To celebrate Black History Month, Grenning Gallery presents “Expanding Tradition – The Journey of the African-American Artist ”.  Opening February 4 and running through March 5, the exhibition will showcase the works of today’s most remarkable African American artists who are on their way to becoming masters of classical artistic techniques

Curated with Andreé MiChelle — a local African-American writer launching her latest book, Escape Under Cover: The Ola Mae Story — the exhibition will feature Mario Robinson , George Morton , Philip Smallwood , Roger Beckles , James Hoston , Irvin Rodriguez , and Jas Knight .

Via the gallery: “Few African-American artists have been given major solo museum shows, and works by 19th and 20th century African-American artists are generally undervalued by the art market relative to those by white artists of equal standing. Only a handful of Black artists — Mark Bradford, Glenn Ligon, and Julie Mehretu to name a few, have made it into the upper reaches of the market with works that fetch millions of dollars at auction. While museums slowly work towards the advancement of racial diversity in the art world, certain private galleries like Jack Shainman Gallery and Papillion Art are beacons of support that serve this under-represented group. And this month, in our small way, the Grenning Gallery is doing our best by showcasing emerging and mid-career African-American Artists.”

Opening Reception for Expanding Tradition: The Journey of the African-American Artist on Saturday, February 4th, from 5:30 – 7pm

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www.grenninggallery.com