Herbert Gentry and Friends

Opening July 18 - August 30, 2008

Herbert Gentry and Friends

Parish Gallery is pleased to present the exhibition entitled “Herbert Gentry and Friends”. This exhibition will open with a reception from 6:00–8:00 PM on Friday, July 18th and will run through August 30, 2008.

Herbert Gentry (1919-2003) arrived in Paris, France (courtesy of the GI Bill) in 1946 to study art; he remained because the climate provided him with the freedom to find himself as an artist in the world. Paris gave American artists of African descent who ventured to Paris in the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s such as Ed Clark, Bill Hutson, Larry Potter, Lois Mailou Jones, and Beauford Delaney – a place to just “be.” As Gentry stated “I paint what I experience, who I am, in the Black world, especially in America, there’s a thing that you can’t forget where you came from, you paint from your experiences and who you are.”

Gentry’s friendships illuminate his movement through the world; they were part of his rich experiences in Paris, Copenhagen, Stockholm and New York. His artist friends share his openness to other ways, which their thematic explorations reflect. Travel, migration and mobility are sheer inspiration. Ed Clark, records in his broad stokes the relation between place and expression, Vincent Smith’s narrative prints of his travels south of the Sahara document a deeper search, Rachelle Puryear evokes in her representations of nature a texture of timeless endurance, while for Richard Mayhew’s landscape is a spiritual world and Romare Bearden mines the terrain of history and memory.

This exhibition “Herbert Gentry and Friends” includes artists: Hamed Abdalla, Skunder Boghossian, Romare Bearden, Nanette Carter, Ed Clark, Beauford Delaney, Robin Holder, Bill Hutson, Lois Mailou Jones, Wifredo Lam, Richard Mayhew, Sam Middleton, Toni Parks, Vicente Pimentel, Larry Potter, Rachelle Puryear, Mary Anne Rose, Merton Simpson, Vincent D. Smith, and Walter Williams.

East of the River Creative Minds

Exhibit Showcases East of the River Creative Minds

Anacostia's gallery for contemporary art, Honfleur Gallery, celebrates its Second Annual East of the River Exhibition, opening 7pm on August 9th 2008. Site specific installation, photography, painting, mixed media sculpture, collage, prints, drawings, written & spoken-word and functional craft demonstrate the broad range of the works in the show. Exhibitors range from emerging to seasoned professional artists.

The collection depicts both a look through the artist's lens at this region, and expressions emanating from experiences living in Anacostia. Vibrant hues and energetic abstractions from painters Wesley Clark, Lance Wiggs and Stephen Terrell reflect an upbeat and positive vibe. More somber topics and probing issues, such as youth violence, racism, and gender issues are explored by Howard Fleming, Amber Robles Gordon and Gilbert Trent. Other artists reference the dichotomy of African heritage and modern American culture, reflected in digital images by Bruce McNeil, mixed media collage by Beatrice Martin, sculpture by Anne Bouie and pencil drawings by Malik Lloyd. Dominic Bracco seeks to uncover the day to day lives of youth in the area in a collection of documentary photographs. The artwork in East of the River exposes a fascinating, insightful cross section of thoughts, feelings and concerns.

Artists in East of the River include: Randall C. Holloway, Stephen James Terrell, Kerry Richardson, Kamala Subramanian, Douglas Eatmon, Martha Jackson Jarvis, Matthew Mann, Dominic Bracco, Sherry Ways, Anne Bouie, Marcia Greene, Fred Joiner, Malik Lloyd, Bruce McNeil, Lance Wiggs, Wesley Clark, Brian Martin, Kerry Richardson, Amber Robles-Gordon, Beatrice Martin, Craig Vaughn, Howard Fleming, and Gilbert Trent. The exhibit was juried by Carl Cole (Ward 8 Commissioner, DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities), Kim Ward (Director, Washington Project for the Arts), Juanita Britton (Anacostia Art Gallery), Andrea Hope (ARCH) and Briony Evans (Honfleur Gallery). This exhibition was made possible through the generosity and support of the Morris and Gwendolyn Caftritz Foundation.

Located at 1241 Good Hope Rd. SE, Honfleur Gallery is just minutes from downtown Washington DC, and within walking distance of the Anacostia metro (green line) and the Anacostia waterfront. The East of the River opening reception is on August 9th at 7pm. The exhibition is on view from August 12^th to September 19th, Tuesday through Friday from 12-5 pm and Saturday 11-5pm. ###

The Art of Hebret Gentry and His Contemporaries

Millennium Arts Salon opens its 2008-2009 season with A Conversation with Mary Anne Rose about “Gentry and Friends”, Saturday, September 13, 6-8pm at Millennium Arts Salon, 1213 Girard St NW, Washington, DC.

Millennium Arts Salon’s series, It’s All About Art, continues, this year with the theme “Between East and West”, referring not only to the east and west borders of the continental US, but extending further east and west to Europe and Asia. As in the past, It’s All About Art will encompass a focus on visual and performing arts and arts and letters.

MAS is pleased to kick off its new season with this exciting and important salon. Herbert Gentry’s influence as an artist crosses many borders. Gentry was born and raised in Harlem, NY, where he became grounded in the rich cultural influences of the Harlem Renaissance. He enriched his artistic prowess through his explorations in Paris, Copenhagen, and Stockholm, settling during the 2^nd half of his life to a dual habitation in New York City and Malmo, Sweden. As Parish Gallery noted, “Gentry’s friendships illuminate his movement through the world; they were part of his rich experiences.” Enjoy this magnificent exhibit of Gentry’s work surrounded by his friends, many giants in the contemporary art world (Romare Bearden, Ed Clark, Beauford Delaney, Bill Hutson, Lois Mailou Jones, Richard Mayhew, Sam Middleton, Rachelle Puryear, and Vincent Smith, to name a few) at Parish Gallery extended through September 13. Then join us at Millennium Arts Salon the evening of September 13 for an intimate conversation with artist Mary Anne Rose, Gentry’s wife and confidant for over 25 years. Mary Anne’s salon will include slides of some of the works on view in the Parish exhibition as well as a book signing of the newly released Herbert Gentry: the Man, the Master, the Magic, published by G. R. N’Namdi Gallery.

This event is FREE and open to the public.

This event is jointly sponsored by Millennium Arts Salon and Parish Gallery