Jasper Project Announces THOMAS WASHINGTON as our FEATURED ARTIST in the 701 Whaley Hallway Gallery in February

The Jasper Project is excited to announce that ephemeral visual artist Thomas Washington will be our featured artist in the 701 Whaley Hallway Gallery for February 2024 with his one-person show LOVE QUEST.

There will be an opening reception on Sunday, February 11th from 3 - 5 pm in the gallery.

In keeping with 2023’s featured artists — Wilma King and Wayne Thornley and their two-person show Love Hurts/Love Heals — Washington’s exhibition of LOVE QUEST will show for the month of February and will coincide with the Jasper Project’s fundraising Valentine’s Day show and party INFAMOUS LOVERS on February 14th at 7pm in the 701 Whaley Market Space. (Tickets available here.) Infamous Lovers will feature the music of Fleetwood Mac cover band, BIG LOVE, Tiny Coven Dance, and more!

Washington’s reception on 2/11 is free and open to the public and will offer light refreshments.

More about Thomas Washington, in his own words …

“Perhaps the most important pursuit of an artist is the facilitation of Escapism. Perhaps each project is the equivalent of a Narnian door…or that lamppost beyond, coaxing a wanderer into another realm.  

Thomas Washington Jr. (thomas the younger) functions on that premise. Since his childhood, he has produced multitudinous works in this vein—from being hired (out of high school) to illustrate in a local graphic anthology, he has subsequently striven to bring stories in every medium; to breathe life into the fantastical by imbuing it with the familiar…and, of course, to find fun and fulfillment along the way. 

As a result, it required the birth of his children to make him care about money. (He still struggles with this.) –For years, he was perfectly fine living as a Bohemian: he laid his head in strange places among strangers, eventually becoming a pleasant strain of strange in the process. He thus entertains all sorts of bizarre notions—the importance of world peace, an unshakeable belief in fundamental similarities that make Humanity one big family, intense opinions on interstellar travel, and so-forth. 

Recently, he took the leap of emerging in his local scene. He has sat on panels, joined the instructor roster for community arts centers, partaken in various shows, (finally!) founded a website, and essentially joined the dialogue of Art’s Place in Society.

DOGON KRIGGA presents OMPHALOS - The Converging of Antique Futures with Jeremy Brooks at Sumter County Gallery of Art

“So much of Black history is the chronicling of suffering. I'm trying to get back to a place where Blackness isn't under attack but is thriving.”

— Dogon Krigga

The Sumter County Gallery of Art is excited to present two challenging, contemporary artists with unique practices, Dogon Krigga and Jeremy Brooks, September 1st – October 28th. Opening reception September 1st, 5:30-7:30. Both artists will be in attendance.

According to the Sumter County Gallery of Art,

“Dogon Krigga expresses magick with the use of pixel and paper, incorporating divine mysteries, transcribed over time throughout their ancestors’ experiences to connect Black people to the future and the past. Krigga immortalizes modern and ancient traditions, wisdom, and theory into majestic and whimsical digital and mixed media collages that venerate those that came before, those that will come, and those that exist outside of time. Dogon Krigga uses their experiences, techniques, knowledge and training from over a decade as a graphic designer and practitioner of Afrofuturism, along with other African diasporic traditional religions to illuminate the spiritual paths and possibilities for all who receive their creations. Krigga is also a serious practitioner of root (herbal) medicine.

Dogon Krigga currently resides where they grew up, in Columbia, SC. They are primarily a self-taught artist whose visionary aspect is an amalgamation of culture and esoteric references through Afrofuturism. Their creative lineage is connected to legends like Romare Bearden and Tom Feelings. Their background in creative writing, journalism, and music production also lends to their creative perspective. Krigga has exhibited extensively in Columbia, SC including the Columbia Museum of Art, Tapp’s Art venue, Richland County Public Library and the Sumter County Gallery of Art. They have participated as a panelist in several important conversations on Black creativity at the Columbia Museum of Art and Trustus Theatre.

Dogon Krigga artist statement:
The Omphalos is a demarcation of center. In the ancient world, the Omphalos was a stone that represented the navel of the planet. Here, the Omphalos represents the convergence of two points of time, and of perspective. It is here that I share two collections of works that offer my perspectives of the past and the future. My intention is to close the gap between those points and celebrate the timeless beauty of Black thought and Black form in this ever-present now. We see so many images of Black people under duress, especially in art. So much of Black history is the chronicling of suffering. I'm trying to get back to a place where Blackness isn't under attack but is thriving. Our gifts and abilities and how we interact with each other are acts of rebellion and revolution. We are masters of this domain but living in a reality where that can be forgotten, so we address this with Afrofuturism to remind us. I'm attempting to liberate people mentally by reminding them who they are outside of what society tells them they are. Life can be serious but we have to step back, laugh and marvel at how intricate yet how simple the universe can be.

Detroit native, Jeremy Brooks’ Looking Back / Being Forward, a retrospective exhibition, brings together a variety of artworks produced over the past 15 years. The work is largely conceptual and craft based. Brooks investigates a wide range of subjects including ceramic decals, traditional, slightly modified figurines, vessels and pottery forms such as knot pots “knitted” with elasticized porcelain - in a multi-faceted way. His work is often characterized by the use and alteration of found materials, many of which become augmented with details of the odd, queer, and/or eccentric. Brooks examines aspects of language, materiality, and sexual identity in his creative practice by questioning: What forms and concepts are particular to the field of ceramics? What nuances are lost and gained in the translation across boundaries of materiality? What makes something queer?

from Rockwellian Homophobia

Jeremy R. Brooks (b. 1979) received a BFA in art and design from Grand Valley State University in 2001, and a MFA in ceramic art from Alfred University in 2007. He has balanced his career between working as an artist and teaching at the university level. Brooks has exhibited work in over 100 exhibitions and is currently an Assistant Professor of Ceramics at Coastal Carolina University. Some of his honors include a residency at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, PA, receiving the emerging artist award by the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), and being selected as a guest of honor at the XXI International Biennial of Vallauris, France. Jeremy currently resides in Conway, South Carolina where he surrounds himself with copious amounts of ceramic figurines punctuated between piles upon stacks of ceramic decals. He identifies as an amiable ceramophile who is afflicted with occasional bouts of decalcomania (the process of transferring designs from paper on to glass or porcelain). He is also gay.

Eric Lachance, SCGA curator notes, “In the discipline of ceramic art, Jeremy R. Brooks weaves clay into recognizable items which code-switch everyday, otherwise innocuous items like socks, fine china, and collectible figurines into playful objects loaded with metaphor and humor. Dogon Krigga utilizes the everyday as well, creating Afro-futuristic scenes which merge studio photography, digital collage, and vinyl applique to surround the viewer. Krigga’s work invites the viewer to participate and absorb the worlds they create. Please join us at the Sumter County Gallery of Art for these two immersive exhibitions."

Dogon Krigga will be in conversation with artist Thomas the Younger (who recently exhibited at the Sumter gallery) Thursday, September 15th, 5:30-7:30 pm.

Jeremy Brooks will be in conversation with SCGA curator Eric Lachance Thursday, October 20th, 5:30-7:30.

Karen Watson observes that these thought-provoking exhibitions would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors - Andrea Williams and Clay Goss, The Deane and Roger Ackerman Family Fund and Sumter County Government & Cultural Commission which receives support from the John and Susan /Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of SC, the SC Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. Flowers courtesy of Poinsett Garden Club & the Council of Garden Clubs of Sumter.

September 1 - October 28, 2022

GENERAL GALLERY INFORMATION
Location: 200 Hasel St., Sumter, SC 29150 (adjacent to Patriot Hall).
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm