In Preach! New Works by Jeffrey Kent, a solo show curated by Exhibition Development Seminar (EDS) at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Baltimore-based artist Jeffrey Kent uses racially charged imagery to criticize socially conservative views within Black Christian communities. Using painting, collage, sculpture, and mixed-media installation, Kent draws parallels between the Civil Rights Movement and the recent fight for marriage equality in the U.S.
“This [body of] work explores the premise that Americans who fought to achieve justice and equality now deny it,” Kent explains. In his paintings, the artist fills his canvases with layered fields of color, text, and elements of mixed-media collage, including cotton taken from unrestored antebellum antique chairs that the artist surmises must have been picked by slaves. Kent’s sculptures employ these chairs, sometimes precariously balanced atop stacks of books, other times presented in assemblages with piles of adult magazines and prayer rugs.
“Jeffrey Kent’s evocative body of work is relevant to the changing political and social atmosphere in the United States concerning marriage equality,” said Abigail Parrish, EDS student co-curator and spokesperson. “In Preach!, Kent, as an alumnus of the Exhibition Development Seminar himself, collaborates with EDS students to establish a groundbreaking exhibition that will touch and affect the Baltimore community.”
Kent’s portrayal of a legacy of inequality in American history is complemented by the exhibition location: the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park Museum. The venue is a national heritage site that celebrates the lives of Frederick Douglass, a slave who became an abolitionist, and Isaac Myers, a national Black leader in the labor movement. Born in Boston, Kent’s creative expression began in his youth through his dedication to community service, as a way of sharing his ideas and learning to set goals for success. Although the artist identifies himself as straight, he believes all people deserve equal rights.
“This [body of] work explores the premise that Americans who fought to achieve justice and equality now deny it,” Kent explains. In his paintings, the artist fills his canvases with layered fields of color, text, and elements of mixed-media collage, including cotton taken from unrestored antebellum antique chairs that the artist surmises must have been picked by slaves. Kent’s sculptures employ these chairs, sometimes precariously balanced atop stacks of books, other times presented in assemblages with piles of adult magazines and prayer rugs.
“Jeffrey Kent’s evocative body of work is relevant to the changing political and social atmosphere in the United States concerning marriage equality,” said Abigail Parrish, EDS student co-curator and spokesperson. “In Preach!, Kent, as an alumnus of the Exhibition Development Seminar himself, collaborates with EDS students to establish a groundbreaking exhibition that will touch and affect the Baltimore community.”
Kent’s portrayal of a legacy of inequality in American history is complemented by the exhibition location: the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park Museum. The venue is a national heritage site that celebrates the lives of Frederick Douglass, a slave who became an abolitionist, and Isaac Myers, a national Black leader in the labor movement. Born in Boston, Kent’s creative expression began in his youth through his dedication to community service, as a way of sharing his ideas and learning to set goals for success. Although the artist identifies himself as straight, he believes all people deserve equal rights.
The Class: Amanda Ackerman, Gabrielle Buzgo, Niamh Doherty, Tyler Farinholt, Karen Feliz, Maggie Fitzpatrick Cecilia Gonzalzes, Haley Palmore, Abigail Parrish, Katherine Smith-Morse, Diana Zhang, Molly Zimmer
Professor: Jeffry Cudlin
Graduate Teaching Intern: Deana Haggag
Advisors and Guests: Emily Blumenthal, Kriston Capps, Jeremy Hoffmann, Sandy Triolo, Rebecca Yenawine, Kalima Young
Professor: Jeffry Cudlin
Graduate Teaching Intern: Deana Haggag
Advisors and Guests: Emily Blumenthal, Kriston Capps, Jeremy Hoffmann, Sandy Triolo, Rebecca Yenawine, Kalima Young