The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination and Women of Visions presents Shades of Black.
This exhibition opening is a part of First Friday, Unblurred: Penn Ave's Monthly Gallery Crawl.

“Shades of Black unfolds a narrative that transcends the monochrome stereotypes of yesteryears. It is an ode to the myriad of hues within the spectrum of blackness, where each shade embodies a unique story and a distinctive journey.
“This exhibition is a testament to the vibrancy that arises from the diversity of our people. Just as colors multiply, so does the richness of our experiences and cultures. Each work of art represents a chapter in the epic saga of overcoming adversities and rising above the constraints of societal expectations.” ---Cynthia Kenderson, President Women of Visions

Women of Visions, Inc. is a historic collective of African American women visual artists in Pittsburgh and a contemporary organization of artists supporting the community and each other through exhibitions, education, mentorship, and professional development.

Opening February 5th, 2021 at 5 PM. Running through mid-March.

Gallery & boutique hours for the month will be Sundays 2 - 5 PM, and we also encourage individual appointments! Call us to arrange an appointment at your convenience. (412) 924-0634 

Artist Statement 

I want to feel so deeply that I can see it; it’s tangible, it’s larger than me. I can touch it. I want to worship it.  A shrine is a place regarded as holy because of its associations with a divinity or a sacred person or relic, marked by a building or other construction. SHRINES is about stopping to enter a moment again; to stay awhile, to pray, to mourn once more while trusting that the Infinity of Life and the Eternal has given me a feeling sacred enough to keep. I want to own the kind of moments that feel to be more than just circumstance. Moments of synchronicity-- internal happenings-- a certain new intensity. Passion and absurdity. We all carry those instances, and life moves so fast that they are easy to let slip from memory. However, the feelings they provoke are infinite and eternal. One can feel something so heavily for only a short instance... What do we do with the remnants of emotions that were once so strong? We have no place for them now in this present/untouched rift So, we create shrines. 

I present SHRINES with a mission to evoke universal feelings that we can’t always pinpoint with words. A shrine to the feeling of crying from happiness; a shrine to a time, celebrated for only one day of a year, a shrine to a blank Polaroid that didnt turn out. A past self, a shrine to many past lives. I want to feel so deeply that I can see it; it’s tangible, it’s larger than me. I can touch it. I can worship it. I deem these feelings holy. I encourage you to do the same.

There will be a closing reception with the artist March 28th 7 - 10 pm. See WESA 90.5 story on the life of Chuck Barr story and radio spot. Join us for this wonderful celebration of the life and art of Chuck Barr & Friends.