Art for the Soul
4th Annual Black History Month Exhibit
Adrianna Kimble Ray
Adrianna KR is a black queer artist located in Central Arkansas. Her art aesthetic lies in sharp, geometric, abstract forms. She uses Adobe Illustrator to create geometric compositions to experiment with different color compositions. These complex designs cover color experimentation as she’ll take one design and create several different color variations if it. She is currently working with color gradients in her artwork. Her artwork is heavily influenced by generative art, a contemporary media created through the use of code to construct artwork. Her concentric artwork mimics the artwork that is created using generative art.
She enjoys experimenting with new materials such as cut-paper collages and is currently experimenting with time-based motion graphics. She is currently working on animating her geometric designs.
Monika Anne Cunningham
I truly believe that Art Heals. My goal as an artist is to create uplifting art that brings healing, also bringing awareness to mental health/illnesses, and provokes conversations that are often uncomfortable or not spoken about enough. Using vibrant emotive colors of joy, healing, and hope. Every viewer is engaging and absorbing every emotion and message. I also want my art to express what it means to be a Black Female Bahamian Artist and the importance of equality and culture. Capturing the simultaneous battle often faced, but also showcasing that there is beauty in the struggle. Using my paintbrush and artwork to create awareness, solutions, and change in our world. I want to make an impact in my community and in this world by using art and all its forms to amplify positivity and love while addressing what is usually silenced. Creating freely, being authentically myself, and advocating for the Creative Economy is my passion and responsibility as an Artist and I am determined to express how much Art truly heals.
Art means freedom. Art means passion. Art means joy and peace. Art means love and light. Art means expression. We are surrounded by it every day and can create it whenever we wish. The beauty of art is that it can not fully be explained in words. It must be seen or felt to understand its true power. When I create, I feel empowered because I can create whatever I desire. I can express what is within or observed and share that with the world. I can make an impact. There is no such thing as messing up. When I create, I feel the paint moving across the canvas speaking without words. I feel unexplainable calmness and control. I am in control. No one can see what is in my mind but me or foresee my thoughts and that for me is a thrill. My purpose is to create, inspire and address what is important. To connect with others and to make a difference one piece at a time. Art is healing and I truly believe that.
Kaitlyn Maxwell (not pictured)
Inescapable is a collection of photos showing the stress and pain the news brings to African American homes. This theme was inspired by the deaths triggering the BLM movement in 2020. At that time the news felt inescapable, and I lived in constant fear of seeing one of my loved ones on the news next.
The old TV is a connection between present and past. This issue is nothing new and at times I feel like I am living the same life as those in the history books I’ve read. The newspaper wall creates a sense of being surrounded by the news. At times it feels like no matter where you look or go the news is there.