Exhibits

“Chromatic Expressions” by Megan Lewis: A Celebration of Vibrant Diversity at the Community Folk Art Center

On View from March 25th – May 4th 2024

Chromatic Expressions Exhibition at The Community Folk Art Center, Painting of Person in Yellow Hat, CFAC Logo

The Community Folk Art Center is thrilled to announce the opening of “Chromatic Expressions,” a captivating art exhibition by the esteemed artist Megan Lewis. The exhibition will be on view from March 25, 2024, to May 4, 2024, inviting art enthusiasts to immerse themselves in Lewis’s vivid world of figurative painting and muralism. Lewis will also have an artist talk on April 17, 2024, at 6:00 PM at the Community Folk Art Center where she will delve into her creative process, inspirations, and the themes explored in “Chromatic Expressions.”

About the Artist: Born in 1989 in Baltimore, MD, Megan Lewis is an accomplished artist who graduated with a BFA in Illustration from the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. Her artistic journey has been marked by a commitment to celebrating the beauty, resilience, and complexity of the Black experience. Lewis’s work as a figurative painter is characterized by her masterful use of the palette knife, infusing her creations with bold colors, geometric patterns, and intricate textiles. Through her fantastical subjects, Lewis invites viewers to contemplate the thoughts and emotions of her characters, each embodying a unique narrative shaped by chance encounters and the artist’s boundless imagination. Embedded within Lewis’s layered canvases are profound conversations on the social and historical portrayals of the Black body. In her statement, Lewis shares her journey of self-discovery and artistic expression, rooted in her experiences, memories, and aspirations.

The Community Folk Art Center is honored to host “Chromatic Expressions,” a testament to Megan Lewis’s extraordinary talent and unwavering commitment to artistic innovation and social justice, says executive director and curator Tanisha Jackson. As a beacon of cultural and artistic pluralism, CFAC is dedicated to promoting the work of artists of the African Diaspora and fostering dialogue, understanding, and appreciation within our community and beyond. Join us in celebrating the opening of “Chromatic Expressions” and experiencing the transformative power of Megan Lewis’s art. The exhibition promises to be a journey of discovery, inspiration, and celebration of the rich tapestry of human experience.

“Unveiled Echoes” by Jalen Law- History Brought to life through Augmented Reality

 

Community Folk Art Center Presents : “Unveiled Echoes” by Jalen A. Law

On view from January 22nd, 2024 – March 16th 2024

“Unveiled Echoes” offers an immersive journey that transcends time, seamlessly blending history, culture, and art into a mesmerizing tapestry. This visionary exhibition harmonizes traditional art, digital innovation, and augmented reality (AR) to resurrect the forgotten narratives of Buffalo and the Erie Canal. Comprising 22 artworks in total, each piece is a meticulously reconstructed portrait providing social, cultural, and political context of this time period.

About The Artist 

Jalen has been an artist since the age of four. He’s always been interested in different forms of creation, including painting, drawing, and sculpting. In his sophomore year of college, he decided to create his own business around his artistic talent. Since, his path has expanded into many different directions, in particular with creating murals. His first mural was a City of Buffalo initiative to honor essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic — the piece was a 5’X10’ aluminum panel honoring doctors and nurses. Then, the Niagara Falls Heritage Center approached him about creating a portrait for their Niagara Falls Murals initiative, leading him to create his Calvin “Pop” Porter mural. Common themes in Jalen’s work include utilizing technology and digital arts, including audio and video stimulation, to allow all types of people to engage with his pieces. Currently, he is working on a research-based art program called the Emotional Intelligence Program to equip students with social and emotional tools that will assist them inside and outside of the classroom.

 

“A Love Supreme: Black Cultural Expression and Political Activism of the 1960s and 1970s” Traveling Exhibit

 

Visit the Community Folk Arts Center to explore Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center’s (SCRC) traveling exhibition of “A Love Supreme: Black Cultural Expression and Political Activism of the 1960s and 1970s.”

On View: September 11, 2023 – December 15, 2023 EDT

This exhibition was previously on display at SCRC from January through August 2023. A Love Supreme reimagines the Black Power and the Black Arts Movements by intentionally unmuting a multitude of Black writers, leaders and artists from SCRC’s manuscript and archival collections as well as the rare book and printed materials collection.

 

Exhbition: Active Repair: Works from the Social Justice Sewing Academy

 

The Community Folk Art Center will host an exhibition of group and individual quilts from the Social Justice Sewing Academy, a non-profit organization that empowers individuals to utilize textile art for personal transformation, community cohesion, and begin the journey toward becoming an agent of social change.

This event is organized by the School of Information Studies and supported by the Humanities Center’s Syracuse Symposium on “Repair”.

Exhibition on View: December 12, 2022 – February 17, 2023 ; Monday – Friday 10am – 7pm and Saturday 11am – 3pm

 

 

 

 

 

VIRTUAL – 48th Annual Teenage Competitive Art Exhibition

Artist: Various

Jun 08, 2020 – Jun 29, 2020

48th Teen Exhibit flyer

The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted our country, state and local communities. While the building may be closed, we are still “here” and have been working diligently to produce exciting virtual exhibitions and content.

The virtual submission period has ended, judging has been finalized and winners notified. This year’s exhibition will be presented on a virtual platform and also available for viewing here:

https://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=177284

Thank you for your continued Support!

 

-Community Folk Art Center in partnership with the Syracuse Chapter of the Links, Inc.

 

About the Annual Teenage Art Competition:

In 1972, three high school art teachers, Charles Wollowitz, Roberta Braen, and Nancy Peck of Nottingham and Corcoran High Schools with Herb Williams, Director of CFAC, engaged in a strategic planning process that led to the development of an art show and competition in response to a need to provide competition and exhibition opportunities for African American, Asian, Latinx, Native American and other underrepresented students attending high schools in the Syracuse area. Subsequently, the Syracuse Chapter of The Links, Incorporated in conjunction with the Syracuse City School District joined CFAC and art teachers from the local community to continue these efforts.