"I often offer curators, collectors, museums & galleries my "Passion Fruit" Rhythmistic visual art exhibition that recontextualizes the healthy, iconic, life-giving Watermelon. When I say often, this goes way back to the last quarter of the 20th Century. Allow me to shed a little context on this masterful body of visual art.
I founded B.A.G. The Black Arts Guild in 1970 to facilitate us young talented Black artists' evolution from student to career level professionals.
( This was after, as a 16-year-old teenager, I saw the frustration and devastation expressed in Chicago per both the riots following the murder of Dr. King along with the SDS-Hippie infused riots that beset the 1968 Democratic Convention. At that time, I was working as the Grill Chef at Stouffer's super popular, Top of the Rock Restaurant on the 40th floor of the Prudential Building. Both times our Mayor Daley issued shot-to-kill orders along with a Dusk to dawn curfew. So, I had to stay there overnight pondering my life, being an artist and how to make a positive contribution as it appeared our Nation was unraveling. Eureka!! I would start an Art-Gang! B.A.G. was formed two years later. )
An original member, Jim Smoote, set the pace for productivity and was doing some watermelon themed works. "
"We embraced it. IE; The Watermelon became our logo and we generated a bold assortment of visual art based on it. B.A.G lasted 8 years and was decommissioned in 1978. The Elders in the Black Art scene hated our concepts and further art historians would choose to marginalize B.A.G.s impressive footprint and legacy. Sort of like being Black-balled in Black circles for being universally Black."
Most of its members went on to become influential visual artists in Illustration, Art Education, Art Therapy, Publishing, and Arts Management."Place Setting" was leased for a real estate sell. The actual art is still available to experience in exhibitions or to acquire.
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