DaMea Hughes is a senior at Valdosta State University graduating in May of 2022. She is from a small, country town called Cedartown in Georgia. When asked about the effect of where she’s from on her work, she states, “art really isn’t a big thing there.” She began her college experience as a criminal justice major with art as a hobby. After realizing her passion for art as a career, Hughes changed her major to interior design. However, in the summer of 2021, Hughes couldn’t get enough and changed her major again to strictly focus on her art. Hughes is part of the senior exhibition titled “In Situ”. This is a Latin phrase that translated means, “the original place”. Hughes states that all the seniors have come together during their college career as artists, and created their own original place within the gallery, hence “In Situ”.
Secure, Samuel Dunson, mixed media on canvas, 2022
Dedo Maranville Gallery in Valdosta, GA is a quaint gallery found in the Fine Arts building on the campus of Valdosta State University. In a single room with a small alcove towards the back, they hosted an exhibition from February 14th-March 4th of 2022 titled, “Black Is…”featuring the works of two artists- Traci Mims and Samuel Dunson. Both artists contributed numerous two-dimensional works including paintings with collage, prints, and drawings. Their works speak on related topics such as family, sexism, Black culture, and most importantly, racism.
“Black is…” is a rather loud exhibition. When walking into the Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery at Valdosta State University, one is confronted with works by Traci Mims and Samuel Dunson. Each piece on its own holds a conversation with the viewer, if they will listen, but when all the pieces are looked at as a whole the gallery is forced to harness this conversation and bring to attention the voices of not only two people during the now, but many voices of an entire culture over years and years of hurt.
When walking in, the walls of the gallery are filled with bright colors and contrasted grey tones. There seems to be no theme with the order in which everything was hung, but there is a nice harmony resonating within the walls. From just looking, one can tell that each piece was chosen to hang next to another piece to emphasize its meaning, composition, and colors. There are no small pieces that are drowned out by larger pieces, and everything is in its place and builds a strong atmosphere.
The Senior Exhibition is a way to showcase the art from the soon to be graduating seniors. It takes place every semester towards the end in the Dedo Gallery located in the Fine Arts Gallery. The Student Myles Halcomb was the focus of this assignment to discuss his artwork inside the gallery and getting a better understanding of him and his interpretation. Myles Halcomb was born/ raised from Metro Atlanta , Georgia and currently resides in South Georgia. Aiming for a Bachelor of Arts with a focus of Graphic design. Growing up for Myles, Art has always been in his life growing up, he got his inspiration from his grandfather who was a Artist and created artwork as a hobby , which was a big asset to Myles life.
While interviewing Myles he stated that his focus was “To Rebrand the discontinue of Coca Cola, and bring awareness of my own interpretation of Coca Cola”. He plans to use his graphic knowledge to sell the idea and sell his ideas to the higher ups and individuals in charge of the graphic design of the Coca Cola brand to help allow opportunities. “Untitled” a self portrait of Myles Halcomb created in March 2022, with the mediums of Screen-printing, Ink and Printmaking paper was displayed in the Senior show and Myles stated that while creating this artwork he was going through a depression phase and practicing Expressionism with the use of colors , the Red represents Anger and Blue represents Sadness.
The Senior Exhibition is a way to showcase the art from the soon to be graduating seniors. It takes place every semester towards the end in the Dedo Gallery located in the Fine Arts Gallery. The Student Myles Halcomb was the focus of this assignment to discuss his artwork inside the gallery and getting a better understanding of him and his interpretation. Myles Halcomb was born/ raised from Metro Atlanta , Georgia and currently resides in South Georgia. Aiming for a Bachelor of Arts with a focus of Graphic design. Growing up for Myles, Art has always been in his life growing up, he got his inspiration from his grandfather who was a Artist and created artwork as a hobby , which was a big asset to Myles life. While interviewing Myles he stated that his focus was “To Rebrand the discontinue of Coca Cola, and bring awareness of my own interpretation of Coca Cola”. He plans to use his graphic knowledge to sell the idea and sell his ideas to the higher ups and individuals in charge of the graphic design of the Coca Cola brand to help allow opportunities. “Untitled” a self portrait of Myles Halcomb created in March 2022, with the mediums of Screen-printing, Ink and Printmaking paper was displayed in the Senior show and Myles stated that while creating this artwork he was going through a depression phase and practicing Expressionism with the use of colors , the Red represents Anger and Blue represents Sadness. The Artwork was meant to be a realization and coming to terms of letting go of his past emotions. Myles was very influenced by the anime and comic style of art and it connected him in different ways to improve his graphic designs. He included in his Artist Statement “making art let’s me express my full range of emotion.”
Myles Halcomb, Busy Hands, 18×24, Charcoal and Soft pastel, March 2021
With “Busy Hands” his focus was to play with abstraction and get a better understanding of how to play with different contrasts and textures to create variations. He was big on finding different ways to balance his emotions after difficult times he experienced and incorporates the emotions into his artworks. The line works emulate brushstrokes which gives it emotion. Music played a big part in his life and it’s his best way to express his emotions. Being a huge audiophile to different sounds from all over was good to help him improve his craft. With “Untitled” the expressive texture from the black ink layered on top of the red and blue which allows the blank expression on the portrait evoking strong feelings. The Artist Statement also talks more about his influence from his grand father and his mother who pushed him to a place , where he couldn’t even push himself. True art connects us in the never ending story of humanity and that helps inspire other individuals to express themselves in there own way, this helps make art unique. To conclude Myles wants to continue to be an Expressionism artist and interpret his love for music, comics, and anime in his own way to gain the recognition he wants to rebrand popular brands.
Nicholas Grier : Senior Profile, Valdosta State University with a Bachelor in Art, 2022
“Black Is…” is the title of the current exhibition on display at the Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery at Valdosta State University. The exhibition features work by Samuel Dunson and Traci Mims, two artists who, through their work, explore a variety of themes related to Black identity. These themes range from racism, to sexism, to culture in general.
February is Black History month; Valdosta State University celebrated the month with the “Black Is…” art exhibition featuring artwork by African American artists Samuel Dunson and Traci Mims. The “Black Is…” artwork is on display in the Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery on campus from February 14th through March 4th. Samuel Dunson is a Tennessee State University and Savannah College of Art trained artist. His artwork reflects his experiences as a Black man in America. Traci Mims received her art education from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and Tyler School of Art. Her art reflects Black history and culture. The “Black Is…” art exhibition exhibits artworks that generate conversations about social issues, racism, culture, and sexism. It is exciting to have an art exhibition that reflects the experiences of African Americans on display here at Valdosta State University. It is a powerful testament to VSU’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in art.
Samuel Dunson, “Faithful”, Mixed pigment and collage on canvas
As you enter the gallery you can feel the energy of the art. The themes of “Black is Beautiful” and “Black is Powerful” can be felt in the display of artwork by Samuel Dunson and Traci Mims. The gallery walls are lined with bright colorful images of African American men and women. The artists’ artworks cause you to stop and reflect on the messages and stories in the characters. As you move throughout the well-lit gallery each piece of art tells a story that causes the viewer to pause and reflect.
Traci Mims had several pieces of artwork on display with images of African American females with the messages of beauty and strength. Her artwork, Racial Profiles, Diptych, Mixed media on paper is the image of opposing African American women with strong Black features. The women’s facial features, hairstyle, earrings, and clothing are identical except for skin tone, hair color, and color of the blouse. The background image of the dark-skinned woman on the left is a document that looks like a citation based on her race. The citation appears to be a violation related to racial profiling. The document looks like a traffic citation with the violations noted as “driving while black,” “improper hairstyle,” and “improper race.” The citation is painted on the face of the light-skinned woman on the right with the background of pictures of fourteen Black people that have lost their lives at the hands of police brutality. In many cases, the police went unpunished for the murders. As I study the paintings I reflect on the negative stereotypes that America has towards African Americans. The artist is highlighting systemic racism, specifically racial profiling that exists in America towards Black people.
Taylor Gray is a senior at Valdosta State University, and she is double majoring with a B.A. in Art and a B.F.A. in Art Education. Gray is from Valdosta, Georgia and she first became interested in art when she was in first or second grade. She was always drawing and desired to become better at it, and this continued through elementary and middle school. Gray’s work often displays physical symbols from her childhood, as well as her femininity.
Black artists, especially female Black artists, struggle with being recognized equally to white artists. The art exhibition “Black is…” recognizes a female and male Black artist, who showed their works on the stuggles of being a person of color. This exhibit took place at the Dedo Maranville Gallery at Valdosta State University, in the Fine Arts building, from February 14th to March 4th, 2022. The two artists who contributed to the show are Samuel Dunson and Traci Mims. The art shown displayed a variety of mediums: oil paint, graphite, some embroidery, and collaged works. Most of the works were created in the paint medium but had elements of collaged stickers and other paper materials. The overall theme of the artworks involved racism, life as an African-American and seeing Black people as more than their color.
The location of the works were effectively organized and creatively brought the viewer’s eyes around the gallery. The curator of the show, Julie Bowland, placed the artworks by evenly distributing and alternating the works of the artists. The artists displayed individual styles, which the curator used to her advantage while organizing the works. Bowland was able to place the different styles side by side, urging the viewer to continue further into the gallery one artwork at a time. The gallery overall held bright works that showed different uses of mediums and textures. The artists’ use of a variety of frames gave a sense of difference on the gallery walls. A few works that didn’t have frames felt stronger and eye-catching because of the organic edges.
Each of the works in the show came with a label, sharing which artist created the work, the medium used, and the title of the work. The title of the work was important since the theme was “Black is…” The artist Dunson stated, during the talk given at the opening, that the titles of his works fit into the title of the show by finishing the sentence of what he thinks Black is. His works include titles such as Whimsical, Secure, Misunderstood, and Confident.
The collection of works was placed in the exhibit at an ideal time, in February, which is Black History Month. The exhibition and artist’s talk was appreciated by the audience, broadening our sense of what Black is to people of color. Mim’s and Dunson’s are similar in that they share present social, political and physical aspects of life. These works consisted of COVID symbols, like masks, and political symbols about the government. Mims’s work focused more on her personal experiences and stories from other people of color. Mims states, “My work focuses on themes related to Black identity and is often expressed in the form of cultural allegory and social realism.” Dunson’s work was more about how he sees what black is. At the artist talk, Dunson stated that as an African American artist he can create anything that black is, from the past, present, and for the future. Dunson sees his artworks as a conversation, using more of a collaged technique whereas Mims sees each person as a portrait. Mims stated “my activism is my paintbrush,” which she executed beautifully.
Secure, Oil Paint
A few artworks from the exhibit include Secure by Dunson, and Seeking Justice and Racial Profiles, Diptych by Mims. The work Secure was painted with mixed pigment and collaged with a few different techniques, creating texture. The overall composition of the work is eye-catching with color as well as the layout of the two figures. One figure, an older black woman, is holding an older black man who is lying in a position that looks deceased. The woman looks to have a halo around her head, because of the white floral shapes around her head. The female figure also has shapes in the background that resemble wings, giving her a heavenly feel. This bright and almost calming sense of security in this piece shows the audience that this fading away of the older man is taken care of by an angelic figure. This work has areas of realism, in the figures, with other areas of cartoon-like moments applied on top of the realistic areas. The cartoon-like moments in his works help his compositions to have a child-like feeling.
In contrast to Dunson, the two works done by Mims are both realistic, shedding light on Black identity. The work titled Seeking Justice shows an emotional black girl, painted with acrylic, with a background of black cultural symbols. Mims painted two different social aspects of African Americans: symbols that represent the past of black identity–cotton and African idols–and then in the further background, she showed images of protestors showing their current state. Overall, this work shows the fight of people of color, in the past and the future, and how they still are seeking that justice they deserve.
The second work that I was drawn to is the work Racial Profiles, Diptych. This work shows the same African American woman looking at herself, but in two different ways. The artist talked about her work, saying that this was a personal experience that she uses in her art. She told the viewers about getting unfair treatment from the police, getting a ticket that she was not responsible for, and using the ticket in her work. This work shows the unjust treatment that a lot of people of color receive and how they look at themselves after being treated that way. Racial Profiles, Diptych used a collage technigue with the use of government documents as well as mixed media on paper. All three of these works displayed what the artists believe being a person of color means to them, but I saw that connection with Racial Profiles, Diptych more than the others.
Racial Profiles, Diptych, Collage
Overall the works in the gallery were beautifully created, thought out, and displayed in a unique way. As part of the audience, I was able to learn more about what Black is, and was able to hear how Mims used her trials of injustice to create works and spread awareness at the same time. Dunson focused more on the idea of seeing Black people as more than just political or physical but as a person as a whole. Both of the artists achieved their intentions through their works in an imaginative way, using realism and other forms of expressionism. These works deserve attention, to bring awareness about the struggles of people of color and how to see the works if you’re not a person of color.
Lara Henry is a junior at Valdosta State University studying Art Education.
“The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity”
-Alberto Giacometti.
The exhibition “Black is…” showcases works by two artists, Samuel Dunson and Traci Mims. It is presented by Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery in Valdosta Georgia from February 14th through March 4th, 2022. In these works shown, “Black” reality can be seen in vibrant color, realistic faces and described in different ways.
The Dedo Maranville Gallery is located on campus of Valdosta State University in the Fine arts building. It has many students walking in and out of the building minding their business creating a calm vibe. There is no pressure to immediately go straight to viewing art, so it’s okay to take time. The glass doors to the gallery show a glimpse of what one could find inside. The openness of the set up calls one in because it is simple and reassuring. There are no stands or pillars that could be accidently knocked over, only white walls in which the pieces are hung on and black benches to sit on. It feels safe to stand up or sit down and look at the pieces from a distance. There are two stand alone walls that separate the center from the gallery’s front and back walls, creating a sense of privacy in an open space. Considering the works and their topics, privacy could allow the viewer to process the work in a deeper way.
One of the senior participants in the show profile this year is Abigail Brock, an Art major at Valdosta State University, who and will be graduating with her Bachelor of Arts degree. Brock is originally from St. Simons, an island just off the coast of Georgia, fit with sandy stretches like East Beach. Throughout most of her childhood, she was fascinated with nature and art, and upon attending the university, has grown to have a passion for these two subjects. Her artwork certainly portrays her love for nature, filled with detail, an emphasis on interpretation, and unique symbolism.
Throughout the course of Brock’s art career at the university, her performance in art has improved through different areas. She has enjoyed the areas of Graphic Design and Printmaking, where her work is primarily produced in those media. As she explained, “Graphic Design and Printmaking are the two things I really enjoy doing, and they allow me the opportunity to make what I love to make”. Brock’s art style has made a rapid progression through her time at the university, progressing from painting techniques to designing and to printing. She has predominantly worked with Oil and Acrylic paint, India Ink, Drypoint, Relief, and Intaglio. These were the ways that were said to be an “expansion of her foundation”, as she said in the Artist Talk, “allowing for the chance for the anatomy of nature to be expressively seen.” Brock has produced a variety of different works that are fluid in expression and color.
