June 25 - November 27, 2022

Co-curated by Ashara Ekundayo and Lucia Olubunmi R. Momoh

Collective Arising: The Insistence of Black Bay Area Artists features art by contemporary Black artists who have participated in interdisciplinary collectives, including nure, 3.9 Collective, House of Malico, CTRL+SHIFT, and Black [Space] Residency. Collectives—groups of like-minded individuals coming together to achieve a common goal—have offered space for Black artists to expand their practice, amplify their voices, and nurture one another. Working in community, they share resources, build cooperatively, and create side-by-side in opposition to hyper-individualistic capitalist systems, such as the art market, in which competition is a requirement for  participation. In this way, collectives have served both the revolutionary and creative practices of Black, queer, and femme people across the diaspora. The artworks in Collective Arising—which includes textile, sculpture, glass, print, painting, photography, video, and installation—speak to this dual purpose at the core of the formation of artist collectives.

Share your support for Collective Arising, your gift will make a difference!

Pictured:
Adrian Octavius Walker, STILL Pushing Through, 2022. Archival pigment print, 10 x 8 feet. Courtesy the artist and Pt.2 Gallery, Oakland
yétúndé olagbaju, A Chrysalis No. 2, 2021. Bronze bust and pedestal with black walnut wood pedestal, 36 x 18 inches. Courtesy of the Museum of Sonoma County
Ramekon O’Arwisters, Cheesecake #14, 2019. Fabric, ceramics from CSULB ceramic program, beads, pins, 29 x 20 x 18 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Patricia Sweetow Gallery, Los Angeles

Featuring

Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo, CTRL+SHIFT 
Sydney Cain, aka sage stargate, 3.9 Art Collective 
Erica Deeman, Black [Space] Residency
Cheryl Derricotte, 3.9 Art Collective
Sasha Kelley, House of Malico & We Are the Ones 
shah noor hussein, House of Malico
Ramekon O’Arwisters, 3.9 Art Collective
yétúndé olagbaju, nure, no neutral alliance
Karen Seneferu, The Black Woman Is God
Muzae Sesay, nure
Adrian Octavius Walker, nure

Collective Arising: The Insistence of Black Bay Area Artists is made possible through the generosity of Diane and Jack Stuppin, Community Foundation Sonoma County, Fay Gallus and Richard Sweet, Ron Casentini, 100 Black Men of Sonoma County, Inc., David Salm, Estelle Rogers and Hal Kwalwasser, Sonoma County Black Forum, anonymous, and Kelly-Moore Paints.