She's Making HerStory: Jessica Hopkins

Washingtonian native Jessica M. Hopkins began drawing at the early age of four. By her being the fourth of nine children she quickly learned that communication is not limited to talking. She was recently diagnosed with Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Cancer, and found her role to recovery through a motivational force. Jessica’s honors include a commissioned to create 15 48x48 canvases, for UDC, and illustrating for a medical book titled “Neonatal and Pediatric Respiratory Handbook” by El Gloria Harrison in 2009. Now she is currently a MFA candidate at Howard University.

       Jessica Hopkins is an expressionistic portrait painter, examining the role of identity and emotion through her subjects. Color is the motivating force behind her paintings,serving as a veil that covers the subject’s insecurities and guise. All of her portraits serve as self-portraits, which represents the faces of others to reflect her most inner being. Hopkins draws and paints from a diverse range of influences, from the Washington Color School to the melodic patterns of Africobra in order to evocatively explore the complex ambiguities and uncertainty of life.

She's Making HerStory: Kendra Chatmon

"The Offering"

Kendra Chatmon is a Native Washingtonian. She schooled on both the east and west coast.  She has worked in Northern California, producing educational television documentaries for an Oakland station, while also working on a collection of poetry/essays which she published in the early 1990’s.

 In the 90’s, she started her own art business, Ohma Creations.  She produced and sold original hand painted earthenware.  Her work has been exhibited in the Smithsonian Museum of American History and celebrities such as Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey and Denzel Washington have pieces of her work. 

Kendra traveled to Nigeria in 1996, with the goal of studying the local art while continuing her own educational pursuits.  She lived there from  2003 with her small son, whom she home schooled.   She found the people very receptive to her talents.  She worked in radio while there, producing thirty plus programs on topics ranging from women empowerment to children’s stories.  She also taught drawing/painting and creative writing in the local private schools.  Several murals were produced in Port Harcourt, Nigeria by her students.  Her interactions with the local tribal leaders and elders helped her compile research for an original illustrated children’s book, based on her African experiences.

Kendra is the mother of four children.  She has three grown daughters.  Her only son, who shared her African adventure graduated from the Duke Ellington School for the Arts and now attends college.  Kendra now lives in Ward 7 and teaches art at a private Christian school in Upper Marlboro.

She's Making HerStory: Erika Morrison

"Rendezvous"

Erika Morrison was born in Houston Texas, and has lived in Venezuela, Spain and Holland.

She is entirely self taught and has been painting for many years in a style which she considers unique.

An abstractionist artist.

Her paintings represent a desire for beauty in an increasingly harsh and unnaturally modern world,

where the emphasis is all too often loud and aggressive.

Having no desire to emulate this,

she uses elements of nature and architecture as a foundation 

along with expressions of color to create her own universe.

She is currently living and painting 

in the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina.

A form of creative hibernation in splendid isolation.

She's Making HerStory: Bonnie MacAllister

"DIY USA"

Bonnie MacAllister renders moments in multimedia: documentary

photography, abstract paintings, film, and performance. 

Her films have been featured on ClassWarKaraoke.com (UK), and her writing has been published by Paper Tiger Media (Brisbane), nth Position (UK), Grasp(Czech Republic), and Dead Drunk Dublin (Ireland). Recent

stagings of her plays were at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, the

Shubin Theatre, and the Adrienne Theatre. She has performed at NYFA

and the Cat Cat Club in Paris. She has recently shown her visual

artwork at the Delaware Art Museum, Galeria 6 (Mexico), the Center for

Green Urbanism (DC), University of Pennsylvania, Montclair State

University (NJ), and Florissant Valley Art Gallery in St. Louis, MO.

She recently exhibited as part of Look! on Lancaster Avenue as part of

“Women of Lancaster Avenue.” She studied under Jacques Derrida, Helene

Cixous, and Agnes Varda. She is a Fulbright‐Hays recipient to Ethiopia

and a Pushcart Prize nominee.

Artist statement

Often pieces are multi-genre, fusing painting, photography, slide

installations, spoken word, video, and performance. In photographic

stills, she mimics the lighting of times past, slips shutter speeds,

and she often animates using stop action techniques culled from 35 mm

and Holga images. She is drawn to pageantry, burlesque, and motion

portraiture. She will take multiple images of an act and piece it back

together in a deconstructed film, a slide series, or gif painting. Her

documentary photographic work depicts the Coptic imagery and the women

and children whom she visited in eight cities of Ethiopia in 2009.

She's Making HerStory: Akua Walker

"The Pianist"

Born and raised in Washington, DC, Akua Walker has continuously been exposed to the world of arts which early on developed and shaped her painting skills all. The native Washingtonian’s inspiration comes from life’s everyday experiences and challenges. The people that she encounters daily are her motivation to create art. She uses whatever emotion that is generated from balancing work, life, family, and relationships and in turn, pours that energy onto the canvas. 


Many times you can find this Artist simply sitting down listening to music while meditating and with the stroke of a brush, she will start creating. She believes those images come from God or some higher power. Although Walker has never had formal training, her creations have evolved and she continues to hone her craft. For this Artist, to live is to create.

Akua’s work has been showcased at “Taste of Kings” Art and Poetry Showcase, the “Jazz Brunch” and Art Exhibition at Howard University, the 2009 Artomatic showcase, and three of her own successful art showcases with the most recent being December 3^rd, 2011 at Jin Lounge DC. She was a featured artist on the Graylivin.com blog for the month of December 2011 as well as a featured guest on the “Jazz Collector’s” show on WPFW 89.3 FM on November 29, 2011.  Whether it is counseling, dancing, music or art, she puts her heart into all that she touches.

Making HerStory7: Call for Art

Call for Art:

“Making HerStory 7: journey of creative spirits”

Washington, DC

The Making HerStory Art Series, in conjunction with The Center for Green Urbanism (Washington, DC), seeks submissions for “Making HerStory 7: journey of creative spirits.”

Making HerStory celebrates the vast and diverse forms of creativity offered by women artists. This year’s focus celebrates the journey women artist travel in their quest to explore their inner creativity.  HerStory 7 continues to encourage collaboration, growth, and sustainability among women artist.  2011 marked the beginning of a new decade which we coined  “the era of our dreams.”  As we carry on through this new era in 2012, we continue to travel the journey of creative spirits.  In the spirit of collaboration, the Making HerStory series is proud to come together again with the Center for Green Urbanism in co-curating this exhibit.

We are seeking submissions of two-dimensional original artwork in any medium that embodies the artist’s reflection on the theme, “journey of creative spirits.” All artwork should be no larger than 30″W x 30″H in size and must be properly wired and ready to hang.  Larger works may be considered on a case by case basis. No saw-toothed hangers or hooks will be accepted.  Unframed works should be properly wired and have neatly finished edges.  In addition, there is limited space for small sculptured media. 

Exhibition Dates

Exhibition dates are March 1 – 31, 2012. The Grand Opening Reception is scheduled for Friday, March 2, 2012, at the Center for Green Urbanism, Tubman-Mahan Gallery.

    

Entry Details

Interested participants shall submit an expression of interest of up to three (3) JPEGs (a resolution of at least 300 dpi prefered) of artwork you propose to include in Making HerStory to herstory@thickart.com.

Deadline

Expressions of interest must be received by February 13, 2012 to be considered.  However, early entry is encouraged. 

Notification

Artists selected to exhibit will be notified no later than February 19, 2012; however, notification may be provided on a rolling basis from the issuance of this call.  There will be a $25 hanging fee for selected artists to reserve their place. Installation is scheduled for February 25 & 26, 2012.  Instructions for delivery of work shall be included in notification.

Artwork is to be for sale at prices established by the artist. Artist will retain 70 percent of all sales.

For Additional Information:

Contact Michelle d. Parrish at mik@thickart.com.