HBCU SpringComing presents; “The Overcoming” an inaugural art exhibition by Black artists making it the first of its kind for the event and for the City of Birmingham. Featuring locally and southern-based artists, and majority HBCU graduates, “The Overcoming” is a celebration and showcase of Black creatives and the growing arts and culture community in and around Birmingham.
“The Overcoming” is a series of exhibitions throughout the City of Birmingham featuring: three new murals in the Historic Civil Rights 4th District, Artist in Residence at the Elyton and Kelly hotels, and tours at Birmingham Museum of Art and the Negro Southern League Museum.
Festival attendees are invited to experience the rich arts culture of Birmingham throughout the weekend with self-guided tours throughout the city.
MURAL WALK
In partnership with Urban Impact, three new murals will be unveiled during HBCU SpringComing weekend. Located across 4th and 5th Avenues, and featuring a collective of Black women muralists, each piece was developed as commentary on a forward-looking future and vision for the City of Birmingham and its residents.
The Civil Rights District was selected for the location of the murals for its historic significance in Black culture and Birmingham’s history, as well as to drive creative commerce, reignite the district as a destination for new businesses, and cultivate new cultural narratives.
ARTISTS
Muralist: E L Chisolm
Methods of Art: fine art, designer, activist, creative placemaking
@elcreative.e
E L Chisolm is a fine artist, muralist, designer and art activist based in Atlanta, GA and Birmingham, AL. She uses acrylic paint, tissue paper, decorative paper, twine, and other elements to create textured portraits, to represent the beauty and imperfections of becoming. Her knowledge of beauty and aesthetics helps to inform design decisions in most compositions. E L Chisolm has murals in Atlanta, GA, as well as Birmingham, AL, where she serves as the Creative Placemaking Specialist Fellow for the Historic 4th Avenue Business District and Civil Rights District. Her goal is to help increase public engagement in underserved communities, using tactical urbanism projects and public art to decrease blight. E L Chisolm has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, concentrating in Urban Development and minored in fine art, and is also a Master Cosmetologist.
Mural Inspiration: “The People Can Fly” is inspired by a picture book written by Virginia Hamilton. E L Chisolm challenges the viewer to take flight in spite of the circumstances. Moving forward and upward are the only options that remain & the secret is to believe.
Location: 1522 4th Ave
Muralist: Avery Harden
HBCU: Spellman College
Methods of Art: paint, illustrations, mixed media
@e_art_hmama
Avery Harden, artistically known as Earth Mama (b. 1991, Atlanta, United States) is a painter, illustrator, mixed media artist, and book artist who lives and works in Atlanta, Ga.
“The main subject of my work is bridging the Past, Present and future which is important to me because I feel my art should be able to evolve and stand the test of time. My art-making process consists of fully immersing myself in projects until they are complete. This is important to understand my work because perfection is unattainable but I strive to give my all each time I pick up a paintbrush.”
Mural Inspiration: My inspiration for this mural entitled “Time to be True” focuses on progress and modernity. In such a historic city like Birmingham, I felt it would be important to marry our present and our future. Continuing to carry our past but looking towards our future and accepting everything the world has to offer us. This mural was designed to focus on the energy all people should feel when they know they exist in purpose and on purpose.
Location: 1515 5th Ave
Muralist: Lydia Walker
HBCU: Miles College
@lydiacherie
“My practices are deveoted to highlighting the importance of art education and exposure in our communities. Through artist teaching and working as a community liaison and muralis, my goal is to break through the gatekeepers of the art world and provide their services, tools, and visibility needed to unlock and expand one’s creativity and encourage forward thinking. I have experienced first hand the ways in which art can transform and heal the systemic traumas that plague our communities. The art I create is intentionally placed within public sectors that showcase representative figures and uplifting messages. I extend the impact of my work by providing the opportunity to oothers to partifipate in beuatifying their coommunity spaces.
Mural Inspiration: The inspiration of the mural comes from the nuance that “knowledge is power”. As we continue to align and unfold the truth about our greeatness as people of African descent, it is important that we seek out all the things that this society attmepts to kepe away from us about ourselves. Knowledge is the tool that can build empires; and the absencee of it incubatee ignorance of self and a senese of feeling lost and without pride. This mural depcits the spirit of knoowoeldge and how it is hidden in plain sight, waiting for you to find it.
Location: 1610 4th Ave
Artist in Residence (Elyton and Kelly Hotels) – Leon S. Parker, American visual artist & designer
HBCU: NC A&T State University
Methods of art: large canvas + wall murals + sculpting + texture + wood
@leonparkervision
At age 15 Leon S. Parker was paid to create artistry for his peers and adults. He was commissioned to paint designs on popular denim clothing. At the age of 17, he painted a mural for the seniors of Jacksonville High School inside of their Senior Grounds.
After graduating from NC A&T SU Parker used his talent for art to provide marketing services as a graphic media designer for businesses and entrepreneurs. He created graphic images for almost 15 years and decided to transition into his true passion of creating his own art.
As a visual artist, Parker is known for his oversized canvas pieces with distinct shape designs. Sculptures are often added to some of the canvases or sometimes they stand alone as life-size models. Large-scale murals can be found on the sides of city buildings or inside local businesses’ walls. The artistry also consists of interior wall decor, fashion items, and exhibition showings that keep Parker very busy and in demand.
View Parker’s works throughout HBCU SpringComing weekend May 27-29 at the Elyton and Kelly Hotels.
