Today, Wednesday, February 26, 2014, is the two-year anniversary of Trayvon Martin unjust and untimely death, and in honor of it a unique travelling exhibition has been developed beginning a three-month tour of New York City that starts TODAY, February 26th, at Stratosphere Studios in Brooklyn. 17: The Revolution Will Be Visualized, a collection of 17 new pieces of contemporary art in different styles and mediums curated by renowned artist and author Andre LeRoy Davis, will be on display at Stratosphere through March 3, 2014 before moving on to two other area galleries, with the collection remaining on display through May 11, 2014.
This unique exhibition was developed by Davis as a visual riot in response to the not-guilty verdict handed down in the trial of George Zimmerman on July 13, 2013. Seeking to give voice to the outraged felt by many across the world, Davis tasked 17 African-American artists with the assignment of each creating one piece representing the struggles, pains, loves, successes, hardships, failures and triumphs of the Young Black male in America. The show’s opening run at Stratosphere will feature two special events: an opening ceremony TODAY, February 26 from6pm – 10pm; and, on Saturday, March 1 from 3pm – 6pm,an opportunity to meet the artists and curator for a candid discussion about the meaning of this project and how to carry that meaning forward. Similar discussions will also take place on Saturday, March 15, during the show’s run atArtifactz Studio Gallery in New Rochelle and on Saturday, May 10, during its closing run at The Art Gallery in Harlem. The latter will also host a closing ceremony on Sunday, May 11 from 2-8pm. (Full schedule available upon request.)
17: The Revolution Will Be Visualized is meant to honor Trayvon Martin first, with each artist and each piece symbolically marking one year of his life, cut short right as he was transitioning from child to young man. Sadly, the symbolism here applies to so many more young men who have entered the consciousness of Black America in the last few years after falling victim to senseless crimes such as the one that took Trayvon Martin away from his family two years ago. But in dedicating these pieces to young Black men under the age of 17, Davis and his collaborators in this effort also hope to celebrate the lives of those children who’s joys and triumphs will outweigh the struggle, those children who will hopefully see a day when we will no longer question whether America places a value on the lives of its young Black men at all. 17serves as a protest not only to the senseless and unpunished killing of young Black men, which seems to be growing in frequency, but to racial profiling and laws like New York City’s stop and frisk policies and Florida’s Stand Your Ground rules, which seem to disproportionately target African-American and other minority youth.
A formally trained artist, Andre LeRoy Davis is perhaps best known for his iconic work with The Source Magazine. From 1990 to 2007, Davis crafted a satirical mirror to each of the magazine’s monthly covers with “The Last Word.” During those years, he refined his skills while poking fun at LL Cool J, Naughty By Nature, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, the Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang, Jay-Z, Nas and many others. Over a span of 17 years, Davis drew 175 installments of the groundbreaking cartoon. Since leaving the iconic Hip-Hop publication, he has worked as a teacher and curator, remaining very actively involved with New York’s art scene. For 17: The Revolution Will Be Visualized, he has commissioned pieces by: Cey Adams, Baba Dawud Anyabuile, Reuben Cheatem, Jennifer Crute, Jerry Lee Brice, Stephan LeRoy Davis, Ida “Hotpeenzbutta” Harris, Fedrecia Hartley, Chris Herod, Oronde Kairi Johnson, Gerald Jones, Isis Kenney, Sheeba Maya, Kevin McDowell, Chaly Palmer, TTK, and Grey Williamson in addition to making own contribution to the exhibit.
For more information regarding Andre LeRoy Davis, please visit www.andreleroydavis.com. For media inquiries, please contact Andre LeRoy Davis @ AndreLeRoyDavis@yahoo.com.
Shout out to Tresa Sanders for the tip.
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