Beautiful Sunny day,... but still Winter in America,... very chilly day,... young blood spilt on college campus…
I made it to the Black Fine Art Show at the Puck Building downtown Manhattan last night 30 minutes before it closed. I ran through the first part of the show real quick. The Art work was beautifully hug. The crowd looked like a serious buying crowd even though it was a very thin crowd, it apeared people were consulting with the dealers and buying ART (I saw art being wrapped up and carried out the door).
My friend Diane had told me that the director of HEARNE FINE ART GALLERY, Garbo Hearne from Little Rock, Arkansas wanted to meet me. I introduced myself to Ms Hearne and we had a very exciting New York–half-a-Minute-Meeting with her and Dealer Yolanda. Really wonderful and warm folks. Our meeting is still open, we exchanged info.
While at this years Fine Art Show, I did not see the “Heavy-Hittin” Art Work like works by the strong & brilliant artist Hank Aaron… Oop’s, excuse me,… I mean Hank Willis Thomas. This artist pounds out classic icons each and every heart felt time he swings. Check out and read about his Fine Works of Art on his website.
http://hankwillisthomas.com/splash.html
His Spell-Breaking, clean & precise images gets “all-up-in” (y)our face, in (y)our mind, in (y)our spirits, in (y)our past & present, in (y)our pockets & purses and into Corporate Business. He really knows how to “Call-it” as he see’s it,... You got a real Fine Eye Brother-Man!!.
His work brings to mind one night I accompanied a friend to Harlems, St. Luke Hospital Emergency Room. We had to stay in the emergency room through the night, I will never forget the activity that was going on in the early morning of the ER.
Around 3:00am, a multitude of New York City Police Officers rushed into the hospital, escorting 3 gurney’s with African-American Male Youths, unconscious and handcuffed to the side poles of each gurney,
I had my digital camera with me and I was trying to find the right time to capture a photograph, if I was seen taking photographs I would have been put out of the ER, I was unable to find that moment. But, I will never forget the impact of that too common scene as the gurney’s were rolled closer to where my friend and I were waiting, the MULTITUDE of POLICE OFFICERS, the HANDCUFFED, UNCONSCIOUS AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALE YOUTH’S and the NIKE SNEAKERS.
“THIS IS MADNESS”
The Last Poets
In one word, this lean, mean, art making machine Hank Willis Thomas is "SLAMMIN" and should be a household name. (ok, that's more than one word, but,... can you blame?... I got over taken by the art work,... This work is right-on-the-Money!!... Ok,... I'm going to stop now.)
