FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Sarah Pritchard, Director of Communications & Strategy
415-863-1414 x103, [email protected]

SOMArts Cultural Center Presents

The Black Woman is God: Assembly of Gods
Exhibition August 30–October 2, 2018
Opening reception & performances: Thursday, August 30, 6:00–10:00 pm

Group exhibition challenges Eurocentric notions of God to reveal the divinity in us all.

July 3, 2018, San Francisco, CA— SOMArts Cultural Center presents The Black Woman is God: Assembly of Gods, a multidisciplinary exhibition with free admission from August 30–October 2, 2018, celebrating the Black female presence as the highest spiritual form. More than 50 intergenerational artists working in sculpture, painting, new media, and photography create new myths to challenge Eurocentric notions of God.

Now in its third year at SOMArts, the exhibition’s theme represents the various spiritual traditions of the African diaspora that encourage members of the Black community to claim their own divinity. The exhibition uplifts and makes visible the multiplicity of Black art, culture and spirituality.

“In this assembly, Black women artists recount the varying African narratives of themselves as divine beings, informing the present of what appeared lost to the past. This reclaiming of the self in public becomes a revelatory space for everyone to know the contributions Black women artists have made, not only to the art world but to cultures everywhere,” asserted co-curator and founder of The Black Woman is God Karen Seneferu.

Co-curators Karen Seneferu and Melorra Green envision The Black Woman is Godnot only as an exhibition, but as a movement-building platform that explores the intersections of race and gender, dismantling racist and patriarchal notions that devalue Black women’s contributions to society. The Black Woman is God: Assembly of Gods reveals a community of Black women artists, paying homage to their complex creative practices that have influenced the world but are often overlooked because of their race, class, and gender. The Black Woman is Godsubverts our notions of God as a spiritual and revolutionary act.

Opening with a free public reception on Thursday, August 30, 6–10pmThe Black Woman is God presents a Crowns and Gowns procession that will reveal beauty as a site of resistance to annihilation.

Exhibiting artist Kytana Winn‘s multimedia collage centers the black female body within afrofuturistic concepts. Painter and portraitist Ebony Iman Dallas‘ rich and fiery hues bring the spirit and energy of her subjects to life.

Influenced by the work of Gordon Parks, Idris Hassan‘s photographs communicate from the divine spirit to reveal pain, joy, and glimpses into other worlds.

Featured and internationally renowned artist and educator Mary Lovelace O’Neal employs spiritual imagery of the African diaspora in her mixed-media abstract and minimalist paintings. Lovelace O’Neal has taught at San Francisco Art Institute and served as the chairperson of the University of California Berkeley’s Art Department.

Considered “one of 10 emerging Black female artists to collect” by Black Art in America, sculptor Dana King creates public and private art pieces that inspire people to dig deeper into the true stories of American history, bringing the humanity of the African American story to light.

Other public programs in conjunction with the exhibition include an afternoon of artist talks illimunating art as a tool for healing on Saturday, September 15 from 1–4 pm and a closing reception with performance by Dakatari Dance Collective on Thursday, September 27 from 6–9 pm. Additionally, the exhibition will expand in 2018 to include off-site events and exhibitions across the Bay Area. See below for links to learn more about all off-site events affiliated with The Black Woman is God.

The Black Woman is God: Assembly of Gods
Exhibiting Artists

Vanessa Addison-Williams
Bushmama Africa
KaliMa Amilak
Marissa Arterberry
Latisha Baker
Traci Bartlow
JaeMe Bereal
Lorraine Bonner
Camille Brown
Tracy Brown
Jessica Care Moore
Nancy Cato
Toshia Christal
Ijania Cortez
R. Dafina Kuficha
Nicole Dixon
Aneesah Dryver
Alise Eastgate
Anna W. Edwards
Regina Evans
Lisa Evans
Elizabeth D. Foggie
Bree Grant
Melorra and Melonie Green
Asia Hamilton
Naomi Hanna
Idris Hassan
Nzinga Hatch
Jazz Hudson
Ebony Iman Dallas
Ayana Ivery
Sydney G. James
Kiera Johnson
Marcia Jones
Val Kai
Dana King
Ave-Ameenah Long
Mary Lovelace-O’Neal
Jeanette Madden
Ajuan Mance
Frances Mead
Lemia Monet Bodden
Nayila Moore
Venus Morris
Taylor “Made” Mosley
Sabrina Nelson
Shah Noor Hussein
Chiamaka Onyemelukwe
Shylah Pacheco Hamilton
Lakiba Pittman
Karen Seneferu
Sage Stargate
The Isis Effect
Nye’ Lyn Tho
Sylvia Toy St. Louis
Lava Thomas
karin turner
Kristina Williams
Kytana Winn
Ripley Jene Young

CALENDAR LISTINGS
Exhibition
August 30–October 2, 2018

Gallery hours: Tuesday–Friday 12–7pm & Saturday 12–5pm
www.somarts.org/theblackwomanisgod2018

The exhibition is free to visit during gallery hours and during the opening reception. SOMArts Cultural Center is located at 934 Brannan St. (between 8th & 9th Streets), San Francisco, CA, 94103. SOMArts is wheelchair/ADA accessible. More information on accessibility is available here: www.somarts.org/about/visit.

Opening Reception
Thursday, August 30, 6–10pm
The opening night celebration features performances and a Crowns and Gowns community procession. To learn more, visit www.somarts.org/theblackwomanisgodopening2018.

The Black Woman is God Artist Talks
Saturday, September 15, 1–4pm

Join The Black Woman is God exhibiting artists for a series of artist talks that present art as a tool for healing. To learn more, visit www.somarts.org/theblackwomanisgodworkshops2018.

Closing Reception
Thursday, September 27, 6–9pm

Final opportunity to celebrate The Black Woman is God 2018 with performance by the Dakatari Dance Collective. To learn more, visit www.somarts.org/theblackwomanisgodclosing2018.

OFF-SITE EVENTS
Exhibitions
A Sacred Beautiful Natural Heritage Hair: An African Diaspora Photo Exposé
August 30–October 2, 2018

San Francisco Human Rights Commission
25 Van Ness Avenue, 8th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103
To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/groups/ASacredBeautiful/about/.

Events
The Black Woman is God at People of Color Sangha
Thursday, September 27, 7–9pm

East Bay Meditation Center
285 17th Street, Oakland, CA 94612
To learn more, visit https://poc.eastbaymeditation.org/.

Anatomy of the Curl: The Mother of All Texture
Sunday, September 30, 3:30–5:30pm

Head Designs
154 Santa Clara Ave, Oakland, CA 94610
To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/headdesigns/.

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ABOUT SOMARTS CULTURAL CENTER

SOMArts Cultural Center, founded in 1979, cultivates access to the arts within the Bay Area by collaborating with community-focused artists and organizations. Together, we engage the power of the arts to provoke just and fair inclusion, cultural respect and civic participation.

SOMArts plays a vital role in the arts ecosystem by helping activate the arts citywide. We do this by providing space and production support for non-profit events, as well as fairs and festivals throughout the Bay Area, and offering a robust program of art exhibitions, classes, events and performances that are affordable and accessible to all. SOMArts’ exhibition programs receive critical support from the San Francisco Arts Commission and The San Francisco Foundation, and are sponsored in part by a grant from Grants for the Arts.

SOMArts is located at 934 Brannan Street—between 8th and 9th—within 2 blocks of 101, I-80, Muni lines and bike paths.

For public information call 415-863-1414 or visit somarts.org. Stay connected by following us on TwitterInstagram and Facebook.

Image credit: Kytana Winn, And Suddenly Froze…, 2018. Image courtesy of the artist.

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