CAC Celebrates Black History Month

The Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville/ Douglas County (CAC) welcomes a new year with a bright new exhibit filled with diversity. The exhibit “Notes of inclusion” is displayed in honor of Black History Month, as well as to celebrate four talented artists whose variety of styles and backgrounds create a unique ensemble that is sure to awe viewers. The exhibit will be on display from January 10 through February 24, weekdays 9 am – 5 pm. Everyone is invited to the opening reception on Saturday, January 29, from 5-7 pm.

Artists Courtney Brooks, V. Kottavei Williams, James Killings, Jr., and Lawrence Sullivan display a mixture of styles like you’ve never seen. Paintings, textile arts, and mixed media artworks reiterate the theme of diversity. The rich subject matters celebrate differences through patterns, faces, and energy. “Notes of Inclusion” weaves together a theme of music, with motifs of rhythm and dance, instruments and star singers, bold notes of color, and allusions to song. Viewers are sure to dance with the electricity and energy of the artworks in this collection.

James Killings, Jr. is a musician and artist who has combined the two art forms throughout his life, saying “you can’t have one without the other.” He portrays this belief throughout his collection, with both dancing and singing subjects such as in his artwork “The Choir.” Lawrence Sullivan leaves his legacy on the world literally, decorating businesses and homes with giant murals, creating spaces that influence people’s lives in their daily routines. In the exhibit, his work celebrates the legacies left by others, such as his work, “Louis Armstrong & Co.,” as well as others paying homage to great masters of song. V. Kottavei Williams creates textile masterpieces with bold patterns celebrating individuality and mystery throughout all aspects of life. Williams’s quilted masterpieces bury treasures of wisdom and questions of humanity for the viewer to explore, such as in her work, “Pearls Grow from Irritation.” Courtney Brooks uses multiple art forms to make her mark on multiple platforms, such as her fiber art installation on the Atlanta Beltline. Her collection in this month’s exhibit combines colorful abstractions penetrated by bold figurative lines such as in, “I Got Soul,” depicting individual presence and strength, even in a world of chaos.

On the evening of Saturday, January 29, from 5-7 pm, the gallery will be open for an opening reception. In an exhibit full of art that celebrates music, the CAC is excited to present the gift of music to celebrate the art. Michael Turner, universal saxophonist, will play throughout the evening. Turner shares his instrumental gift everywhere he can, and currently tours with the band Ohio Players. He has played with the band for fifteen years, and will have left Biloxi, Mississippi the morning of January 29 to play at the CAC for the Community. The CAC will take the utmost precaution for its guests by strongly encouraging masks and social distancing, limiting numbers, and providing hand sanitizer throughout the gallery.

The Cultural Arts Council Douglasville/ Douglas County, located at 8652 Campbellton Street in historic downtown Douglasville, Georgia, is open Mondays through Fridays, 9 am to 5 pm. For directions or more information, visit www.artsdouglas.org.