Mercer A. Redcross, III – Vice President of Marketing

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Mercer A. Redcross, III
Vice President of Marketing
October Gallery

Native Philadelphian Mercer A Redcross, III co-founded the October Gallery with his wife, Evelyn, in 1985. The gallery’s first location was in the Powelton Village section of Philadelphia. Today, October Gallery is located the Germantown section of Philadelphia, where it continues to promote African American art, artists and consumer education.

 

Redcross has always been a collector. His initial interests included Lionel model trains, antique clocks and traditional art. Later, he became a collector of African American art. This new fervor stirred a special excitement. He often traveled from state to state to meet these artists in person, see their studios and broaden his experiences by sharing theirs. For him learning is just as important as purchasing. His personal interests led to a nationwide source for art collectors, just a few years later.

 

When the gallery first opened, in 1985, it exhibited a variety of art from the family collection including art by Dali, Miro, Neiman as well as Lawrence, Bearden and others. A friend noticed the concentration of African American art and recommended that the gallery focus on a specific art genre. Additional research confirmed the need for a gallery dedicated exclusively to African American art.

 

Redcross has always been a front runner in making art and art education accessible to all people. Further, Redcross realized that art is an ideal medium to communicate culture, history and broad human experiences. As a result Expo’s theme, “Connecting People with Art,” has been his mantra for years.

 

Annually, October Gallery presents its flagship event, the Philadelphia International Art Expo. This event’s attendees spend thousands of dollars on everything from $20 posters to thousands of dollars on original art. The gallery has been instrumental in establishing value for African American art and a consistent platform for artists to showcase their talent.

 

Redcross graduated from Cheyney University with a BS in Economics. Then, he earned a Masters of Business Administration from Eastern University.

Tom McKinney, Visual Artist by Juanita Frederick for Paint Magazine

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The first art show and sale presented by October Gallery was for artist Tom Mckinney in 1985.

Tom McKinney, Visual Artist

 

Written by Juanita Frederick for Paint Magazine

Silkscreen printer, illustrator, designer, prolific water colorist and portrait artist, Tom Mckinney has made quite a name for himself with his rich portrayals of the Black community.  You just may own one of his memorable pieces in your living room, such as “Give Mommy Some Sugar” or “Beauty of Color.”

 

Studying at the John Hussian School of Art and the Philadelphia College of Art as well as visiting the Earl Theatre in Philadelphia prompted the paintings of Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Eubey Blake and other jazz legends.  With his musical paintings, McKinney extends an invitation for all to hear and feel the music of jazz greats.

 

McKinney captures the reality of events.   He proudly states, “I am a day to day realist.  I like to observe people when they are unguarded.  I like to capture the real person.”  He also explained we may see someone laughing throughout their day with their public persona and later, you may view them sitting alone quietly thinking.  Now, this is when they connect to their true person he said.

 

A number of Goodnight’s paintings have been in solo exhibits and group shows such as the Gallery Tanner, Los Angeles; Hallway Gallery, Georgetown; and Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.  McKinney also was chosen to do the 1989 Black history calendar for Atena Insurance Company in Hartford Connecticut.  He has also traveled to Europe to exhibit for the Armed Forces in West Germany.

 

McKinney’s works have been featured in many publications around the country and represented in innumerable corporate, institutional, and private collections.  His works have also appeared on television sitcoms such as “Frank’s Place”, “The Bill Cosby Show” and “Desmond” to name a few.

 

McKinney focuses on the subjects he paints because his intent is to show the strength and unity of Black people.  McKinney understands that people will interpret each of his pieces differently; and he invites all to share in his artwork, life experiences.

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News Coverage of Philly Art Expo 18 – October Gallery

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THE PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL ART EXPO
The Art of Living Well

One of the Nation’s Largest Art Expos The Annual Philadelphia International Art Expo is an expo of popular. World Art and The Art of Living Well. It offers unique and unequaled opportunities to build a customer base, to network, to compare artistic talent & product information and to engage in “the art of the deal”.

Isaac Hayes at Philadelphia Art Expo 18 – Liacouras Center

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October Gallery’s Evelyn Redcross and Recording Artist Isaac Hayes at Expo 18

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Isaac Hayes (far right) at October Gallery’s Expo 18

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YES, THIS IS THE BIG ONE !! Don’t miss this Art Expo. Post on africanamerica.org

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To All, Especially Those In Penn Area

YES, THIS IS THE BIG ONE !! Don’t miss this Art Expo.

The October Gallery
18th Annual Philadelphia International Art Expo
November 7, 8 and 9, 2003 Admission FREE
Liacouras Center, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA The Nation’s Largest African American Art Expo

Check out our ads for Expo in Black Enterprise Magazine, Upscale Magazine, Essence Magazine,
Savoy Magazine, Vibe Magazine, Paint Magazine and Black Issues Book Review.

In Philadelphia check out these publications and promotions -The Philadelphia Tribune,
The Philadelphia New Observer, The Metro, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News,
The Philadelphia Sunday Sun, The Philadelphia Weekly, Rolling Out, The Germantown Courier
and The Mt Airy Times Express. Also, look for our billboards through out the city.
Listen to our radio commercials on WDAS and WHAT radio. And for TV check out UPN 57.

++++++++++++++++++++++++
EXPO WEEK EVENTS
All events are FREE to the public

Kick-off Press Conference for
The Philadelphia International Art Expo Week
Friday, October 31, 2003
Presenting: The Ebony String Quartet
Continental Breakfast!
FREE Admission!
Location:
3rd Floor
Loews Hotel
1200 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA
10AM to Noon
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Free wine-tasting” before the
“Meet the Artists” reception at
the Loews Hotel on election night
with Senator Vincent Hughes
Tuesday, November 4, 2003
FREE Admission!
Location:
33rd Floor
Loews Hotel
1200 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA
5 to 9PM
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
X – Connection
Happy Hour at Sole Food Restaurant
ABSOLUT Drink Specials
Wednesday, November 5, 2003
FREE Admission!
Location:
Loews Hotel
1200 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA
5:30 to 7:30PM
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

www.octobergallery.com
215-629-3939

“Salsa” by Paul Goodnight
Official Expo 2003 Poster
Golden Enterprise Booth 800
Reg. $45. at Expo $20.
The first 1200 sold will be signed by the artist.
www.octobergallery.com

A mecca of African American art thrives – Expo 2003

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By Matthew P. Blanchard INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

POSTED: November 10, 2003

Maybe it was The Cosby Show, said influential gallery owner Mercer Redcross.

Hanging on the walls of the Huxtables’ home was the work of African American artists, Redcross said, and African Americans in the 1980s took note.

Or perhaps it was simply the inevitable flow of history that finally produced a sizable art-buying community among U.S. blacks, he said.

Either way, what observers call a rising class of art-savvy African Americans could be seen inside Temple’s Liacouras Center this weekend at the 18th annual Philadelphia International Art Expo. The expo is said to be the largest venue for black artists in the United States, attracting 40,000 to 50,000 visitors from Friday to its closing last night.

“We came from the paradigm that art was for the museum,” Redcross said. “It was for white people. We couldn’t afford it.”

“When Bill Cosby had his show, you suddenly saw African American art hanging behind the sofa, instead of European art. . . . [African Americans] have our Picassos, we have our Miros, we have our Chagalls. But we had to get African Americans to put buying art in the same league as going to Bermuda, buying a BMW or a Louis Vuitton bag.”

So while Cosby was ruling prime time in 1985, Redcross, the owner of Old City’s October Gallery, launched the expo in a hotel conference room and prayed for a day that, by this weekend, had clearly arrived. Yesterday afternoon, the 150 artists’ booths were so thronged with eager buyers one could only barely walk between them.

But what, exactly, were they buying?

One answer came from the 77-year-old Philadelphia artist the others call “the godfather,” Cal Massey. His claim to fame says much about the direction of African American popular art today.

“In 1987, I did the first black angel sold commercially in America,” Massey said. “Through Essence magazine, it sold 10,000 copies. I’ve sold another 5,000 myself since then.”

Massey’s Angel Heart is a straightforward portrait of a female angel floating in space, with an expansive halo of kinky black hair, feathery wings, and one arm extended in a benediction.

“None of the great Renaissance or other European painters ever did a black angel,” Massey said. “So I just did one.” Demand for the piece – sold in $20 black-and-white prints or $350 framed versions – has never let up.

“This was my son’s favorite picture,” said Freda Vickers, 47, of Yeadon. Her son, Coy, died some years ago in an automobile accident. The artistic young man even drew his own version, which still hangs in Vickers’ home. Yesterday she bought an $85 print of the Massey original.

“There was something about her hair that he just loved,” Vickers said.

Massey, Redcross and other artists agreed yesterday that, much like Vickers’ son, the typical African American art buyer seeks out depictions of black life.

“In the 1950s, black women did not know how beautiful they were,” Massey said. “The only way you could tell them was through art. Through the eyes of the artist, this new sense of pride comes about.

“That is why they buy my work.”

Said Redcross: “With the African American buyer, there is one word: culture.”

Indeed, certain images were ubiquitous at the Expo: Muhammad Ali, buffalo soldiers, alluring Egyptian palace women, the black Jesus Christ, the black Last Supper, Oprah Winfrey and Tupac Shakur.

But there were also Bisa Butler’s striking and inventive fabric collages. Others artists worked in abstract shapes or with shimmering computer graphics.

Towering above the booths was a tree-like African mask sculpture hewn from wood, with chain links dangling to the floor from two slender horns. And an artist called Kolongi sold dense prints of hip-hop stars – Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z – as many as 60 faces crammed on a single canvas so tight the total image was halfway to abstraction.

It is all evidence, Redcross said, that his hard work over 18 years to build an art-buying community in Philadelphia has paid off.

“If 40,000 or 50,000 African Americans are willing to take time out to come to an art event, it is not a coincidence,” Redcross said. “It shows people are ready to claim their culture.”

Contact staff writer Matthew P. Blanchard at 610-313-8120 or mblanchard@phillynews.com.

Dr. John Biggers Art Expo 2000 Part Four – October Gallery Expo

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This was a video conference at the Philadelphia International Art Expo. October Gallery.
In 2000 October Gallery produced a video conference with artists Dr. John Biggers and Dr. Samella Lewis. This video conference was part of the annual Philadelphia International Art Expo

Dr. Samella Lewis & Artist Jimi Claybrooks – October Gallery Expo

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Dr. Samella Lewis & Artist Jimi Claybrooks – October Gallery
Part of the Philadelphia International Art Expo.