Art for Sale Page 2

“A ROSE AMONG THORNS”

was presented by the

Rosa Parks Museum with Troy University  

on the beautiful and  prestigious  Alabama Shakespeare Festival Stage (ASF)

in honor of Mrs. Parks’ 95th birthday on Feb. 4th, 2008. 

*************************************************************  

Nominated by NAACP !! (Los Angeles-Hollywood Branch)

Over 70 Performances delivered since Feb. 4, 2007 !

This play has Traveled to over 28 cities…

” …thoroughly fantastic, energetic and powerful. 

It is like sitting and watching Rosa Parks…”

–Vice Mayor Carlton B. Moore, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

“Joyce Channels Rosa Parks…”  The Chronicle, Winston-Salem NBTF 

” ‘A Rose Among Thorns’  is a well-crafted play on Rosa Parks“.

        –Jack Zink, South Florida Sun-Sentinel (1/23/08)

More REVIEWS :

“…It becomes hard to remember that it is Joyce, not Parks,

who is holding court, educating and entertaining the audience”.

           –WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL

“Ella Joyce is spellbinding.” -Ed Bumgardner, Winston-Salem Journal

“…Joyce transformed herself completely….”  

           –Mary E. Montoro, Los Angeles Sentinel

“refreshingly intimate. …Ella Joyce’s writing deeply echoed

the love for Rosa Parks…”                                                       

           –Nicole Zaza, Houston Arts

A Big  THANK YOU ! 

to all  Presenters & Sponsors  of    

“A Rose Among Thorns”

  WHERE THIS SHOW performed  (over 5 years, 28 cities):    

RACCA’s Seaport Salon-Richard Allen Center, Shirley Radcliffe, Imani – New York City  first public Reading 

Lucy Florence Cultural Center, Solo Sundays – Los Angeles, CA  Previews 

The Black Academy of Arts & Letters (TBAAL) – Mr. Curtis King – Dallas, TX – “world premiere” ! 

Black Spectrums Theater – Mr. Carl Clay – Jamaica Queens, New York    

Raytheon Aerospace Corporation – El Segundo, CA    

Black Student Union of California – Burbank, CA      

Stage 52 Playhouse – Los Angeles – (nominated by  NAACP- Hollywood Branch)

Transforming Life Ministries – JB Productions – Saginaw, Michigan        

NATIONAL BLACK THEATER FESTIVAL – Winston-Salem, NC         

Communities In School (CIS) – Detroit, MI    

OMEGA PSI PHI Fraternity-Zeta Rho Chapter -Nate Holden Theater – Los Angeles, CA

THANK YOU ROSA PARKS– Dorthula Green –New Haven, CT                        

The Shadow Theatre Company  at The Newman Center– Jeffrey Nickelson – Denver, CO   

St. Paul AME Church – JEBA — Coconut Grove, FL                                   

Parkway Middle School for Performing Arts–JEBA – Ft. Lauderdale, FL         

Concerned African Women – JEBA– Miami Gardens, FL      

Lou Rawls Center-Florida Memorial University – JEBA – Miami Gardens, FL  

JEBA – Ed Haynes & Julia Brown –  Miami, FL  (Awarded by  Concerned African Women .

OMEGA PSI PHI Fraternity – LA Southwest College – Los Angeles, CA                

The ROSA PARKS Museum, Troy University (ASF Stage) – Montgomery, AL  

Georgette Norman – Rosa Parks Library & Museum – Montgomery, AL    

Don Williams – Rainbow Theater – Univ. of California Santa Cruz – Santa Cruz, CA        

Woodie King, Jr. – Harlem School of the Arts – Harlem, NYC       

National Black Touring Circuit in assoc. with Castillo Theatre – Harlem, NY      

Laces (Los Angeles School for Enriched Studies)- Black Parent Assoc. – Los Angeles, CA

BeeBe Smith Johnson & Sharmaine Grier – Los Angeles, CA   

Terrence Ivory-Ivory Arts — Mt. Calvary Baptist Church – Fairfield, CA        

Rust College — Prof. John House & Patricia Pegues – Holly Springs, MS      

Saginaw High School-Transforming Life Ministries Church –Saginaw, MI   

Urban Theatre Festival 2008 – JEBA — Miami, FL                      

Alabama State Council On The Arts — Barbara Edwards/Yvette Daniel – Montgomery, AL

Camden Middle School/Paramount Jr. H.S./Lowndes County Middle School – ALABAMA   

CA Chapter Stillman College Alumni/Lula Golden-Lacy–Fairfax H.S. – Los Angeles, CA

October Gallery/23rd Philadelphia International Art Expo -Mercer Redcross – Philadelphia, PA
Ella Joyce (3rd from the right)  at October Gallery Philadelphia International Art Expo

Dorthula Green, Thank You Rosa Parks/Hill Regional Career H.S. Auditorium-New Haven,CT  

Cox Communications-TVOne-Fairfax County Government-Nelfred Blanding Fairfax, VA       

Tabia African American Theatre Ensemble/Mexican Heritage Theatre-Viere Whye San Jose,CA 

The Houston Ensemble Theatre at The Wortham  (Cullen Auditorium) – Eileen Morris  Houston, TX

TCA TRavel Club – Greg Tarver Lansing, MI

A Circle Of 12 – The Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, Dr. Jan Berlin  Hollywood, CA

The Billie Holiday Theatre Ensemble Theatre-Marjorie Moon – Brooklyn, New York

The Jamaica Branch NAACP–Black Spectrum Theatre – Carl Clay Jamaica Queens, NY  

Yale African American Affinity Group-TYRP-Dottie Green -Debbie Pierce New Haven, CT

Delta Sigma Theta Grand Rapids Alumumae, Rosa Parks Sculptor Project  Grand Rapids, MI

Muslim Journal, Galt Hotel – Louisville, KY   

JUDGE MABLEAN EPHRIAM FOUNDATION – West Angeles Christian Church – Los Angeles

Stage Aurora -Black Arts Festival – Jacksonville, Florida

United Methodist Church – Washington, DC

Renaissance High School – Liberty Temple Baptist Church – Detroit, MI 

At Expo 23 Ella Joyce, Clifton Davis, Ice T and  Darrin Henson.

Mercer A. Redcross III and Ann Northrup at Expo 2008

2008 Art Without Boundaries Show

Center in the Park’s (CIP) Annual Art Without Boundaries Show, in recognition of the Center’s 40th Anniversary this year, moved to a larger and exciting venue, the October Gallery’s International Art Expo at the Liacouras Center the second weekend in November. CIP thanks the sponsors and community partners who support CIP’s arts programming through participation in the annual Art Without Boundaries Show. Following scenes from the Show:

Mercer Redcross, VP, October Gallery with CIP’s 2008 Art Without Boundaries Honoree, Ann Northrup, artist, muralist.
Pottery, artwork, mixed media installations created by older adults attending CIP classes.

Blacks In Media, Clifton Davis, Ice-T, Ralph Carter, Bernadette Stanis, Ella Joyce, Darrin Henson -October Gallery. Part One

This was part of the 23rd Annual Philadelphia International Art Expo 2008.
African American Art Expo.

Sale 2156 Lot 26
October 7, 2008

CHARLES WHITE (1918 – 1979)
Frederick Douglass Lives Again (The Ghost of Frederick Douglass).

Pen and ink over pencil on illustration board, 1949. 508×762 mm; 20×30 inches. Signed and dated in ink, lower left. Gedeon D54.

Provenance: ACA Gallery, New York; private collection, New York, 1950; private collection, Philadelphia, 1988. This drawing’s location was recorded as unknown in 1980 at the time of Lucinda Gedeon’s catalogue raisonné.

A close variant of this drawing is in the collection of the New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, NJ. The same size and year,Frederick Douglass has in the lower left a tighter, smaller group of figures, all men in suits, likely a group of lawyers involved in Jim Crow cases.

Exhibited: ACA Gallery, New York, February 12 – 25, 1950.

Illustrated: Daily Worker, New York, Sunday, February 12, 1950; Sidney Finkelstein, Charles White: Ein Künstler Amerikas, pl. 16;Jewish Currents, February 1963, cover.

An extraordinary example of Charles White’s early drawing,Frederick Douglass Lives Again is one of a series of the pen and ink drawings recording the celebrated trials of African-Americans victimized during the Jim Crow era. White shows a mastery of cross-hatching in each expressive face of this dynamic composition. The towering figure of Douglass and the compressed space reflect techniques used in his mural painting, particularly his The Contribution of the Negro to Democracy in American at Hampton University, 1933. White was also translating the African-American experience through the earlier model of the great Mexican muralists Orozco, Rivera and Siqueiros.

In Frederick Douglass Lives Again, White continues his depiction of ordinary people on a heroic scale. Along with The Trenton Six,The Ingram Case and Open Gate (Liberation), White chronicled the legal plights of African-Americans, and the greater cause for justice and equality. White was particularly politically active at this point in his career. Reproductions of these drawings appeared in portfolios published by the Workshop for Graphic Art in New York, and in such progressive periodicals as The Daily Worker. White had his first exhibition at ACA Gallery in 1947, and was now regularly exhibiting in New York with other socially and politically conscious artists such as Philip Evergood, William Gropper and Robert Gwathmey.
Estimate $100,000-150,000

Price Realized (with Buyer’s Premium) $204,000

Charles White Image “Frederick Douglass Lives Again”
was the poster image for October Gallery’s 1988 Art Expo

Page from the October Gallery 1991 catalog.

October Gallery’s Mercer A. Redcross III standing in front of
Charles White’s  “Frederick Douglass Lives Again” at an
October Gallery Art Show and Sale 2007

Mercer A. Redcross III outside and Evelyn Redcross inside
the first location for the gallery.
October Gallery 3805 Lancaster Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Year 1986.

With artists from over 40 states and 6 countries, this year’s 22^nd  Annual Philadelphia Art Expoheld at Temple University’s Liacouras Center, proved to be a treat. This event did not disappoint.  Such artists as Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden,  Cal Massey, and William Tolliver  made the trek to Philly to show  their works to over 40,000 enthusiastic attendees.

To keep you occupied , this Expo had everything from body painting, a fashion show, art auction, live music and poetry, as well as a holistic center for the healthy. With an event such as this , it’s no wonder such luminaries like Isaac Hayes and Billy Dee Williams have demonstrated their works here in the past.

What makes this exciting for chessplayers, is for the first time a chess tournament was included with $6000 in prizes guaranteed.  This was enough to attract strong players likeIM Alex Lenderman from New York, IM Bryan Smith, FM William Morrison from Maryland and NM Elvin Wilson.

This tournament was unique in the fact that, it was actually three separate unrated events.  Each day consisted of four G/30 games with separate prizes for high scoring unrated players. IM Bryan Smith seemed to have his game face on all weekend, sharing 1^st place each day he played.

First place was shared on Friday by IM Bryan Smith, NM Elvin Wilson and David Apelo  from New York.  Saturday’s 1^st place prize was split by IM Bryan Smith and FM William Morrison.  Sunday’s prize was split between Bryan Smith and David Apelo.

Philly locals like Larry Pugh and Jeffrey Johnson also played but found out that everyone came to play and there would be no cakewalks.

Overall, the event was a nice addition to an already creative environment.  This being the first year, low attendance was somewhat understandable.  I anticipate this event will grow is size over the years.

“Pete” Honored!

On Saturday evening, Norman “Pete” Rogers was  presented with an award from the city as well as a painting donated by October Gallery.  This was a lifetime achievement award for over 30 years of dedication to this city and our game.

Michael Williams (at podium) helps in awarding Norman “Pete” Rogers with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Also presenting were Glenn Bady and Elvin Wilson. Photo courtesy of Michael Williams

I would personally like to thank Mercer Redcross and his family  for sponsoring this event.  I would also like to thank those who came out and supported.  Next year’s event promises to be just as exciting and entertaining. Hope to see everyone there!

Some of these pictures were allowed to be taken due the courtesy of jtrollinschesstables.com and Amaze Art Gallery.

~ Michael L Williams

Panoramic Poetry Event Taalam – October Gallery, Panoramic Poetry

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC)
Nov 10 2006

Name: Sande Webster
Affiliation: Sande Webster Gallery
Her Story: Sande Webster’s track record for shattering stereotypes has made her one of the most revered individuals in Philadelphia’s art scene. Armed with a master’s degree in physics, she worked at the Berg Art Gallery in nearby Jenkintown prior to collaborating with fellow entrepreneurs to open the Wallnuts of Locust Street Gallery in Center City in 1969. Webster and her partners took many artistic risks, regularly featuring African American painters, sculptors and printmakers; organizing exhibitions with social and political implications; and displaying glass, clay and textiles in a different way than what many were used to in the craft world. Though local industry peers predicted the Wallnuts’ early demise, Webster’s gallery has thrived for nearly 40 years. More than 25 years ago, it became the Sande Webster Gallery. Cementing her rightful place at the forefront of the African American arts movement, researchers interviewed her in 1990 for the Smithsonian’s Oral History Program. Recordings from those interviews are now a permanent part of the Archives of American Art.

Name: Cheryl McClenney-Brooker
Affiliation: Philadelphia Museum of Art
Her Story: In addition to her role as director of external affairs for one of the largest art museums in the nation, Cheryl McClenney-Brooker advocates for Philadelphia’s up-and-coming artists and promotes the arts as a conduit for strengthening communities. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, serves on the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund and sits on the board of the African American Museum in Philadelphia and the Multicultural Affairs Congress of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau. Once the director of humanities projects at the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C., Brooker now helps give thousands of dollars in grants earmarked for non-profit arts and cultural programming within the city, exposing Philadelphians to a broader range of artistic experiences.

Name: Moe Brooker
Affiliation: Moore College of Art and Design
His Story: Few artists can boast a commission from Absolut Vodka. But somewhere within Moe Brooker’s portfolio is an “Absolut Brooker” ad, which would probably be a shock to his students at Philadelphia’s Moore College of Art and Design—the nation’s first and only women’s college devoted to the visual arts. In addition to serving as chair of the basics department, Brooker teaches two-dimensional design and painting, but his impact is felt far beyond the classroom walls. His works are scattered throughout the city and the country and can be found among collections as the Federal Reserve Bank in Philadelphia, The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Woodmere Art Museum and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Both the Cleveland Museum and its public library feature his paintings, as do The Studio Museum in Harlem and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in Montgomery, Alabama.

Name: Pamela Brown and Beverly Dawson
Affiliation: ArtJaz Gallery
Their Story: Pamela Brown and Beverly Dawson first opened the doors of ArtJaz Gallery in 1999. Their goal was to garner awareness of and provide exposure for emerging and established artists of color. Works displayed in the Old City gallery stretch across a number of mediums, including acrylic, oil, mixed media, ceramic and sculpture. Recognizing art and music as truly free forms of expression, ArtJaz fulfilled its mission with a recent exhibition featuring the photography of noted R&B and jazz singer Will Downing. His images, along with the works of seven other artists represented by ArtJaz, have been compiled and published in Unveiled. Constantly developing innovative shows, Brown and Dawson will host a group exhibition from mid-November through December 2006, featuring the work of Charly Palmer, Sonia Sadler, Deborah Shedrick and Jackson-Collins.

Name: Richard Watson
Affiliation: African American Museum in Philadelphia
His Story: By the time Richard Watson enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, he had already found solace in splashing watercolors on the canvas. While a student, he honed his sketching and painting techniques, observing the social changes produced during the antiwar and Civil Rights movements of the ‘60s. Soon he began working on community art projects, collaborating withFreedom Theater and the Church of the Advocate. He also accepted invitations to join Philadelphia’s famous mural legacy. Today, Watson’s body of work can be identified by one of three themes—all of which infuse some element of the African American experience: landscapes, usually including a sharecropper; contemporary women placed in a charming and romantic scenario; and works which allow Watson to form a dialogue with his ancestors. Courtesy of the collage movement, he has shifted from student to mentor, as newer artists explore his concept of introducing three-dimensional objects in their paintings. As curator for the African American Museum in Philadelphia’s art collection, Watson is now responsible for preserving the works of those he studied for future generations to appreciate.

Name: Kimberly Camp
Affiliation: Painter, Doll maker
Her Story: Kimberly Camp’s numerous magazine interviews reveal a fascinating cross section of admirers: Essence, The New York Times, National Geographic World and the Village Voice, to name a few. Besides hosting doll-making workshops at the Smithsonian and along the East Coast, her handcrafted dolls and paintings can be found among the private collections of such notable individuals as Judith Jamison, Faith Ringgold and Delroy and Nashormeh Lindo. A two-time recipient of National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, Camp spent seven years as president and CEO of The Barnes Foundation in Merion, orchestrating the first catalogue project of the institution’s entire collection—totaling nearly 9,000 works of art.

Name: Allan Edmunds
Affiliation: Brandywine Workshop
His Story: Known as one of Philadelphia’s little-known treasures, the Brandywine Workshop is located on the Avenue of the Arts in Center City. Master printmaker Allan Edmunds founded the Workshop in 1972 to impart his knowledge with area artists and students, instructing them in the craft of printmaking. Throughout the years, Edmunds’ wide-reaching influence crossed state and national borders—the Workshop has sponsored more than 280 artists’ residencies from 35 states and 15 countries to share bindery, screen-printing and lithographical techniques with their peers and the public. As an artist, Edmunds’ work has been featured in such exhibitions as Successions: Prints by African American Artists from the Jean and Robert Steele Collection at the University of Maryland, and the University of Delaware has showcased the prints of Edmunds’ protégés. Edmunds also edited what is thought to be the first inclusive book to research the contributions of artists of color on American printmaking, offering a distinctive reference for art collectors.

Name: Pauline Houston-McCall
Affiliation: Women Holler! Art Collective
Her Story: A self-described “soul artist and renegade,” Houston-McCall’s spirituality and sense of conviction are the inspiration for her drawings, sculptures and paintings, many of which are sizable works. Once a student at Moore College of Art and Design, she uses charcoal, paper, glass, burlap and wood to relay her African and Native American ancestors’ stories of injustice. A social activist, Houston-McCall founded Women Holler!, a nationally acclaimed group of women artists and educators who encourage each other through the creative process. The network includes women of African American, Colombian, Vietnamese and European American heritage. Assertive and candid, the collective offers universal insight into the woman’s mind via its Womanifesto: “Women Holler! Because we need a cigarette/drink/nap/orgasm/chocolate.”

Name: Lamar Redcross
Affiliation: October Gallery
His Story: October Gallery has established its identity as a conduit for art education. For years, Lamar Redcross has been forming a convincing argument that art can be more than an object that collects dust on the bookshelf—that art can be considered a quality investment. But Redcross understands his job doesn’t end once a first-time buyer enters the gallery. It’s crucial to then offer trustworthy, qualified advice about potential purchases, recommending an artist whose style matches a customer’s taste. Having updated the gallery’s use of technology to assist clients, the growth of Redcross’ art education movement is best reflected in the widespread popularity of the annual International Art Expo, which celebrates its 21st year in 2006. Over three days, approximately 40,000 visitors are expected to canvass Temple University’s Liacouras Center to see the works of more than 100 emerging and established contemporary African American artists.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside™ a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visitwww.gophila.com or call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676.

Nov 10 2006

Local Gallery Owners Put Art Buyers At Ease