Richmond Cultural Centre features Black History Month exhibition

03 February 2022

The City of Richmond and Richmond Black History Month are joining the nation in February to recognize and celebrate the legacy of Black Canadians and their contributions to Canada’s history and culture. This month, visitors are invited to the Richmond Cultural Centre, Upper Rotunda Gallery to view Black Artists and Creators in our Community, an exhibition featuring artworks by Sade Alexis and Joella Daniela.

Safe Home Sarah, an installation by Sade Alexis, features protective beadwork and depictions of flora and fauna from the African homeland of Sarah Baartman a Khoekhoe woman famously exhibited as a carnival attraction in 19th-century Europe. Baartman’s portrait is surrounded by what Alexis refers to as “Ancestral Protectors” in the form powerful Black women whom Alexis considers as ancestors as she encourages viewers to hold space with them. Learn more at sadealexis.com.

A series of digital illustrations, by Joella Daniela, celebrate Black love, Black pride, Black role models and Black vulnerability, while considering that Blackness is not always seen from the outside. More at seveneyedesigns.com/gallery.

Richmond Black History Month was initiated by Mary Wilson in 2016 to acknowledge and celebrate the vast contributions that people of African descent have made to Canada. Art continues to play an integral part of these contributions.

An Artist talk will be presented by the Richmond Art Gallery Association at 7:00 pm on Thursday, February 24 in the Richmond Cultural Centre Performance Hall. All provincial health orders requirements and City of Richmond COVID-19 safety protocols will be in place including facemasks, proof of vaccination and limited seating to ensure physical distancing. For more information, contact culture@richmond.ca or call 604-247-8329.

This exhibition runs for the month of February, closing Monday, February 28, 2022. The Richmond Cultural Centre Upper Rotunda Gallery is open from 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 pm. Saturday and Sunday.