Griots

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The Black Art Today Foundation and Stem & Vine presents Griots - Mate Masie -"What I hear, I keep".

The traditional Griot (or Jeli) of West Africa is a historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and musician. They are the living libraries of their communities, charged with the sacred duty of preserving ancestry, battles, and cultural wisdom through oral tradition. This exhibit proposes that the Visual Artist is the contemporary Griot.  The following artists exemplify the very essence of Griot:

Alma Roberts | Anita Henley Carrington | Babacar Pouye | Bryane Broadie | David W.M. Cassidy | Emery Franklin | James Murphy, Jr. | Nicholas Austin-Wakefield | Tanya Bracey | Thomas E. Dade | Dr. Yemonja Smalls

The theme Mate Masie -"What I hear, I keep," posits that in an increasingly visual world, the responsibility of the storyteller has migrated from the tongue to the eye. The artists selected for this exhibit do not simply create aesthetic objects; they chronicle the times, preserve the "oral" histories of their communities through iconography, and weave the thread that connects the past to the future.

The exhibit asks the audience to view the canvas not as silent objects, but as loud, vibrant stories that are "speaking" history.

This exhibition is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council. 

#mdartscouncil