Southern Black culture and identity take center stage as eight artists come together in “ How I Got Over: Contemporary Black Southern Portraiture A Testimony of Community, Joy and Triumph,” the University announced. The Ro gallery, located in the Rowe Arts building at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, has recently unveiled a new exhibition that emphasizes the many facets of the black South.
The exhibition was curated by Yvonne Bynoe, an accomplished independent curator and cultural commentator with a deep commitment to amplifying the voices and stories of the African diaspora. A native of Brooklyn, NY, Bynoe’s early exposure to art came from her parents, who took her to local galleries and museums, sparking a lifelong passion for the arts. Her curatorial philosophy is centered on bringing to light the stories that have been lost, erased, or undervalued, ensuring that these narratives are given the recognition they deserve. In 2022, Bynoe collaborated with the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture to curate and host a series of panel discussions for Black History Month, further cementing her role as a key figure in the art community. Her curatorial debut, “The Renaissance of Brooklyn: History is Present,” was showcased at the Brooklyn Collective Gallery in Charlotte in 2023, where she successfully highlighted the rich cultural history of Brooklyn through a contemporary lens.
Meet the Artists
Aliyah Bonnette – Raleigh, North Carolina
Bonnette is a multidisciplinary artist who tells the complex lives of African American women by painting over vibrant quilts with her own quilting process. Bonnette has been featured and numerous group exhibitions around the country and will continue to make waves in her first solo exhibition coming this fall titled In The Waters We Rise.
Terron Copper Sorrells – Washington, DC
Sorrells is a contemporary painter and printmaker who aims to expand the narrative of African American History by using motifs and imagery mostly found in Western art history. Sorrells creates work that highlights the lack of African-American art in museums and challenges the biased tellings of black history in the States.
Jessica Dunston – Charlotte, North Carolina
Dunston uses her skills in lifestyle and portrait photography to showcase the beauty of brown skin in her own intimate and poetic style. Dunston started her practice in 2020 and has since been featured in multiple group exhibitions in Charlotte, NC, and New York, NY.
Asia Hanon – Atlanta, Georgia
Hanon is a spiritual artist who uses graphite to explore her lineage and ancestry. Hanon is a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina Charlotte, earning a BFA with a concentration in painting in 2023 while participating in numerous group exhibitions along the East Coast and the Upper Mid-West.
DeMarcus McGauhey – Dallas, Texas, and Brooklyn, New York
McGauhey is a mixed-media artist and Texas native who incorporates painting graphic design with paper and fabric collage to capture the beauty and strength of African Americans. The works presented in this exhibition are from “Kindred”, a series of 40 works in which McGauhey explores spirituality, identity, and memory.
Jay McKay – New Orleans, Louisiana
McKay is a self-taught artist and Muralist who explores themes of nostalgia, love, and cultural celebration through the use of vibrant colors. McKay was inspired to make art at a young age through his connection to Mardi Gars and the rich tradition that surrounds it.
Lori Starnes – Columbia, South Carolina
Lori Starnes is a self-taught figurative artist whose work is inspired by her experience as one of the many children whose families relocated as part of the “Great Migration”. Starnes has moved to South Carolina where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in arts studio at the Univerity of South Carolina.
Dammit Wesley – Charlotte, North Carolina
Wesley is a multidisciplinary artist who combines both traditional painting and digital art to immerse the audience in the reality of being a black Southerner. He has been featured in many group exhibitions in the Charlotte area and recently held his debut solo exhibition at the Elder Gallery.
The exhibition has partnered with the Jerald Melberg Gallery to include four prints by collagist Romare Bearden. Bearden depicts the rituals and customs of rural black America, his work helped to illustrate the importance of the Black Southern artists in the history of American art.
The exhibition will be in the lower gallery of Rowe Arts until September 24. There will also be a reception on September 12, where the curator and most of the artists will be in attendance.
Cover Photo: Terron Cooper Sorrells, “Poise” Oil on Panel
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