The Weight on My Shoulders Exhibition
Drinking Gourd Gallery presents THE WEIGHT ON MY SHOULDERS, August 1-August 25, 2024
Drinking Gourd Gallery is proud to partner with Oberlin Regional Library to present The Weight on My Shoulders exhibition in August 2024. Through a series of artwork and photography this group exhibition focuses on the importance of men's mental health in both the civilian and veteran communities. This artistic showcase offers a nuanced exploration of the shared struggles, unique challenges, and resilience found within these diverse populations. From societal expectations and cultural stigmas to personal experiences and coping mechanisms, the exhibition aims to foster understanding, empathy, and dialogue surrounding the complexities of men's mental health. Join us in breaking down barriers, challenging preconceptions, and promoting pathways to accessible care and support. Together, we can build a more inclusive and compassionate society where every individual's mental health is valued.
We are proud to showcase more than 30 works by these talented North Carolina artists:
Jennifer Asciutto, Anthony Barnes, Myles Brown, Foster Bullock, PhD., Hayley Burkhead, Roxanne Fajardo, Jonny Gilroy, Brenda Harris, Sgt. JAK, Darryl Matthews, Kirsten Moore, Marcia Neal, Melvin D. Nix, Barbara A. Outterson, Corliss R. Owen, Shelvy Ramsey, Luanda Sharper, Maria Tavarez, Lillian L. Thompson and Carol Torian
The Weight on My Shoulders art exhibition will be presented at the Oberlin Regional Library, located in the heart of Raleigh's historic Village District at 1930 Clark Avenue.
Drinking Gourd Gallery is proud to be presenting The Weight on My Shoulders art exhibition in partnership with Camilla Y. Black, M.Ed., LCMHC, artist Maria Tavarez of Moonchild LLC, artist Barbara A. Outterson, and the Oberlin Regional Library and the Wake County Public Libraries system.
Additional support provided by Kiki Piper, Aristotle Spirits, Alex Lawrence, The Jim Allen Group, Chef Lucas Albrecht, The Cheese Shop, Darma Marsonia, J. Locke, and R.V. and Marlene Kuser.
ASSOCIATED PROGRAMMING
In conjunction with "The Weight on My Shoulders" exhibition, we are offering the following event that is designed to help reframe the conversation around men’s mental health in the civilian and veteran communities. This event is free and open to the public.
"The Weight on My Shoulders" ARTIST TALK, Tuesday, August 20, 2024, 6:45-8:30 PM.
Join us for an exciting evening of spoken word poetry followed by an insightful Artist Talk. Featuring guest poet Eric Thompson, author of “To the Voices in My Head.” Location: Oberlin Regional Library, 1930 Clark Ave, Raleigh.
About Eric Thompson
Eric "L.B." Thompson (Lyrically Blessed) is a talented writer and lyricist from Wilson, NC. An alum of N.C.A&T and former member of the spoken word group Couture Word, Thompson has been writing for six years. He founded the spoken word group S.B.E (Separate But Equal) and has been a passionate slam poet for five years, drawing inspiration from Buddy Wakefield, Black Ice, Stefan Mekos, Bluz, and Dasan Ahanu.
Thompson's accolades and honors include winning or placing in over 20 poetry slam competitions across the Southeast, winning grand slam champion at Bull City Slam in Durham, NC, and securing a spot on the Bull City Slam team from 2012-14. He also won the Southern Fried Regional Poetry Slam and ranked highly at the National Poetry Slam in Oakland, California. Known as one of the hardest working poets in the South, Thompson coaches the UNC-G collegiate poetry team and hosts workshops for budding poets.
His gripping, edgy, and passionate poetry covers a broad range of subjects from humor and family to race, violence, self-esteem, and loss. In his downtime, Thompson organizes poetry slams and open mics, charming audiences as a witty host. He is currently working on his first CD and chapbook project, "Voices in My Head."
To learn more about Eric Thompson’s work, please visit: https://www.lulu.com/shop/eric-thompson/to-the-voices-in-my-head/paperback/product-wn7mgr.html
MEET THE ARTISTS
We're proud to present more than 30 works by these incredible North Carolina artists: Jennifer Asciutto, Anthony Barnes, Myles Brown, Foster Bullock, PhD., Hayley Burkhead, Roxanne Fajardo, Jonny Gilroy, Brenda Harris, Sgt. JAK, Darryl Matthews, Kirsten Moore, Marcia Neal, Melvin D. Nix, Barbara A. Outterson, Corliss R. Owen, Shelvy Ramsey, Luanda Sharper, Maria Tavarez, Lillian L. Thompson, and Carol Torian.
Jennifer Asciutto: North Carolina-based painter, illustrator, and designer Jennifer Asciutto blends emotional concepts with a cartoonish graphic style in her downtown Raleigh studio. The works feature compelling figures whose expressions often contradict their whimsical surroundings. A self-taught artist and creative branding professional, Jennifer Asciutto’s techniques and projects range from traditional approaches to digital and web design.
Anthony Barnes: My artwork takes a critical view of the African American experience, culture, life and happiness. Often referencing life situations, my work explores the varying relationships between culture and fine art. Having engaged subjects as music and lifestyles, my work reproduces familiar visual and aural signs, arranging them into new conceptually layered installations. While I use a variety of materials and processes in each project my methodology is consistent. Although there may not always be material similarities between the different projects, they are linked by recurring formal concerns and through the subject matter. The subject matter of each body of work determines the materials and the forms of the work. Each project often consists of multiple works, often in a range of different media, grouped around specific themes and meanings. During research and production, new areas of interest arise and lead to the next body of work.
Myles Brown: My name is Myles Brown, and I am a merchandise artist and digital marketing strategist from North Carolina. My art is influenced by eastern mythology and vintage animation. I am the CEO of JUST A CRAZY ILLUSTRATOR LLC. I have art in stores including The Next Chapter Books and Arts and Munjo Munjo. I have also painted murals, including one I did for North Carolina restaurant Yagg Sii Tenn. My work is well-known for its eastern nature inspired art style. I specialize in creating surrealism and abstract designs. My subject matter consists of eastern mythology, nature, astrology, and pop culture respectively.
Foster Bullock, PhD.: Foster Bullock took painting with Beverly McIver at Duke University where ze earned a Ph.D. in art & art history. Ze originally approached painting as a practice of care for the psychological stress of preparing for the doctoral defense. After completing a commission for a restaurant in Durham, ze began to delve into this newfound passion and create abstract oil paintings. Bullock’s work primarily reflects an interest in and study of architecture and its building materials such as bricks and concrete as well as interior design and the texture of surfaces such as wallpaper and fabrics. Painting remains a therapeutic outlet for creative expression and mental health for Bullock who currently resides in Cary, NC where ze serves on the Board of Directors of the Artists’ Alliance of the Triangle. Zir first solo show was held in 2023 at the Garner Performing Arts Center in Garner, NC.
Hayley Burkhead: I’m Hayley and I absolutely love creating art for anyone who wants their day brightened. Mental health is very important right now, as I deal with anxiety and I’m a trauma survivor. I hope to bring hope (hence my business name Hayley’s Hope) to everyone and to tell them not to be ashamed.
Roxanne Fajardo: I am Roxanne, a photographer based in Raleigh, NC. Specializing in portraits, I work closely with Realtors, business owners, and families to capture timeless memories. While my primary focus is on creating lasting images, I also enjoy delving deeper to convey deeper meanings in my work. My portfolio showcases a blend of mental health themes intertwined with elements of horror and darkness.
Jonny Gilroy is a designer and studio artist originating from Western New York. After receiving his BA in art studio from State University of New York at Geneseo he moved to Raleigh, NC. He has been creating art and displaying in galleries throughout the southeast for over 12 years. Painting and sculpture are areas of expertise. He has come to love the cities, outdoors, and rural areas of the southeast. After moving to Kentucky and Virginia for different artistic opportunities, Gilroy has relocated back to North Carolina in 2019, and is currently creating art in Wake Forest, NC. “Art is about expressing a thought or a feeling through spontaneity. I formulate the expression using design elements as a meditation. Through the formation, art is created reminiscent of natural processes.”
Brenda Harris has been interested in art since early childhood. She has always had a love for drawing and often competed with her older brother in drawing art contests from magazines. Brenda originally began studying for an art degree in her first year of college, but decided to change her major to biology. Brenda went on to earn a BS degree in Biology and a BHS degree from the Physician Assistant Program at Duke University. Though she is passionate about medicine, her love of art has remained constant. Brenda is inspired by nature and its bold and bright colors. She enjoys working in acrylic and watercolor. Brenda is known for her very expressive brushwork that captures objects, animals, people and places that we may take for granted or overlook. Her works come to life on canvas and fine art paper, but she also favors weathered Masonite board, irregularly shaped papers, reused paper, wood, fabric, and poster board. Brenda is furthering her study of art by taking online courses. She is also having exhibitions juried locally and nationally. Brenda currently resides in Roxboro, North Carolina where she grew up.
Sgt. JAK: This is Sergeant JAK’s first exhibition.
Corliss R. Owen considers herself to be a visionary folk artist, and she has been painting for more than 60 years. Corliss enjoys experimenting with different mediums and subjects in her artwork. She is a prolific artist whose body of work includes everything from crafting art for school classrooms to creating unique pieces using acrylic paints. Corliss is a North Carolina native and her work can be found in private collections in the United States.
Barbara A. Outterson moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in 1999 from her hometown of Rochester, New York. She has spent her life involved in fine arts, in love with opera and painting from the age of 5. She obtained degrees in Opera Performance, Vocal Pedagogy, and Psychology which has allowed her to enjoy a long career in performance and education.
Barbara primarily works with acrylic paint, occasionally adding a bit of fabric to the composition of her work. She began sketching flowers as a child, transitioned to ink drawings and calligraphy, then began painting in oils and acrylic, finding that acrylic was her true passion, at age 12. For a brief period of her life, she worked the art and craft show circuits under the business name, “Works By Barbara.” In the early 2000s, Barbara began working on slightly larger paintings, trying to sell work online, and mounting a private showing of all of her work in 2009. She sold
the largest painting from that exhibition at a silent auction in downtown Raleigh, in the autumn of 2009.
Barbara revived her passion for art while preparing a retirement painting for a dear friend, in 2022. Since then, she has begun pouring all of her joys and sorrows into her canvases, culminating in the search that brought her to Drinking Gourd Gallery for the 2023 M is for Menopause, Baby! exhibition. She is thrilled to be affiliated with such a dynamic group of artists and optimistic about her future work with the support of her husband and three children.
Darryl Matthews attended the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art in Newark, New Jersey. He became interested in art as a child, and by age 11, he had discovered his passion for creating vibrant artwork. His professional career has spanned over four decades, including work as a storyboard artist, children’s book illustrator, family portrait artist, live event artist, and private art instructor. It was at Third Power Marketing & Development, Inc. that he sharpened his skills as a storyboard artist, producing black and white storyboards which were used in advertising development with PSE&G in Newark. Darryl was also contracted by R. W. Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute in La Jolla, California to create two paintings, which were displayed at that location. The lobby of KUSI-TV in San Diego was also home to one of Darryl’s paintings. In 1998, Darryl had the honor of being admitted to the La Jolla Art Society and received recognition for his “Sports Figures” illustrations. In 2022, Darryl was commissioned by the Buck Leonard Association to create seven original color paintings of baseball legends Martín Dihigo, Lou Gehrig, Hank Greenberg, Buck O’Neil, Tony Perez, Joe Staton and Ben Taylor. These paintings are now on permanent display in the Buck Leonard First Baseman's Hall of Fame located at the Imperial Centre for the Arts & Sciences in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Darryl was among the 79 juried artists selected for the 2023 Raleigh Fine Arts Society NC Artist Exhibition, and his painting titled Thelonious Monk is now on view at the Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh located downtown at 409 W Martin Street.
Marcia Neal: I am the granddaughter of a stonemason and became aware of my artistic talent a few years ago. I am semi-retired and enjoy creating works.
I have three types of work focus: Sculpted art on canvas, Acrylic painting and textured art on canvas. I love nature and bringing art to different levels as I continue to enjoy nature and painting what I feel.
Melvin D. Nix is a self-taught artist, author, and spiritual teacher residing in Charlotte North, Carolina. At an early age, Melvin had a love and passion for art. He would often draw epic comic book panels in the margins of his schoolbooks.
After being inspired by the movie Toy Story, he started teaching himself 3d modeling and animation and eventually pursued a career in motion design.
In 2020, he revisited his desire to paint, picked up a brush, and started painting with acrylic. With each new piece, Melvin’s skills continued to grow allowing him to expand into watercolor and oil painting. His passion is to share spiritual ideas and principles designed to help inspire, educate, and enlighten the human collective.
Kiki Piper is a Canadian-American paper artist, residing in Raleigh, North Carolina. As a graduate from SUNY Potsdam with a BFA in Visual Arts with a concentration in graphic design and sculpture, Kiki has a passion for planet sustainability and uses repurposed materials and discarded items to create her mixed media artwork. Her process of deconstructing the material and giving it new life can be seen in her paintings, sculptures, and even digital artwork. Her unique application often creates "messages" in the composition, adding another depth of spirituality and adventure for the viewer. Kiki Piper is the founder of the company that bears her name.
Luanda Sharper Wiggins is a 48-year-old artist born in Durham NC but raised in a small town you never heard of called Elm City NC. She’s always loved "The Arts" and growing up she was a singer. But as an adult when she started having a family she focused on her children and their talents, and she constantly pushed them to explore and express their creativity and their talents. But one day, she came up with a brilliant idea…to introduce her son to the world of painting! And she went out and bought all this stuff and she was excited. And when she got home and showed it to him and how it all worked, he hated it. So that's how she became an artist. She thought why not teach herself how to do something new, and that's how it all started for her.
Now, she pushes herself to learn and grow to understand and improve in this craft.
Aside from my work, she’s a wife and grandma who enjoys spending time with her family. She meets up with her girls at the farmers market on Saturday mornings for coffee and gossip. She enjoys teaching others what she has learned whether it's through mentoring young talents or contributing to social causes. She believes in using her skills to make a positive impact.
Throughout her journey, she has faced challenges, heartbreak, and setbacks, but she has remained focused on her goals. She believes handwork is the key, and she is determined to continue growing and achieving her goals.
She is excited for what the future holds and can't wait to see where her passion and determination will take her.
Shelvy Ramsey retired from a successful career in the healthcare field and returned to her art practice.
Maria Tavarez is a self-taught abstract expressionist artist pulling influences from Georgia O'Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, and Paul Cézanne. She has attended some workshops with Eric McRay at Raleigh's C-MAC and with Peter Marin from Diamante Cultural Center to improve her technique and skills. She has an MS in Health Administration from Saint Joseph's University and spends her time volunteering with several nonprofit organizations in the Triangle Area. Maria is the Lead Outreach Liaison for Art for All-NC, which focuses on making art accessible to all communities despite means. Maria's artwork focuses on mental health awareness through a variety of works that use cubistic, impressionist, and expressionist styles. Maria's work has been exhibited at Maria V. Howard Art Center’s Juried Art Competition 2023, Art Gallery of Moore County 2023 Fine Arts Festival, VAE Arts Organization Raleigh, Casa Azul of Greensboro Latitudes of Afro Latinx Art 2023, and Diamante Arts and Cultural Center. Maria’s medium of choice is acrylic, spray paint, coarse texture paints and charcoal.
Lillian Thompson: My art advocates for and recognizes achievement of Global Afro Women. Recently, I received recognition in a local Spring Hope Newspaper for a talk at a local gallery in 2024. My art has been in several recent group shows in Raleigh at the downtown Art Space (2023-
2024) and at Dix Chapel for Living in Color’s Black History Month celebration (Feb. 2024). I’ve had several one person shows on first Friday at a downtown Raleigh location to introduce my early art (2018/2019). I participated at Hayti Heritage Center group show on dance in 2019. In 2023 I was in a group show at the Rocky Mount Mills. Upcoming in June are two new pieces one painted and the other photographed for show in nearby town of Garner. Also showing at Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition in Red Hook. In October, I have been invited to participate at the Clayton Visual Arts Center in a three woman show. My journey started in 2017 with pen and ink, crayons, pastels, and colored pencils.
Carol Torian is a writer, gallerist, and contemporary artist, known for her abstract paintings and drawings. She is a self-taught artist whose work is inspired by nature, urban settings, women's issues, and social justice issues. Carol is a graduate of Meredith College, and the founder and owner of Drinking Gourd Gallery.