Artist Yemi Fagbohun has collaborated with Dr. Laura Sherwood and Russ Hodge to present African Americans of Excellence, a multi-media approach to portraiture through video, painting, and photo celebrating prominent African-American figures in Frederick.
Yemi Fagbohun, a local Nigerian-American professional artist who has produced commercial illustrations for hundreds of retailers, Fortune 500 companies, and most notably, Frederick community arts projects.
While the digital art was created by Yemi, photographs were captured by Dr. Laura Sherwood and video produced by Russ Hodge of 3 Roads Communications.
Dr. Laura Sherwood is the founder of the Transformative Arts Project Inc., a nonprofit that amplifies communities’ voices and lived experiences through art and is an arts advocate in her professional and academic studies.
Filmed by Ross Hodge, a preview of the exhibition and interviews with the honorees are below.
Russ Hodge is Founder and President of 3 Roads Communications, best-known for producing successful news-discussion shows including, Fox News Sunday and Off the Record for Fox, Politically Incorrect for Comedy Central, and The McLaughlin Group for CNBC.
[READ: AARCH Hosts Public Art Workshop for Downtown Landmark]
The African American Resources Cultural and Heritage Society (AARCH) helped the artist choose his muses. Honorees include: Rev. Rex Bowens, Tammy Davis, Ruth Dredden, Aje Hill, Jason Lee, Willie Mahon and Derek Shackelford.
“Painting is dead,” is often exclaimed in art schools, since the advent of photography overcame the need for realistic portraiture painting. Yet portraiture painting persists, and is enriched in this exhibit with digital art, photography, and video depictions of a subject.
– African-Americans of Excellence
The African-Americans of Excellence exhibition runs from February 4 – 26, 2023. Today was the opening reception at Gaslight Gallery, 118 E. Church Street in downtown Frederick. Want to meet the artist? Catch Yemi tomorrow, Sunday, February 5th from 2 – 4 P.M.
Photo Credits: AARCH