African Americans of Excellence

Exhibition Runs: Feb. 4 – 26, 2023

Opening Reception: Saturday, Feb. 4, 1-6pm

Artist Talk: Sunday, Feb. 5, 2-4pm

Multi-media portraiture of prominent Frederick MD citizens, portrayed in digital art by Yemi Fagbohun, photographs by Dr. Laura Sherwood and video by Russ Hodge of 3 Roads Communications.

African Americans of Excellence by Yemi Fagbohun

African Americans of Excellence: The African American Resources Cultural and Heritage Society (AARCH) worked closely with Yemi Fagbohun to select the honorees featured in this premiere annual exhibit. Honorees include: Rev. Rex Bowens, Tammy Davis, Ruth Dredden, Aje Hill, Jason Lee, Willie Mahon and Derek Shackelford.

“Painting is dead,” is often exclaimed in art schools, since the advent of photography overcame the need for realistic portraiture painting. Yet portraiture painting persists, and is enriched in this exhibit with digital art, photography, and video depictions of a subject.

I Believe in Me Inc. Founder and Executive Director, Aje Hill is one of the honorees featured in this exhibit. Yemi collaborated with Frederick Lifestyle magazine to create a custom cover (shown above) for the February 2023 "Love Local" edition. This illustration will be available for purchase in a variety of forms. A portion of sales of these limited edition prints by Yemi will be donated to I Believe in Me Inc.

Photo by Dr. Laura Sherwood

Digital Painting by Yemi Fagbohun

Video by Russ Hodge

Born in Nigeria, Yemi Fagbohun studied art and worked successfully as a professional artist in New York City before relocating to Frederick, MD. Yemi has produced commercial illustrations for hundreds of retailers and Fortune 500 companies. Well-known in Frederick for his community-centered art projects, he has collaborated with Dr. Laura Sherwood and Russ Hodge to present this multi-media approach to portraiture, celebrating prominent African-American citizens of Frederick, MD.

Dr. Laura Sherwood is the founder of the Transformative Arts Project Inc. A nonprofit that amplifies communities' voices and lived experiences through Art. In 2018 she moved to Maryland to finish her doctorate degree. Her dissertation "Why Art Matters: Dismantling Dominant Narrative Through Art and Digital Feminist Activism," focused on female activists using visual art to impact gender equality in India. Currently, she facilitates programs through the nonprofit that help seniors access technology and learn the power of community storytelling using photography and video.

Russ Hodge is Founder and President of 3 Roads Communications. He served in a Senior SES capacity as Director of Television at Voice of America, an international news broadcasting organization that supports US public diplomacy. He is best-known for launching and producing some of television’s most innovative and successful news-discussion shows including, Fox News Sunday and Off the Record for Fox, Politically Incorrect for Comedy Central, and The McLaughlin Group for CNBC.

www.YemiArt.com

www.3Roads.com

www.TransformativeArtsProject.org

www.CityLifestyle.com/Frederick