A Culture preserved in the Black Experience addresses how Black culture and its heritage reflect and shape values, beliefs, and aspirations, which define a people’s identity. By bringing together the past and the present, the old meets the new in the black artistic world. It is important for Black people to preserve and share their cultural heritage through the arts, as it keeps and holds their truths as a people. This exhibition presents and preserves the Black visual artist narrative. The exhibition explores how Black people relate and fit within the American dream where they have had to reshape and reformulate their identities.

Researchers have found that just 1.2% of artwork In most major museums were made by Black artists, which means that in the eyes of America, the Black artist creativity or stories are not as important enough to be presented or preserved within the vast majority of artistic institutions. Consequently, the Black/African American story is not being fully preserved for future generations. Here In Fort Collins alone, Black people make up 1.6% of the population, not even enough for Fort Collins to mention in their advertisement for the city or local entities. Yet most of their money is spent here. They buy houses and raise families in a place where art exhibitions in galleries and museums never reflect them or their culture or work. This exhibition is here to help change that. The exhibition will include the works of several Black artists from across the country seasoned and mid-career. It will include a mixture of painting, drawing and sculptures.  It will give a culture the right to exist, a right to be  a right to representation here in Fort Collins and allow the community to preserve the experience of Black Culture.

Click HERE for the brochure for A Culture Preserved  with an essay by curator, Louise Cutler.