This Summer, the entirety of the first floor at the Center for Contemporary Arts will be filled with the art and beauty of Oaxacan Gold. Texas photographer, Greg Davis, presents his photography integrated with the art of six Master Oaxacan Folk Artists, Jacobo Ángeles Ojeda, Taller Manos Que Ven, Alejandro Vera Guzman, Magdalena Pedro Martínez, Carlomagno Pedro and Alex and Veronica Mendoza.
Davis says of the exhibition, “The purpose of this exhibition is to bring awareness to the stunning beauty, cultural depth and mystical nature of the great Mexican State of Oaxaca through an educational multi-media cultural experience of [my] photography, a Master folk art exhibit, textiles and traditional dance.”
Angeliza Maze of the Waco Insider says the following about the exhibition, “As a contributing photographer for National Geographic, Davis is aware that a truly representative story is only as good as the person telling it. A collection of photographs on their own, taken by an outsider, might leave the artist’s subjects silent and objectified. But there is an interweaving here, a fluidity between the artist and his subjects such that the subjects have agency in their own representation. Davis’ work moves in and around those artists, paying homage to their artistry while expressing his own spiritual connection to their work.”
Davis’ photographs will provide the context for which the Master Folk Artists’ work is presented, including a century old loom that will showcase the weaving and indigo dyeing traditions of Oaxaca. Viewers will also experience the beauty and lives of Mescaleros and the art of Alebrije animal sculpture and the tradition of Day of the Dead in Oaxaca.
Davis is a contributing photographer for National Geographic/Disney and was represented by the National Geographic Image Collection for over a decade. He has worked his way from local festivals to international exhibitions and his works now hang in private and institutional collections worldwide.
Oaxacan Gold will be on view in all of the 1st floor galleries at the Center for Contemporary Arts from July 25, 2024 through September 17, 2024. There will be a ticketed opening event on July 27, 2024 and a public closing event to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month on September 14, 2024 with indigo dyeing workshops in the morning and the large celebration in the evening.
The exhibition and events are generously sponsored by the Union Pacific Foundation, Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, Community Foundation of Abilene, Dian Graves Owen Foundation, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.
Contributed By The Center for Contemporary Arts
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