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Cracking Up, 2021
Acrylic, enamel on canvas
48 x 60 inches

Jonathan Harris’ “Cracking Up” displays the artist’s signature drip enamel style in his largest work, to-date, utilizing this technique. The depiction of a young girl enthralled in laughter is meant to dispel the myth of the “angry black woman” by conveying the joy, innocence and hopeful simplicity of girlhood, and embracing the girl that lies within every mother, sister, colleague, friend or wife.

Born and raised in the city of Detroit, Jonathan Harris attended the Detroit School for the Fine and Performing Arts, and Henry Ford Community College and Oakland University, where he majored in Graphic Design and minored in Studio Art. Working primarily in acrylics, oils, pen or charcoal, his work focuses on current events and the African American experience. Bringing awareness to social and world issues, in addition to instilling pride into the black community, are goals he wishes to accomplish through his art, which currently resides in the homes of local collectors and has been presented during special programs at the Detroit Institute of Arts and in local galleries. Harris was Artist-In Residence at Irwin House Gallery from October 2020 through March 2021 and is currently curating BONDED – an outdoor  group exhibition presented by DTE at Detroit’s Beacon Park April 23-25, 2021.

VIEW THE FULL EXHIBITION CATALOG HERE.

Art and fashion photographer, Donn Thompson, is a native of Barbados based in New York City. He has documented the beauty and essence of women of color in print publications, ads, and for personal clients and collectors for over twenty years. This image stems from a body of work featuring African and Black American models, emphasizing not only their natural beauty, but individuality, confidence, and strength.

Featured image: Nude Yoga (Black Nikky), 2020. 40 x 40 inches.
Canon EOS-1D-X Single Edition* photographic print.

VIEW THE FULL EXHIBITION CATALOG HERE.

Ricky Weaver is an image-based artist from Ypsilanti, Michigan. Her practice employs what she calls “The quantum ontology of images” as portals to elsewhere. She explores the idea of alternative modes of existence through themes of magical realism, the archive of the everyday, and dark sousveillance.

Weaver has participated in the Applebaum fellowship and Carr Center Independent Fellowship where she began her relationship with friend and mentor, Carrie Mae Weems. She has exhibited work in the 13th Annual Havana Biennale, Photographic Center Northwest, Page Bond Gallery, and more. She received her BFA in Photography from Eastern Michigan University in 2014 and an MFA in photography from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2018. She has since worked as Part-time faculty in the photography departments at Wayne State University, Eastern Michigan University, and Washtenaw Community College.

This work renders moments when black women’s cultural and spiritual practices of community and care provide breadth and substance for creating spaces of leverage. These images locate a specific vernacular of facial expression and body language that can be traced back to the Middle Passage. This vernacular disrupts the problematic ways of archiving blackness and outsmarts surveillance technologies as such. The life that these images begin to imagine exists in a reality outside the constraints of social and political constructs.

VIEW THE FULL EXHIBITION CATALOG HERE.

 

Dawn Okoro’s work is informed by the composition techniques used in fashion photography. Using oil, acrylic, and pencil, she incorporates photography, collage, and ideas from punk and popular culture. Her artwork embodies space, movement, pattern, design, texture, and color; as well as lived experiences and self-reflexivity – a process by which she critically examines the experiences (exterior and interior) that shape her everyday life and those that surround her. With an emphasis on the African American woman, Okoro’s work highlights the energy, creativity and sometimes, preoccupations, of urban culture.

Nigerian American artist Dawn Okoro lives and works in Austin, Texas. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, and her law degree from Texas Southern University. Her desire to become an artist spawned from her love of fashion illustration, photography, and design. Okoro’s work has been featured in Forbes, Architectural Digest, Hyperallergic, Drawing Magazine, and The Austin Chronicle. She has exhibited at the Texas Biennial, New York University, Notre Dame University, Rice University Museum, George Washington Carver Museum, and MoCADA Museum in Brooklyn.

VIEW THE FULL EXHIBITION CATALOG HERE.

The Irwin House Global Art Center & Gallery presents MOVE THE WORLD, an exhibition bridging Black History and Women’s Month and celebrating “the extraordinary lives of ordinary Sisters and Queens. ” The exhibition has been inspired by the recent political contributions of  women of color in politics,. historic professional firsts for African American women, and the everyday heroinism of our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and friends. Opening Saturday, February 13, 2021 and running through the end of March, it highlights the  work  of  local and visiting artists –  Ricky Weaver, Dawn Okoro, Laura Gadson, Jonathan Harris, Jide Ade, Damien Mathis, Donn Thompson, and BAI –and introduces Poet Laureate, Brittini Ward, who will design and perform spoken word compositions dedicated to the theme.

MOVE THE WORLD also provides a rare glimpse of a painting by the late and endlessly talented dancer, choreographer and actor, Geoffrey Holder in celebration of the female form.
Due to COVID safety measures, there will be no receptions or in-person gatherings in association with the exhibit, however, the gallery is open to the public and offering auxiliary features and programs including an interactive message wall  in collaboration with @youwannatellher by Yasmine Lancaster (an Instagram page dedicated to raising the spirits and profiles  of Black women); A Valentine’s Day art give-away for all visitors to the gallery on Sunday, February 14^th; virtual explorations with participating artists; and virtual educational programming for school-aged children.  Visitors to the space will also enjoy a 201 song, 14 hour soundtrack, curated especially for the exhibit by art historian and collector, Carl McCaskill.

“You saw it. We all saw it. Black women summoned all their superpower forces to deliver democracy in Georgia, and for all the U.S. This is just one critical example of how ordinary sisters and queens show up for each other, and for everyone in their cyphers. Stacey, Nsé, Helen, Tamieka, Melanie, Latosha and Deborah were ordinary girls and women…until they weren’t. These women, and so many others like them, remind us of the poise, power, and determination that lies within us all…. The Black Woman has been extraordinary from the start, yet she has borne and survived the brunt of Black trauma. So, whether she knows, exudes, or expresses it or not, and no matter her station in life, she is a Queen – to honor, behold, and protect.”

             –  Excerpt from the MOVE THE WORLD Exhibition Statement

MOVE THE WORLD opens Saturday, February 13, 2021 from 11am – 6pm. General hours of operation are Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 11:00 am – 6:00 pm and by appointment Tues – Thurs through March 28, 2021. The following safety precautions are being taken:  Only six persons are allowed in the gallery at a time; masks must be worn at all times; sanitizing station and temperatures taken at the door. For an appointment, private tour, or any other inquiries contact Gallery Director, Misha McGlown at irwinhousegallery@gmail.com 313.932.7690 or 347.339.9812 (cell).

MOVE THE WORLD and its programs have been supported in part by Founder’s Brewing Company and NASP Detroit (National Association of Securities Professionals).

Irwin House Global Art Center & Gallery, 2351 W. Grand Blvd. (between LaSalle & Linwood), Detroit, MI 48208 |  FB + IG: @irwinhousegallery | View the Facebook invitation HERE.

Event hashtags: #sistersandqueens   #movetheworld

THANK YOU to all who came out to enjoy and support the “Gift of Art” exhibition! We are ecstatic to announce that — since the show’s opening on Black Friday — we have put more than two-dozen original works of art in the hands and homes of new and seasoned art collectors throughout Detroit, and across the country!

Hooray for all the artists, for the happy collectors (a few pictured below), for us, and for THE POWER OF ART!

If you haven’t had a chance to see the show OR would like a last peek, please stop by this weekend and enjoy a Glogg toast with us to welcome in the new year!

Hours are Saturday and Sunday, January 2-3 from 10am-6pm. (We are closed Friday, New Year’s Day.)

As always, we will be keeping everyone safe in the name of art: Practicing social-distancing, sanitizing, and taking temps at the door. We hope you can stop by!

 

We’re working hard to keep our space safe and socially-distanced during the Gift of Art Exhibition, and we are grateful to everyone who’s come out, supported the artists and INDEED given the gift of art. For those of you who cannot make it – or simply want a closer look – we’ve brought you the entire show on line. Meet dynamic Detroit artist Maliek Phillips. We are proud to feature his art and gracious spirit in the show:

MALIEK PHILLIPS
IG: @liekfeel
SOLD!!! — Maliek “AJ” Phillips. Light I, 2020. 8″ x 10″  Mixed media on paper. $100

Maliek Phillips is from the west side of Detroit and attended Renaissance High School, where he excelled in academics and sports. In 2014, he began his creative expression in music. He began recording on a cellphone and developed a form of expression he now describes as “Feelism – expression, mostly pertaining to art that conveys a temporary moment of awe or amazement.” Today, he is a self described creative. He’s used his venture into music and found wholesome love for media arts, as well as art in general. Maliek has since written and illustrated a children’s book, Rashad is Sad for a Reason (2018) and starred in a short drama, On the Count of Three (2018). His Original Feelism paintings and mixed-media visual artworks have been beloved, exhibited, and collected throughout Detroit, including the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American Art.
SOLD!!! — Maliek “AJ” Phillips. Light II, 2020. 8″ x 10″  Mixed media on paper. $100

Maliek “AJ” Phillips. Dark I, 2020. 8″ x 10″  Mixed media on paper. $100

SOLD!!! — Maliek “AJ” Phillips. Dark II, 2020. 8″ x 10″  Mixed media on paper. $100

Contact Irwin House Gallery to inquire about or purchase any of these works of art: 313.932.7690 or irwinhousegallery@gmail.com.

Here we go, being all global again and inviting out-of-town artists to exhibit with our favorite Detroiters! Well, that happens to be part of our mission, so we were ecstatic when Mary Morekas agreed to exhibit in our Gift of Art Show and four of her fabulous paintings showed up in the mail. Believe us when we tell you, this is a rare glimpse for us all! View, enjoy, and shop Mary’s art below…..

MARY MOREKAS
@morekasart

SOLD!!! — Mary Morekas. Because cats do what they want, 2020. 9″ x 12″  Oil on canvas. $225

Art is second nature for Mary Morekas. It is her unique way of looking at the world that shines through in her paintings, and shoots straight to the hearts of viewers. Mary paints what she sees — chance encounters with all God’s creatures and the people who impact her everyday life. These are the things that serve as inspiration for the artist, every moment of every single day. There is no other motivation behind her work, except to be in joy and to share and spread joy with those who encounter her art. A native of Maryland, Mary studied art in high school and graduated from Drexel University in 2019 with a Degree in Engineering. She currently lives and works as an Engineer in Philadelphia, enjoys her friends and family and — despite her demanding job — clocks countless hours of art exploration and painting.

Mary Morekas. Golden Hour Rose, 2020. 12″ x 12″  Oil on canvas. $275

SOLD!!! — Mary Morekas. I Got This, 2020. 8″ x 8″  Oil on canvas. $195

Mary Morekas. TV with a Friend, 2020. 8″ x 10″  Oil on canvas. $195

Contact Irwin House Gallery to inquire about or purchase any of these works of art: 313.932.7690 or irwinhousegallery@gmail.com.