Sarah drake/Romare Bearden
The Conversation: Inspired teaching, connections & Community
Exhibition: July 2024, Paramount Center for the Arts, St Cloud, MN
A chance encounter in 2022 at a Harlem Cafe led to this exhibition being possible. Sarah Drake was researching where to see Romare Bearden’s artwork when she heard a woman say she worked at the Romare Bearden Foundation. After multiple conversations and meetings, The Conversation: Inspired teaching, connections, and community, came to fruition.
Romare Bearden has been Sarah Drake’s artistic muse for as long as she can remember. She grew up in a town without a stoplight and before the internet, so she doesn’t know how she learned about this Harlem Renaissance collage artist, but she just always knows that she knew his work. Drake uses Bearden’s artwork when she teaches as it appeals to people of all backgrounds, however, Black people get to see themselves and their stories and history respectfully reflected to them and by a man who shared their journey.
The Conversation, is also the name of a Bearden collage. People not wanting to have conversations about hard topics is why Sarah started using Bearden’s work in her teaching and artmaking. The conversation that happens as a result of being at this exhibit can be between students and teachers, the artwork and the artist, the artwork and the viewer, and amongst the viewers. We are living in a time where education, books, and history are being banned. This exhibit goes beyond identity and representation, as it’s dangerous for our community members if we aren’t having difficult conversations.
Ten pieces of art created by the late Romare Bearden were on exhibit alongside ten pieces of Sarah’s work. In addition, Drake invited students to also share art created during their class, with the community. Participating artists were Demar Ballard, Tabara Barry, Remyi Bonslater, A Drew Hammond, Jamya Jackson, and Shafay Williams.
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Sponsors
Thank you! This exhibition brought internationally recognized art to our region. It was made possible because of the generous support from our sponsors:
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Special thank you to Diedra Harris-Kelley, Romare Bearden Foundation, and Michelle Kiley, Paramount Center for the Arts, for believing in me and my dream to exhibit with Bearden's work in Minnesota, and helping to make it happen.
In Common: New Approaches with Romare Bearden
In Common: New Approaches with Romare Bearden was an exhibition at the Vera List Center for Art and Politics, from November 9, 2023–January 15, 2024. The New School’s Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, the Vera List Center for Art and Politics, the Romare Bearden Foundation, and The Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University Newark, collaborated for a symposium, In Common: Romare Bearden and New Approaches to Art, Race & Economy (November 30–December 2, 2023), to examine Bearden’s artistic and activist legacies. Sarah attended the events and was asked by The New School's Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy to write an article and participate in an interview. It was a true honor! You can learn more about The Conversation: Inspired teaching, connections, and community in the article and interview.
Article: Bearden and His Continuing Influence on Art, Society, and Economy, by Sarah Drake
Interview: In Common Perspectives: A Conversation with Sarah Drake
Article: Bearden and His Continuing Influence on Art, Society, and Economy, by Sarah Drake
Interview: In Common Perspectives: A Conversation with Sarah Drake
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