Current Exhibits
Positive Frequencies
In "Positive Frequencies”, artist C. Bennett delves deeper into the profound impact of music on our lives. Through his intricate mixed media pieces, he aims to capture the essence of different musical genres, representing the diverse array of emotions and experiences they evoke. The artworks highlight the unifying power of music, transcending cultural and societal boundaries. By showcasing a diverse range of musical genres and artists from different backgrounds, he celebrates the universal language of music and its ability to bridge divides, foster understanding, and heal collective wounds. Through his visionary artistry, C. Bennett invites us to reflect upon the profound role that music plays in our personal and global lives. His exhibition, "Positive Frequencies," offers a unique opportunity to immerse ourselves in a world where art and music harmoniously coexist, reminding us of the transformative and healing power that can be found within the universal language of music.
Oregon Black Pioneers
During the 1840s and 1850s, tens of thousands of American settlers traveled west across North America towards the vast Oregon Country and its fertile Willamette Valley. The 2000-mile route these pioneers followed became the fabled “Oregon Trail”. But prosperity in Oregon existed only for white people. Black Americans were ineligible to claim free land as white Americans could. Oregon’s provisional and territorial governments went so far as to pass laws banning Black emigration. Despite this, a small number of Black men and women did settle in Oregon between 1840–1870. Some were enslaved and were brought to Oregon by their owners. Others were free and chose to make the overland journey in search of a better life. Together, these early Black pioneers challenged Oregon’s discriminatory laws and laid the foundation for Oregon’s future Black communities. We share a few of their stories.
Freedom of Expression Series II
Showcasing the strength and range of visual artistic expression produced by artists of African descent residing in the Pacific Northwest, challenging any misconception of what “Black” art is or is not.
The Colors of Life: African American Abstract Art and the Regathering of Community
Showcasing abstract art featuring the works of Northwest artists: Vincent Keele, Shantell Jackson, Lo Mar Metoyer, and Yeggy Michael.
About the Artist
Shantell Jackson
Shantell Jackson is a multidisciplinary artist who currently resides in Spokane, WA. She creates in process. Each piece or creative journey starts internally and flows outward to create colorful, rhythmic, and textural work. She also draws inspiration from her community-based work and as a writer. Her aim is to combine her disciplines to create installations and performance art pieces. She explores the human condition through her art. She hopes to create dialogue across differences, build bridges, evoke curiosity, and forge acceptance and healing.
LoMar (a.k.a Lo Metoyer)
LoMar Metoyer is a Seattle-based artist who has worked in the behavioral health field with those experiencing homelessness and diagnosed with mental illnesses. After embarking on her own journey to genuine self-love, she realized her true love for art. To share her knowledge and creations with others, she opened her business, Lo Mar's Art by Lo Metoyer. Her work intertwines science, self-love, and art. She is an abstract artist who holds a B.S. in Neuroscience & Cognitive Science and a B.S. in Psychology. She lives her life outside of the box and follows her heart with passion, courage, and unconditional love.
Vincent Keele
Vincent Keele is a Seattle-based, self-taught artist. His passion for art began very early. His mother, Mary M. Scott, an alumni of the Art Institute of Chicago passed on to him her complete course of books. With these materials, he learned to see and produce art in a wide variety of methods. His work uses bold, colorful, and rhythmic movements to create abstract expressionist artworks and symbolic figurative works. He uses various fields from traditional to contemporary to portray his visual narratives. Keele's work has been showcased in numerous countries around the world and explores abstract expressionist forms and symbolic figures. Keele benefited from great mentors along the way. He is a self-taught artist with traditional education from Platt College where he studied Graphic Arts and Drafting.
Yeggy Michael
Yegizaw "Yeggy" Michael is a Seattle-based visual artist. His professional life has focused on painting, sculpture, mosaic, and public art. While exhibiting widely throughout Africa, Europe and the US , he has also won several commissioned works, grants, and private collections. Yeggy's vision as an artist is to provoke questions about natural cycles, provide a sense of place, and reflect on the movement of time