The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) will open its 2020-21 season with an exhibition featuring artists from the Gulf South. Make America What America Must Become will open on September 18, 2020 and will run through January 24, 2021.
Thirty-five artists representing Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and the indigenous area of Bulbancha will have their works featured in the exhibit. Each of the featured works explores “how power in America is manifested in culture, politics, economics and ecology,” says a press release. The exhibit and its title draws inspiration from a letter James Baldwin wrote to his nephew on the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclomation. In it, he wrote “Great men have done great things here, and will again, and we can make America what America must become.”
George Scheer, Co-Curator and CAC Executive Director, said in a statement, “The work in this exhibition speaks urgently to the current political paradigm and reflects broadly on the conjuring and churning of the American condition. This is the art of our time, and the depth and abundance of submissions reveal the strength of artistic voices throughout the region. As our institution and others face a once in a lifetime challenge, the CAC reaffirms its commitment to being a touchstone for Contemporary Art in the Gulf South and an asset to its artists.”
Included in the exhibit is a work by world-renowned muralist and New Orleans native Brandan “Bmike” Odums, who was featured on the November 2019 cover of OffBeat. The full artist roster is:
Langston Allston (LA)
Javier Barrera (FL)
Jacksun Bein (LA)
Lauren Cardenas (MS)
Veronica Ceci (TX)
Artist Collaboration (LA): Savannah Levin, Lacy Levin, Nelle Edge, Caitlin, Natalia Roa, Elias Serhan, Antonia Zennaro
Kjelshus Collins (LA)
Veronica Cross (LA)
Luis Cruz Azaceta (LA)
Jeffery Darensbourg (Bulbancha)
Stephen Paul Day (LA)
Su Ecenia (FL)
AnnieLaurie Erickson (LA)
Adam Farcus (TX)
André Fuqua (TX)
Coulter Fussell (MS)
Dustin Harewood (FL)
Sarah Hill (LA)
Ariel “Rene” Jackson (TX)
C E Johnson (AL)
Darryl Lauster (TX)
Krystle Lemonias (FL)
Fernando Lopez (Bulbancha)
Gabriel Martinez (TX)
Lionel Milton (LA)
Yue Nakayama (TX)
Derrick Woods-Morrow (IL)
Ozone 504 (Bulbancha)
Brandan “Bmike” Odums (LA)
Edison Peñafiel (FL)
Dan Rule (LA)
Dalila Sanabria (FL)
Caroline Sinders (LA)
Rosalie Smith (LA)
Gabrielle Garcia Steib (LA)
Kristine Thompson (LA)
Monique Verdin (LA)
The opening weekend of the exhibit will feature free events including a CAC Members-Only preview, a Grand Opening Celebration for the general public and even the CAC’s first-ever Virtual Opening Celebration on Facebook Live. Additionally, the exhibit will be available as a virtual presentation with online programs throughout the show’s full run. Those interested in seeing the exhibit in person can rest assured that the CAC is adhering to safety guidelines, including limited capacity.
For more information, including how to reserve an advance ticket to Make America What America Must Become, click here.
