Kathy Schumacher's "Frances Ellen Watkins Harper" in “Freedom's Daughters" at Black Hawk College -- through February 23.
Exhibit: Through Friday, February 23
Reception and Artist Talk: Wednesday, February 21, 4 – 6 p.m.
Black Hawk College ArtSpace Gallery, 6600 34th Avenue, Moline IL
Held in conjunction with Black History Month, a series of thoughtful and engaging pieces will be in display in Black Hawk College's ArtSpace Gallery through February 23, with the Moline institution presenting paintings by Kathy Schumacher in the exhibition Freedom's Daughters.
As Schumacher reveals in her Artist Statement, “I am a self-taught artist who specializes in portraits and figurative drawings. I have been working out of my studio in the Cherry Building in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, since 2008. Charcoal is my favorite medium – I love the way I can get my hands right into it. My previous project was a series of charcoal drawings giving voice to my grandmother who spent 15 years in the Independence, Iowa, asylum beginning October 25, 1941.
"My work," Schumacher continues, "is to give voice to the forgotten women of history. This cycle of paintings depicts largely unknown Black heroines from suffrage to civil rights in the United States. These courageous women have something to teach us. Not just for what they did in the past, but to see in them what American needs today if we are truly going to embrace the best of who we are."
A public reception and Artist Talk with Kathy Schumacher will be held at Black Hawk College on February 21 from 4 to 6 p.m., with light refreshments provided, and Freedom's Daughters itself will be on display through February 23. The ArtSpace Gallery is located on the first floor of Building 4 at the Quad Cities campus, admission is free, and more information is available by e-mailing ArtDesign@bhc.edu and visiting Facebook.com/BHCArtDesign.
