Arts Beyond the Streets -- Artist Talk

Sunday, February 23, 2020
4: 00 pm, McGuffey Art Center/ 201 2nd St NW, Charlottesville

On February 23, hear visiting artists from Makhanda, South Africa, discuss their works currently on view at McGuffey Art Center through February 2020. The artist talk will be held in the Sarah B. Smith Gallery, and is free and open to the public.

Arts Beyond the Streets is a month-long a collaboration of painting, music, dance, and mixed media between members of the Black Power Station in Makhanda, South Africa and members of McGuffey Art Center. Arts Beyond the Streets grew from long-standing relationships between artists in Charlottesville, Virginia and Makhanda, South Africa. In a celebration of arts and inclusiveness, several artist-activists will be traveling from Makhanda, South Africa to collaborate with Charlottesville artists and cultural groups on a series of events during the month of February: free art activities, workshops, and dialogues welcome to all community residents. The McGuffey Art Center is hosting an exhibition of work from professional artists and youth from the Makhanda community.

From the McGuffey web site: "The main purpose of Arts Beyond the Streets is to foster collaborations and build solidarity between artists and art centers that are deeply embedded in their own respective communities. 

Although they are more than 8,000 miles apart, both Charlottesville and Makhanda have racialized histories by which systemic oppression disadvantaged persons of color through racist ideologies and movements. Artistic collaboration within and across cultures is extremely valuable in the process of healing and generating further change. Arts Beyond the Streets promotes art programming that is accessible to all, so that it can be used as a form of communication between people of all different walks of life.

The Black Power Station is a pioneering arts space within the re-emerging industrial area of Makhanda, South Africa. It is a liberated space where everyone contributes to its taking shape. It is a free and open space where people can come year-round to enjoy and participate in dialogue and other various forms of artistic expression. The Black Power Station seeks to be an alternative venue that facilitates arts to its fullest."