- demically and professionally. Even today, black graduates of HBCUs are significantly more likely to have felt supported while in college than graduat- ing from predominantly white institutions. Fayetteville State University was established in 1867. Fast forward to the present, HBCUs now provide diverse learning environments for a diverse stu- dent population. Curating Be- ing an Artist : A Way of Life is as much my story, after teaching at an HBCU for 29 years, as it is the 20 alumni who attended FSU and were selected to exhib- it together. Like all my art col- leagues, I have had the honor of having the participating artists in my classes, encouraging their development, witnessing their mastery of talent. And now sharing the courage they show continuing to be artists after graduating. The exhibit is unique for several reasons. First and fore- most, it takes courage to be an artist. Vulnerability is a conse- quence of expressing yourself to the public; courage requires centeredness within yourself and an assertion of self. It is rare to show a group of artists who have all attended the same university and see how their careers have unfolded due to their talent, perseverance, and courage. In the exhibit, each artist has a profile text panel explaining why being an artist is important to them and their way of life. Second, many parents dis- courage their children from majoring in visual art because of the starving artist perception that lingers in our culture. Each text panel includes different art jobs and art careers of the art- ists in the exhibit. This article below includes abridged versions of the art-re- lated jobs, where each artist is located and answers explaining why they made personal choic- es for art to be their lifestyle. Marcela Casals: Professional Actor and Per- formance Artist, New York City, NY: "Being an artist is not a choice; it is the thread by which I weave my life." Dustan Elliot : Graphic Designer for Cham- pion Media and Results Opti- mized, Lumberton, NC: "Art is simply everyday life for me. It was a huge part of my upbringing, and I want to pass that down to my children as well." Namera Graybeal: Cumberland County Art Edu- cator, Fayetteville, NC: "Creativ- ity is the core of who I am that can't be ignored." Carla Guzman: G1-12 International School, Taiwan, recently moved to Fayetteville, NC: "Being an art- ist is my career path; it is my preferred way of life." Beverly Henderson: Assistant Curator Ellington White Contemporary Gallery, Fayetteville, NC: "Art continues to be a form of therapy for me, allowing me to leave the cares and stresses of everyday life outside the stu- dio doors. I love the mess, the physicality of materials." Babs Holland: Illustrator and Designer for a marketing firm, Orlando, FL : "I am a visual storyteller; I can't think of myself as anything else." Andrew Johnson: City of Fayetteville Graph- ic Production Supervisor, Fayetteville, NC: "Being an art- ist brings me joy and allows me to share those moments with others. I can draw inspiration from all aspects of life." Eric Longley: Registered Art Therapist Department of Veteran Af- fairs, West Haven, CT: "I use art every day as a healing tool both for myself and the Veterans I serve." Damien Mathis: Professional Artist, Fayetteville, NC: "The freedom to express the emotions we sometimes can't explain. We all have something to give to the world." Karmimadeebora McMillan: Boston Center for the Arts two-year Residency Program, Boston, MA: "Research and creating are an integral part of who I am along with constant curiosity and a thirst for knowl- edge." Ebony Morlte-Oates: UX/UI Design Intern at IBEX, Atlanta, GA: "Art helps me de- termine what emotional state I'm in, in times where I'm not even sure. Art helps me express my view of the human psyche and the state of the world spiri- tually." Vicki Rhoda: Art Faculty at Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC: "I consider my artwork political; there is always some- thing to say! Making art makes me feel good about myself." Stacy Robinson: Illustrator and Assistant Pro- fessor at the University of Illi- nois at Urbana-Champaign, IL : "I was always an artist. I teach art and make it." David Scott : Digital Projects Graduate Ser- vices Assistant at the University of Texas, Denton, TX : "My art allows me to be the voice of those who may never be heard. I believe art, my art, can change hearts and minds, open eyes, reveal truths and change the world." Shantel Scott : Being an Artist: A Way of Life by SONI MARTIN COVER STORY Shantel Scott's artwork featured in the Being an Artist : A Way of Life exhibit depicts a female reduced to line, black and white. In her digital vector drawing titled Fruits of Self Trust, Scott presents a stylized con- tour drawing - an encounter with a female cosmic oracle. (Photo courtesy of Soni Marin.)

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