Art in Bronzeville
Saturday, September 20, 2008 – 12 PM until Midnight

By Adeline Sides, edited by James Sandrolini

It was a burst of inspiration in Bronzeville’s South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC). A call for artists brought together a group of richly creative minds for a one-day exhibition paying tribute to the historic 2008 Presidential Election. The event was a soulful and moving experience, promoted and performed by local community talent. Exhibitors and patrons expressed tacit support of Barack Obama as he continues onto the stage of American history in a time of growing unrest, frustration and disparity. And hope.

The familiar motto “Dreams Can Come True” took on special momentum in this day’s cultural context. That slogan also happens to be the title of "creative catalyst" Lowell Thompson’s work highlighting candidate Obama. This highly ambitious depiction of Obama is the unspoken centerpiece of the event. The senator’s bold profile dominates the canvas in Mt. Rushmore-like manner along with the likes of Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln and myriad other African-American legends and heroes. Thompson’s style is bold, deliberate and provocative. "Dreams" contains multiple layers of cultural meaning and is underscored by countless images and historic declarations from past civil rights icons. Another stirring work by Thompson, “Street Face, #1 Uptown”, shows the blank stare of a homeless man with stark images of city life etched upon his dark-blue hued skin. Above his head is the gleaming red light of a Chicago traffic signal, symbolizing the limits American society imposes upon him.

The “Dreams” exhibit called for entries addressing, “American history, current events and or the future … it should be from the left, right, center or none of the above…” In all, thirty-six artists answered the call by eagerly submitting their work. One of these artists included Victoria Rowels, a young woman with an appealing mix of coyness and curiosity. Victoria was sporting a beautiful manual-film camera, a remnant of the glorious days of pre-digital photography. Rowels describes herself as a political activist, just discovering the camera’s potential for capturing the unvarnished ironies of urban life. Her two works on display, “Don’t miss the Bus” and “Wake up Call”, juxtapose gritty images of shuttered South side businesses with commercial messages urging consumption. The clarity and absence of pretense in Rowels’ photography was refreshing.

Makeba Kedem-DuBose, Art Director of the Youth Service Project, presented work ranging from vibrant colors splashed over a plastic, sculpted female form to beautiful, melancholy pink and lime-green-fused abstract markings. The elegant and moody strains of Earick Johnson’s jazz piano periodically fills the room, connecting Bronzeville to the Mississippi Delta and jazz-era Harlem. I can still hear his Ellington and Monk impressions linger on long after the fact.

A cherished token of this event, currently on display on my refrigerator, is one of Pearlie Taylor’s many ‘Obama’ magnets. Taylor says she is motivated by art and, following her husband’s death, decided to embrace her artistry on a full-time basis.

This day’s gifted collective is emblematic of the kind of talent SSCAC strives to sponsor - emerging and established artists. The Center supports its mission by offering varied art classes and by providing a space that nourishes the artistic needs of its members. Simultaneously, SSCAC serves as an invaluable resource for the growing holdings of vital African-American art within the Bronzeville community.

South Side Community Art Center is keeping hope alive.

Special Note: The SSCAC wants to recognize the curators and organizers, Tony Smith and Michelle Faulkner, for their outstanding efforts in presenting this show to the community.