Artist Feature: Kiarra Elliott of "Powerful Profiles: A Virtual Exhibit by Black Women Artists"

“Powerful Profiles” Artist Feature: Kiarra Elliott (Insta @afrocentrickeyy)
“Powerful Profiles” Virtual Exhibit features the artwork of Serena Saunders, Kiarra Elliott, and Mariana Sguilla. The exhibit is curated by Alexis Marie Chute, with co-curator Serena Saunders, for the Multicultural Heritage Centre. “Powerful Profiles” presents portrait paintings and drawings all depicting black individuals, painted by black women.

OTHER ARTIST FEATURES:
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Serena Saunders (Insta @mspassionart) premier: Thursday, July 2, 2020, 6:00 PM Mountain Time
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Mariana Sguilla (Insta @marisguii) premier: Thursday, July 9, 2020, 6:00 PM Mountain Time
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Kiarra Elliott (Insta @afrocentrickeyy) premier: Thursday, July 16, 2020, 6:00 PM Mountain Time
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“Powerful Profiles” Exhibit Description:

"Why is it important to promote and exhibit Black Woman Artists" was the original question presented to me. The answer my gut replied with, that sat with me for some time was - "Duh". That answer is still relevant. However, being a Black Woman Artist, who was once, an aspiring young black girl artist, I can remember looking for myself in museum rooms and on gallery walls only to come up empty handed. That emptiness created a dwelling place where I would plant seeds that would produce the fruit to contribute to changing that narrative.

Black women artists have had the courage to create in an arena not structured for their success and where they have thus been underrepresented. Their powerful and necessary stories must be told. To promote a deserving talent because the work produced through their dedication to the craft is profound and the results are purposeful and profitable. I could continue to list the statistical, systematic and racial disparities as to why such a time as now, is just as good of a time as ever to promote the work of Black - Woman - Artists.
Instead, let us talk about the need society has to have this artwork be a part of the thread of community.

The artwork being created is healing. It is nurturing and flourishing at the same time. The work is coming from mother's and wives and activists and educators and community leaders and creators birthing visions and sculptures molding futures and writers without selective history recording filters - but true storytellers, and painters brushing away pain, "and" - I kept saying "and" because they are not some of these, but all of these things - the sum of these things, and still muster the courage and time to push out artwork, that warrants being promoted, collected and celebrated.

All of that and the millions of more personal, spiritual and cultural reasons are great answers to the question as well - but why should they lead the conversation? If the artists have clearly created work that should put them in the room, the collection, the history of Fine Art, outside of and inside of their color and sex - exhibit it, promote it, collect it - because it was earned.

—Serena Saunders, Artist, “Powerful-Profiles” Co-Curator


ABOUT THE MULTICULTURAL HERITAGE CENTRE:
The Centre boasts a living museum which reflects the local agricultural history of Stony Plain, Western Canadian pioneer life and a public art gallery promoting local artists as well as artists from all over Alberta and Canada.
http://multicentre.org/
Exhibit Schedule: http://multicentre.org/exhibit-schedule/
Call for Submissions: http://multicentre.org/call-for-submi...