Wednesday, March 4, 2009

The Un-Brandywine Exhibit

CHADDS FORD, Pa. -- A groundbreaking exhibit of African American art at the Chadds Ford Gallery has been held over by popular demand.
The gallery, a longtime bastion for art by the Wyeths and others steeped in the Brandywine tradition, opened "Through a Different Prism: African American Art" on Feb. 13. The exhibit, which was to have ended March 1, has been extended through March 15.
"The show has been incredibly well-received, " said gallery director Barbara Moore. "The quality and uniqueness of the art has people amazed at what they're seeing, and many said it's long overdue."
The show features the work of 14 African American artists, including Ed Loper Sr. and K.O. Simms, both from Wilmington.
Gallery owner Jackie Winther said she got the idea for the exhibit last spring, while attending a birthday party at the Brandywine River Museum. "Just mingling I got the feeling that people wanted to see something different, something not as traditional," Winther said.
Winther discussed the idea with Moore, and the two eventually contacted Harmon Carey, founder of the African American Art Alliance, in Wilmington, who helped coordinate getting several of the artists for the show.

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