Sacramento art looks to the future, honors the past this Black History Month

Valerie Birkhoff’s clay sculptures will be exhibited alongside dozens of other pieces celebrating Black History Month at the Ri-Nu Imagination studio and gallery in Sacramento. (Photo Courtesy of Ri-Nu Imagination)

By Marie-Elena Schembri

Exhibitions and events showcasing scores of local artists will take over Sacramento this February, with diverse shows celebrating Black culture, community, lives and creative contributions this Black History Month.

Black History Month

The official theme for this year’s month-long celebration of the many contributions by Black people focuses on Black labor, and these Sacramento artists are putting their own work on display to pay tribute to Black artists, culture and history.

When artist Noelle Tavares shared the words, “Sacramento, we’re going black to the future,” on her social media, the tongue-in-cheek reference to the classic 1985 sci-fi film wasn’t accidental. Growing up in the 1980s and ’90s watching futuristic cartoons and films, Tavares noticed something was missing.

“When you look at shows and when you look at those different realms of entertainment, to be honest, you don’t see anybody Black,” Tavares said. Thinking about this discrepancy led Tavares to explore the idea of what happens when you reimagine a world where Black people aren’t left out of the picture.

“So it’s like what happens if you take this and flip it? And it’s like, what would be in the world if the Jetsons were Black?” Tavares posed this question to another artist, and the idea for “Astral Noir: An Artist Dive Into Afrofuturism” was born.

This exhibition is all about art that looks to a bright Black future, not just honoring the past. Tavares, a fiber artist who also dabbles in other media, is stepping into the role of curator for the first time with this show, which opens Feb. 8 at The House of Common Good (formerly Lab 7), a co-working space on Del Paso Boulevard.

This month-long exhibit features artists of color working in a range of mediums including fashion, photography, painting, illustration, sculpture, digital and multi-media. Tavares’ paintings will be exhibited alongside the work of emerging and established artists including Abayomi Brownfield, Sara Scott, Kayla Common, Shawntay Gorman and the artists known as Izayjah and MattyBwiththeHeat.

“Astral Noir: An Artistic Dive Into Afrofuturism” curator Noelle Tavares’ paintings reimagine the classic cartoon “The Jetsons” with Black characters. (Photo Courtesy of Noelle Tavares)

Afrofuturism manifests through diverse concepts and forms in the show, from Tavares’ paintings that reimagine “The Jetsons” with Black characters to artist Izayjah’s surreal ink-on-wood drawings where emotive figures emerge from the natural characteristics of a wood slab, incorporating knots and color variations into the design. While each artist has an individual approach to the theme, they all share a common thread of capturing the Black experience in futuristic settings.

“You’re not going to see the same thing with all the artists that are participating in this,” Tavares said. “It’s going to be so many different realms and visions that they’re going to be giving to us at the show. … A lot of people are not going to be doing artwork on canvases and stuff of that manner.”  

“Astral Noir” will have an opening reception during Second Saturday from 6-9 p.m., and will be on view all month long. Check out recent press for the event and preview some of the art on Studio40 and Good Day Sacramento.

Ri-Nu Imagination’s art studio and gallery in Sacramento is hosting three simultaneous exhibitions in the 3,800 square foot space on Lincoln Village Drive, which opened to the public in September. The nonprofit focuses on providing opportunities for artists in sobriety as well as those “who wouldn’t normally be seen” in traditional art spaces, according to Executive Director Anu Aaltonen-Bond.

Four local women of color — Yannah Evans, Elizabeth Hall, Marleece Peart and Heather Moore — will exhibit their artwork in “Echoes of Her: Celebrating Women of Color in Art.” Multi-media artist Valerie Messervy Birkhoff will also have a solo show of her signature clay sculptures, and artist Ron Hall will exhibit his pop-art style paintings, including several portraits of people of color. All three shows, exhibiting around 60 works in total, open with a reception on Friday, Feb. 7 from 5-7 p.m. and can be viewed during studio hours through March 1.

Shawntay Gorman, Sara Scott and Elizabeth Hall will also join artists Delgreta Brown, Jordan Robinson and others for the West Sacramento Community Center’s annual Black History Month Art Show. The exhibit runs Monday, Feb. 3 through Friday, Feb. 28, with a reception on Thursday, Feb. 13 from 6-8 p.m. 

After getting your fill of Sacramento’s art scene, head over to The Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg for its annual Black History Month Art Show on Feb. 16.

Dubbed “the fastest-growing Black History Month event in Northern California” by event organizers, this all-day, family-friendly event features a market of  artists, crafters and other vendors plus live music, wine and food — all in celebration of Black contributions to art. A kids corner and face painting will keep the kids entertained while adults enjoy wine tastings from The Old Sugar Mill’s 14 wineries and peruse local art. Online registration is encouraged.

Celebrating Black Film

The Black Cinema Film Series at The Guild Theater in Sacramento celebrates Black History Month with a series of modern films that highlight “pivotal moments, extraordinary individuals and compelling narratives within Black culture and history.” The lineup includes “The Six Triple Eight,” a Tyler Perry film documenting the inspiring story of the all-Black, all-female 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion during World War II; “Passing,” a literary adaptation exploring the friendship and lives of two Black women in 1920s New York; and “The Burial,” a legal drama based on a true story featuring Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones.

The three-week film series offers a unique opportunity to celebrate Black history while paying tribute to the lives, stories and creative contributions of Black voices in cinema. The films will be screened at 6 p.m. over three Tuesdays in February, with “The Six Triple Eight” on Feb. 4, “Passing” on Feb. 18, and “The Burial” on Feb. 25.

This story was funded by the City of Sacramento’s Arts and Creative Economy Journalism Grant to Solving Sacramento. Following our journalism code of ethics and protocols, the city had no editorial influence over this story and no city official reviewed this story before it was published. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, Capital Public Radio, Outword, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review, Sacramento Observer and Univision 19. Sign up for our “Sac Art Pulse” newsletter here.

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