Throughout February the Venture Community came together to celebrate and educate ourselves on the fullness of African American history and culture
For 2024’s Black History Month, The Association for the Study of African American Life and History dedicated its 98th Annual Black History Theme to “African Americans and the Arts”, highlighting the profound impact the Black community has had in every form of cultural expression.
From music and literature to visual arts and performance, African American artists have not only created masterpieces but have also used their platforms to amplify voices, challenge norms, and inspire change. Their stories, expressions, and talents have shaped our understanding of identity, history, and the human experience.
Venture Creative honored this Black History Month’s theme through our individuals conducting artist studies on Alma Thomas, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Lois Mailou Jones.
Norma’s art is inspired by Alma Thomas.
🎨Alma Thomas was a teacher and artist who developed a powerful form of abstract painting late in life. From the mid-1960s, she produced brilliantly colored and richly patterned works connected to the natural world.
🎨A significant figure in Washington’s art world, Thomas was associated with the Little Paris Group of Artists and Howard University’s Gallery of Art. She was also a key figure in the formation of the innovative Barnett Aden Gallery, among the first Black-owned galleries in the United States.
🎨“Through color, I have sought to concentrate on beauty and happiness, rather than on man’s inhumanity to man.”- Alma Thomas
John and Eric’s artwork is inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Jean-Michel Basquiat was an influential African-American artist known for his raw gestural style of painting with graffiti-like images and scrawled text. Basquiat’s paintings are largely responsible for elevating graffiti artists into the realm of the New York gallery scene.
His art referenced everything from his Haitian and Puerto Rican heritage, to political issues, pop-culture icons, and Biblical verse. Basquiat achieved his breakthrough in the early 1980s, using social commentary in his paintings to express his experiences in the black community, as well as attacks on power structures and systems of racism.
“I don’t think about art when I’m working. I try to think about life.” -Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jillian’s artwork is inspired by Loïs Mailou Jones.
🎨Loïs Mailou Jones was a teacher and artist who is largely credited with masterful techniques of widely varied styles, from French, Haitian, and New England landscapes to the sources and issues of African-American culture. Jones’s career began in the 1930s and she continued to produce art until her death in 1998 at the age of 92.
🎨Lois Mailou Jones’ career is internationally acclaimed, with her winning over 50 awards, including the White House Outstanding Achievement in the Arts award presented to her by U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1980, and there was even a “Loïs Jones Day” declared in Washington, DC on July 29, 1984. Her work is featured and honored in famous museums all over the world today.
🎨”The wonderful thing about being an artist is that there is no end to creative expression. Painting is my life; my life is painting.” – Loïs Mailou Jones
This month, and every month, let us stand in solidarity with our Black colleagues, friends, and community members, honoring their contributions, acknowledging their struggles, and advocating for a world where every individual can live with dignity, opportunity, and purpose.
