Sunday, March 31, 2013

PLEASE SCROLL THE BLOG TO SEE A PEEK OF MY ART



Bridgitte Montgomery

E-mail: artistbmontg@gmail.com

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/artistbridgitte.montgomery

Blog: www.bridgittemontgomery.blogspot.com

MY ART GROUP, UNITY AND MULTIPLICITY, WEBSITE: https://www.unityandmultiplicity.com/

My Art Groups are on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083896947810

Formaly ARTiculation and ARTitude Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/articulation.artitude/

As an artist, I am inspired by my vivid dream states and intuition. The expression of my art is derived from internal methodologies and by the scholarly study of historical and cultural references to the psyche and the phenomenal world. I translate the colors, moods, themes, and the abstract settings of my dream states and visions on canvas and sculpture. The expression of my art also explores universal archetypes and symbols of the collective unconscious mind. My inspiration is constantly being revitalized by the anthropological teachings of Joseph Campbell, psychoanalyst Carl Jung, and black cultural scholar Ivan Van Sertima. The process of personal growth through life’s varied experiences are also meaningful to my work. Through the study of psychology and art therapy, I challenge myself to explore and express notions of the super conscious mind, the spirit, and the soul within an international context. Every aspect of life may be channeled through my artwork whether it is the manifestation of wonder in life, or the extraordinary in nature, the the divine comedy or the political. My artwork covers a broad range of styles. In a historical context, I relate to the art of Africa, the African spiritual inspiration of the Symbolist, the sublime forms of Charles White, and all the art of the Harlem Renaissance. In the creative process, I receive a visual impression that is either figurative or symbolic. I translate the meaning into my artwork. I also incorporate the symbols, metaphors, and allegories of Egyptian symbolism, Celtic mysticism, and indigenous shamanism into my artwork. My art challenges viewers connect to the unhindered consciousness of dream states. My art has had a universal appeal based on the supposition that there is a certain commonality in human consciousness and experience




EGYPT ON MY MIND: An Educational Art Exhibition Based on the Advancements of the Ancient Egyptians and Nubians. My One Woman Educational Exhibition is up at the Inglewood Library!!! I included the real Egyptian and Nubian reference materials that inspired my paintings like the harp that black Egyptians were playing 3,000 years B.C.E. Also, There were Nubian Princes and Princes that were carted around in grand chariots! Here is a peek! It will be up until July 31st, 2016

"Thinking Positive" Oil on Canvas 46x46 was on exhibit at the Los Angeles Municipal Gallery in 2014! It was the first work you encountered as you entered the gallery!



My Art Was At The Cal State University LA's COMA Gallery in a one woman retrospective.

"Bridgitte Montgomery In Retrospect" 2015

Articulation and Artitude was at The Cal State University LA's COMA Gallery in a Group Exhibition. "Articulation and Artitutde: In Retrospect 2015" Here is a peak at our work!



Articulation and Artitude was at The Cal State University LA's COMA Gallery in a Group Exhibition. "Articulation and Artitutde: In Retrospect 2015" Here is a peak and some of our work!

ARTIS LANE and ALISON SAAR

I Met SOME LUMINARIES

BRIDGITTE'S ART IS IN A NEW ART EXHIBIT

New Art Exhibit November 9th to December 30th 2012. My art will be at the “Holiday Art Exhibition Response to the Muse” Palos Verdes Art Center Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

I'M TEACHING AT THE CALIFORNIA AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM

NEW WORKSHOP I'm Teaching a Print and Textile workshop at The California African American Museum Titled TEXTILES GALORE! September 15 2012 at 1:00pm This class is in response to the Lois Mialou Jone's Exhibit "A Life In Vibrant Color." Lois was inspired by African Art. We will be using African symbols to print on textiles. We will have lots of FUN!

Friday, October 28, 2011

"It Looked Like They Had A Gun" Four Paintings From The Aesthetics and Politics Series"

New Art Exhibit!
Bridgitte Montgomery's art will be at the Beacon Arts Building on Labrea in Inglewood CA. It is part of the "Inglewood Open Studios" Tour and Exhibit. Our studios are open Saturday and Sunday 11/12 and 11/13. from 1-6 pm. Here is the link to the Inglewood Open Studios tour and art exhibit which includes one piece of artwork for each artist participating on the tour. http://www.inglewoodopenstudios.com/ The art exhibit's opening and artist reception starts at 7:00 on 11/13 this Saturday at the Beacon Arts Building. The tour received a write up by the Los Angeles times.http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2011/11/inglewood-open-studios.html

My new art that is titled, "It Looked Like They Had a Gun." These paintings are part of the “Aesthetics and Politics Series” It chronicles police shootings of unarmed citizens across the country. Scroll down and read their personal stories. TRUE STORIES: The Unarmed Person's Personal Story
1. Sheila McCray was a 55 year-old homeless woman who suffered from a bipolar mental condition. She was shot five times as she slept under a blanket behind an apartment complex. Allegedly, police said she reached from under the blanket for a shiny object. (the object has yet to be identified) Officers sprayed her with mace, one fired an assault rifle that missed, and another emptied his sage gun into her. Police believed she was the armed-and-dangerous male suspect they were pursuing. Florida


2. Reginald Doucet was a 25 year-old who was shot and killed by police officers despite the fact he was naked and unarmed. Allegedly, the two police officers fatally shot the unarmed naked man because he tried to take their guns. Community activists questioned the use of deadly force. California


3. Ontario Billups was a 33 year-old unarmed man. He was shot and killed by a police officer. Allegedly, officers had been investigating drug dealing. Police saw a suspicious vehicle and Billups was in a car with his hands in his jacket. Allegedly, after numerous demands, officers claimed that Billups refused to show his hands and made an aggressive movement toward an officer. He was shot to death. According to ABC News, Police Supt. Jody Weis said that people shouldn't be so quick to judge the police officer's actions. She said, "Don't draw a negative inference just because a weapon wasn't seen. Often times, if you wait for that weapon, you don't have time to take an action," No gun was recovered from the scene. Illinois


4. Patrick Andre Mason was a 5 year-old boy who stood 4 foot and 2 inches tall. Allegedly, neighbors called the police because the 5-year-old was home alone in the window with a toy gun. The boy was shot and killed in his home. Allegedly, after entering the residence, the police officer said that he saw a shadowy figure in a dark room that was only lit up by a television set. Therefore, he shot him. California

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

New Art Exhibition at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery

Artist Bridgitte Montgomery
My Art Will Be At the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery July 24, 2011 The Opening http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifReception is at 2:00 to 5:00 pm.The Address 4800 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90027 323.644.6269

Sunday, May 22, 2011

New Exhibition at the Urban Sanctuary in cooperation with the The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery

Bridgitte Montgomery's Art will be at the
Urban Sanctuary Fund raiser for The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery
May 6th to May 29th 2011
2026 1st Street Los Angeles, CA



"MIGRATION" HERE IS SOME NEW ART

"YOU ARE MY STAR SHIP!"



Ancient Ships are in the Award Winning "R" rated film, "Are You For Great Sex"

Friday, March 11, 2011

I AM TEACHING AT THE CALIFORNIA AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM

THIS IS WHAT NOOOOT TO DO! WHAT FUN! Artist Bridgitte Montgomery is teaching a collage class at the California African American Museum titled, "Collaging LA." It is free! March 12th 2011 at 2:pm. You must register/RSVP (213) 744-2024 All ages are welcome! 600 State Drive Los Angeles, CA 90037 (Near USC)




1. Check out the interview Warner Brothers did with me on how I became intuitive and artist. http://popularmechanics.boards.liveworld.com/transcripts/WarnerBros/8-17-2000.1-2.html
2. Check out the art reviews I wrote in Chicago (http://www.fnewsmagazine.com/2006-mar/lecture_1.html) (http://www.fnewsmagazine.com/2005-dec/faculty.html)
3. Check out and Download "La Figura" Catalog. My art is included. (http://www.alexhaleighgallery.com/pdf/La_Figura_ Catalog.pdf)
4. Check out my collaborative art groups blog. It has not been updated yet. (http://articulationartitude.blogspot.com/)
5. Check out Art Slant Profile (http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/17047-bridgitte-bridgette-montgomery)

Monday, June 28, 2010

"I AM SOMEBODY"

Do you see Hieroglyphics and Graffiti? This is an age old desire to make our mark! 48 x 48 Oil On Canvas

Bridgitte Montgomery's art is at The Armory Center For the Arts

Bridgitte Montgomery's art is at the Armory Center for the Arts International Mail Art Exhibition in Pasadena Calif. Opens June 27, 2010 Ends August 22, 2010 CHECK OUT MAIL ART EXHIBITION AT THIS WEB ADDRESS http://www.flickr.com/photos/armoryarts/sets/72157624462791167/show/

Sunday, May 17, 2009

BRIDGITTE'S ART IS AT THE CALIFORNIA AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM 2009

CHECK OUT THE GROUP EXHIBIT, "INSIDE MY HEAD"
at CAMM.
600 State Drive at Exposition Park, Los Angeles, CA





CAAM Curator Mar Hollingsworth noted, "Bridgitte Montgomery's style is delicate and sublime..."

Thursday, March 5, 2009

"I Saw My Shadow and Made Her My Wife"

"I embrased my shadow as a wife" is a passage from an ancient Egyptian story about the history of creation. The book is titled, “The Book of Knowing the Evolution.”
Artist, Bridgitte Montgomery depicts the ancient story as seen through her imagination. Los Angeles based artist Bridgitte Montgomery retrieves most of her creative ideas through an approach that is deeply rooted in African traditions: meditation, dreams, and intuition. In the tradition of the Symbolist, this painting is designed to preserve ancient symbolism, spirituality, and alchemy. She has attended The California Institute of the Arts, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a art psychotherapy workshop at Loyola Marymount University‘s graduate department of Marriage and Family Therapy.

Monday, November 10, 2008

MY RESUME WOW!



THERE IS MORE ART AFTER MY RESUME.
SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM TO SEE ALL MY ART AND INFORMATION



Bridgitte Montgomery

E-mail: bmontg@saic.edu Website: www.bridgittemontgomery.blogspot.com Face Book: www.facebook.com/artistbridgitte.montgomery



Career Objective:artist, curator, art educator, art historian, art administrator, and art critic.

As an artist I have worked in several different mediums: Painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and mixed media. I have also studied artist material. I have fourteen years of experience exhibiting and curating my art and other artist. I have also compiled art catalogs, wrote the introductions, sent out the press releases, and created national exposure for artist by creating corresponding blogs and websites. I have taught art workshops in a museum and for the Wanda Wallace Foundation. I also explained the history behind the art technique and the artist. I am taking the last class to complete a certification in gallery management. I also have business experience, and I have a small business. I have written art reviews and I have been published in an award winning news magazine which gave greater exposure to local and international artist.



Education



Master of Arts, CSULA Graduate Los Angeles, CA. Focus: Art History and Graduate Art Classes

Bachelor of Fine Arts, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL. Focus: Art, Art History and Art Criticism

California Institute of the Arts Valencia, CA. Focus: Dance, Chorography and Art History

Focus: Foundations for Excellence in Teaching Online Certificate Arizona State University, AZ. (ASUx-FETO101x)

Focus: Gallery Management Certificate El Camino College Torrance, CA

Exhibitions



2019-2022 “Unity and Multiplicity Pandemic Virtual Exhibition” Featured on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083896947810

2018 “Articulation and Artitude’s The Body as Culture” California State University Dominguez Hills Library Carson, CA

2017 “Articulation and Artitude’s The Body as Culture” Venice- Abbot Kinney Memorial Library Venice, CA

2016 “One Woman Show: Bridgitte Montgomery“ Inglewood Library, Inglewood, CA

2016 Articulation and Artitude, Inglewood Library Inglewood, Inglewood, CA

2015 "Bridgitte Montgomery In Retrospect" California State University Los Angeles COMA Gallery

2015 "Articulation and Artitude: In Retrospect" California State University Los Angeles COMA Gallery

2014 Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery Hollywood, CA

2012 "Holiday Art Exhibition Response to the Muse" Palos Verdes Art Center Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

2011 Inglewood Open Studios Exhibition Inglewood, CA

2011 Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery LA, CA

2011 Urban: Sanctuary Los Angele, CA

2011 Holy Nativity Church Mother’s Day Exhibit Westchester, CA

2010 International Mail Art Exhibit Armory Center for the Arts Pasadena, CA

2009 Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery Hollywood, CA

2009 “Inside My Head

California African American Museum of Art LA, CA

2009 “Broken Boundaries”

Angels Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro, CA

2009 “Birth of a New Freedom”

Lucy Florence Cultural Center LA, CA.

2009 "Lights on LA" Persing Square LA, CA

2008 Learning Rights Law Center Fund Raising Art Exhibit LA, CA

2008 “Clarity and Happenstance”

Alex Haleigh Art Gallery, Gardena, CA

2008 “Energy Punch”

Buck Wild 12804 Venice Blvd, LA, CA

2008 “Juneteenth Celebration”

Wallace Arts Foundation at Rogers park, Inglewood, CA

2008 “La figura”

Alex Haleigh Art Gallery, Gardena, CA

2008 “Art Ascend Incline Ahead”

Alex Haleigh Art Gallery, Gardena, CA

2008 “Big Twister”

Angels Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro, CA

2008 “Detours in Circumstantial Karma”

Angels Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro, CA

2003 “Talking All At Once”

Springman Studio Gallery Chicago, IL.





Curatorial Experience



I Curated the ”Juneteenth Celebration,” 2008. I provided artist, art, and wrote an intro about the exhibition. Wallace Art’s Foundation Rogers Park, Inglewood, CA



Co-curated “Energy Punch” 2008. A collaboration with “The Walk Collaborative”

Buck Wild Gallery Los Angeles, CA



Co-curated, compiled the catalog, and wrote the introduction to the art

exhibition, “Big Twister,” 2008 El Camino College quad Torrance, CA



Co-curated, compiled the catalog, and wrote the introduction to the art exhibition,

“Art Ascend Incline Ahead,” 2008 Alex Haleigh Gallery, Gardena, CA



Co-curated, compiled the catalog, and wrote the introduction to the art exhibition, “Detours in Circumstantial Karma” 2008 Angels Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro







Catalogs that include my art



The California African American Museum's "Inside My Head" 2009

Lights on Los Angeles 2009

Download "La Figura" Catalog. My art is included. (http://www.alexhaleighgallery.com/pdf/La_Figura_ Catalog.pdf)





Art Reviews



San Francisco Bay View 6/12/09 Wanda’s Picks

Los Angeles Sentinel 5/21/09 “New Exhibition Erases Fine Line Between Fine Art and Crafts, or Intuitive Art”



Art Knowledge News 5/18/2009 California African American Museum Shows

‘Inside My Head: Intuitive Artist of African Decent’



Animation Magazine, June 2008 published information on the Wallace Arts Foundation's Juneteenth Celebration. My collaborative group Articulation and

Artitude donated their time and curated a wall art exhibition.



Publications



I wrote an art review on sculptor Preston Jackson‘s exhibition at the Chicago

Cultural Center titled, “Majestic Heroines of the Antebellum South”

It was published in the 3/06 edition of the award winning F news Magazine.



I wrote an art review and a feature interview with photographer Eleftheria Lialios titled, “Thirty Years of Art Making” It was published as a feature article in the 12/05 Edition of the award winning F News Magazine.



Teaching





I taught an African print and textile workshop at the California African American Museum Los Angles CA

I taught a collage workshop at the California African American Museum

Los Angeles, CA

Future position LAUSD after school art program via the Wallace Arts Foundation

Los Angeles, CA

I designed and taught the “Family Tree” workshop: a research and art project for the Wallace Arts Foundation. Los Angeles, CA





Commissions



I designed and painted an abstract painting for a MTV producer and film maker

Cynthia Husing Langston Los Angeles, CA



Freelance



Artist, curator, art critic, art historian, and writer. I’m currently writing about the influence on Western and American Modern art. I am also writing a book on the subject of intuition and art.







Collaborations



I am a member of the creative group, Articulation and Artitude. LA, CA

I am a member of the creative group, The Walk 1 Collaborative. LA, CA



Memberships



African American Alumni Association of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago,

Alumni Association of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago,

The California Institute of the Arts Alumni Association.

The Studio Museum in Harlem

California African American Museum

The South Side Community Arts Center in Chicago, IL.

African American Artist registry and negroartist.com





Special Skills



Focus: Foundations for Excellence in Teaching Online Certificate

Arizona State University, AZ. (ASUx-FETO101x)

Focus: Gallery Management Certificate El Camino College Torrance, CA

Gallery management, art historian, curator, and art critic and writer

I’m currently writing books on art history and art therapy.

I am skilled at replicating masterpieces, painting on a large scale, and the ancient tradition of translating intuitive impressions into art.

I’m learning to write and read ancient hieroglyphics and speak the language



Special Recognition



I was interviewed by Warner Brothers Online “Celebrity Chat” program. I was billed as “Psychic to the Stars” and was interviewed on how I became intuitive and an artist.

http://popularmechanics.boards.liveworld.com/transcripts/WarnerBros/8-17-2000.1-2.html





1. Check out the interview Warner Brothers did with me on how I became intuitive and a artist. http://popularmechanics.boards.liveworld.com/transcripts/WarnerBros/8-17-2000.1-2.html

2. Check out the art reviews I wrote in Chicago (http://www.fnewsmagazine.com/2006-mar/lecture_1.html) (http://www.fnewsmagazine.com/2005-dec/faculty.html)

3.Check out my collaborative art group's blog. It has not been updated yet. (http://articulationartitude.blogspot.com/)

4. Check out Art Slant Profile (http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/17047-bridgitte-bridgette-montgomery)

Sunday, November 9, 2008

My New Art Installation

This is my new art. It is titled, "Unity." These two paintinigs are bound back to back. When you spin it, a third symbol is created, "The Star of David." In the tradition of the Symbolist, this painting is designed to preserve ancient symbolism, spirituality, and alchemy.

Monday, November 3, 2008

"ARTIST" BRIDGITTE MONTGOMERY

TO PURCHASE ART FROM THE COLLECTION
OR FINE ART PRINTS
TO GET MORE INFORMATION ON THE WORKS OF ART
PLEASE CONTACT,
EMAIL: intuitart2@yahoo.com
MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/intuitart2

Ancient Ships





"Ancestors" Oil on Canvas 36x36





"Magic for Prosperity" Oil on Canvas 48x48

Saturday, November 1, 2008

ARTIST STATEMENT


The curator, Mar Hollingsworth, at the California African American Museum bought this!
ART #1 is Titled, "The Procession" Oil on Canvas 48X24
ART #2 IS Titled, "The Beautiful Banquet" Oil on Canvas 48X24


Bridgitte Montgomery
E-mail: artistbmontg@gmail.com
Blog: www.bridgittemontgomery.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/artistbridgitte.montgomery

ARTIST STATEMENT
Bridgitte Montgomery E-mail: artistbmontg@gmail.com Blog: www.bridgittemontgomery.blogspot.com Artist Statement As an artist, I am inspired by my vivid dream states and intuition. The expression of my art is derived from internal methodologies and by the scholarly study of historical and cultural references to the psyche and the phenomenal world. I translate the colors, moods, themes, and the abstract settings of my dream states and visions on canvas and sculpture. The expression of my art also explores universal archetypes and symbols of the collective unconscious mind. My inspiration is constantly being revitalized by the anthropological teachings of Joseph Campbell, psychoanalyst Carl Jung, and black cultural scholar Ivan Van Sertima. The process of personal growth through life’s varied experiences are also meaningful to my work. Through the study of psychology and art therapy, I challenge myself to explore and express notions of the super conscious mind, the spirit, and the soul within an international context. Every aspect of life may be channeled through my artwork whether it is the manifestation of wonder in life, or the extraordinary in nature, the the divine comedy or the political. My artwork covers a broad range of styles. In a historical context, I relate to the art of Africa, the African spiritual inspiration of the Symbolist and the sublime forms of the art of Harlem Renaissance. In the creative process, I receive a visual impression that is either figurative or symbolic. I translate the meaning into my artwork. I also incorporate the symbols, metaphors, and allegories of Egyptian symbolism, Celtic mysticism, and indigenous shamanism into my artwork. My art challenges viewers connect to the unhindered consciousness of dream states. My art has had a universal appeal based on the supposition that there is a certain commonality in human consciousness and experience.


1. Check out the art reviews I wrote while in Chicago.
(http://www.fnewsmagazine.com/2006-mar/lecture_1.html)
Also, (http://www.fnewsmagazine.com/2005-dec/faculty.html)
2. Check out the Warner Brother's interview of me on Intuition and Art.
(http://www.liveworld.com/transcripts/WarnerBros/8-17-2000.1-1.html)
3. Check out and Download "La Figura" Catalog. My art is included in this exploration of art. (http://www.alexhaleighgallery.com/pdf/La_Figura_Catalog.pdf)
4. Collaborations: www.articulationartitude.blogspot.com

SOME FINE ART PRINTS AVAILABLE/CONTACT intuitart2@yahoo.com

.







CAAM Curator, Mar Hollingsworth Purchased This Art.

"The Desert and I" oil on canvas paper

ART REVIEWS by Bridgitte Montgomery


ART REVIEWS AND INFORMATION
By Artist Bridgitte Montomgery


Many Blacks were Mentioned at the Getty’s Symposium Vivismo Muerto: Debates on Surrealism in Latin American
By Bridgitte Montgomery


The Getty Museum’s long awaited two day symposium Vivisimo Muerto: Debates on Surrealism in Latin America was launched on Friday June 25, 2010 and ended the following Saturday evening. Organized for a full year, scholars came from top universities and museums from around the world. I was amazed at the effort that was made to include Black Surrealist artist, poets, and cultural theorist from the West Indies. Some members of the group Negritude were also mentioned mainly poet Aime Cesaire from Martinique; and the cultural theorist, writer, and politician, Senegalese born Martinican, Leopold Sedar Senghor. Biracial, Cuban born Surrealist/Cubist Wilfredo Lam was also mentioned. Also surprisingly, this symposium was not focused on Surrealist Freda Kahlo, but only periodically mention her and artist Diego Rivera’s paintings.
Titles included, Wolfgang Paalens Mesoamerican Collections and Writings and the “New” World. Circa 1940-45 by speaker Amy H. Winter who was from the Godwin-Ternbach Museum. In the 1930’s, Wolfgang Paalen (1905-1959) painted visionary art on canvas and became an international artist. He was also a writer and a theorist. Before leaving France, Paalen, with Salvador Dali, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, they were responsible for the design of the International Exhibition of Surrealism in the Palais des Beaux Arts in Paris 1938. He was originally born in Vienna and later lived in France and Mexico. When Surrealist artist Freda Kahlo (1907-1954) invited him to come to Mexico in the late 1903s, he moved there and stayed. Paalen was inspired by Mexican art but in a non “folkloric” way. Also, with Peruvian poet Cesar Moro they curated a major exhibition in Mexico, The International Surrealist Exhibition in the 1940s Galeria de Arte Mex. Wolfgang Paalen took his own life in 1959
My favorite session was session II of day one. The title was The Surrealist Love Letters: The Art and Poetry of César Moro (1903– 1956) The Peruvian born poet and painter who’s real name was Alfredo Quíspez Asín moved from Mexico to Paris in 1925. Most of his poems were written in French. In a love letter, through a word alchemy construction, he made his lover a god. To paraphrase the poet (I was writing really fast) he said, between waiting and silence, all wars of love are waged. The dead on truth in a poetic form!
Lastly, on day two and session III was titled, The Surrealism Effect: Legacies and Receptions in Art, Literature, and Politics many of the speakers mentioned Andre Breton (1896 -1966) and his visit to Hattie in 1947. Breton was a French writer, poet, and theorist. He is best known as the principal founder of Surrealism. He wrote the Surrealist Manifesto. He praised the Black culture and the Surrealist artist in Haitie. The Surrealist Exhibition was in 1945 at the Rex Theatre in Port au Prince. Being that in 1941, Surrealist Andre Breton, Wifredo Lam, and Claude Lévi-Strauss accompanied by many others, left for Martinique and were imprisoned there, I was happily taken back by the fact that André Breton returned to the islands in 1947 to visit to Haitie. Breton praised the Black culture. He thought that Amire Cesaire (1913-2008) was the greatest poet and Cesaire paved the way for Breton‘s visit. At the time, some Black poets used French and Creole alternatively as a subversive technique. While using French, they would add a Creole word in unexpectedly. The artist expected that Bretons message would be on freedom. Breton spoke of the lack of knowledge of our own power. He said that liberation would come through nature. Breton thought that Black culture would be the future of the world. Breton had a large African art collection and he noted that Africans and African art were the Surrealist original inspiration creatively. In his mind, Blacks in general were closer to that original inspiration. Breton liked the spiritual freedom and the liberty of spirit in Haitie. He wanted to know more about the Haitian Vodou. The French pronunciation is vodu and the Anglicized is Voodoo. Speaker Matias Ayala from Universidad Alberto Hurtado and others noted that at this special time, Surrealism related to politics in a way that was very powerful and helped change the history of the island. The speakers also mentioned Black revolutionary poet Paul Laraque,(1920 2007; Black writer, Pierre Mabille (1904-1952). He was also a surgeon, sociologist, art critic, and active Surrealist. He was also the French cultural attaché in Haiti. As a Surrealist, his book was titled, is Le Miroir du merveilleux; Lastly, Black poet Rene Belance was born in 1915 in Corail Haiti and was known for his collection of poetry, Rythme de mon Coeur (1940); followed by Luminaires (1941); and a war poem in many sections (1943). He was classified as a Surrealist because he published the book Luminaires;
In an effort to further inform Breton on Vodou, Brazilian sculpture, poet, and printer Maria Martins wrote a book on the subject. The Biracial, Cuban born Surrealist/Cubist Wilfredo Lam (1902-1982) and Breton collaborated on the publication of Breton's poem Fata Morgana. The book was illustrated by Lam. Lam was also mentioned in Andre Bretons book, Surrealism on Freedom.
An joy rises up in me when I learn even one sentence more about the advancements of the Black Diaspora. The next relevant program is titled, Surrealism and the Americas at Rice University, November 4-6, 2010
I made a Logo Today. What Fun!
Prescription for Inspiration 1# To the Wire http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymuWb8xtCsc 2# Reasons http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPoi-o2vms0