Descent & Transformation, Vol. 1: Voyages to the Americas
November 9 through december 21, 2024
Residency Art Gallery is pleased to present the second iteration of our Curator Project Series with the exhibition, Descent & Transformation, Vol. 1: Voyages to the Americas curated by Kathie Foley-Meyer, Ph.D.. Descent & Transformation, Vol. I: Voyages to the Americas is an artistic exploration of the Black Pacific and ocean memory inspired by the voyages to and from the continent of Africa to the Americas, the Caribbean, Mexico and California. The exhibition features sixteen artists from across the United States. This exhibition will be held from November 9 through December 21 at our gallery space in Hollywood Park. Featured artists include Mia Arvizu, Chelle Barbour, Lyndon Barrois Sr., Mustafa Ali Clayton, June Edmonds, George Evans, April M. Frazier, Mark Steven Greenfield, Ayasha Guerin, Noah Humes, Michael Massenburg, Ella Maria Ray, Diana Sinclair, Toni Scott, J Michael Walker and Nicole Maileen Woo.
Nicole Maileen Woo // Black Above All, 2022 // Acrylic and drawing on wood panel // 44x48in
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Descent & Transformation, Vol. I: Voyages to the Americas is an artistic exploration of the Black Pacific and ocean memory inspired by the voyages to and from the continent of Africa to the Americas, the Caribbean, Mexico and California. The exhibition features sixteen artists from the east and west coasts of the United States, and the midwest, south and Hawaii. It is the central public programming element for the UCI Humanities Center’s “Routes of Enslavement in the Americas” project, funded by the University of California Office of the President Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives (MRPI). The exhibition and its related events are also connected to the Intra-American Slave Trade Database, created by UC Irvine professor Alex Borucki, and UC Santa Cruz professor Gregory O’Malley, and launched in 2018 as part of slavevoyages.org, the online compilation of information on the trade in human beings from the African continent that is currently headquartered at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Curated by Kathie Foley-Meyer, Ph.D.
FEATURED Artists
ABOUT THE CURATOR
KATHIE FOLEY-MEYER, PH.D.
Kathie Foley-Meyer Ph.D. is a mixed media artist whose work explores themes of interconnectedness, memory, visibility and transparency. In 2023 she completed a PhD in Visual Studies at UC Irvine, where her dissertation project focused on the ocean memory of Black lives lost during the trade in human beings from the African continent. Her dissertation project, “Trouble the Water: Ocean Memory and the Temporality of Blackness” continues to influence her research and art practice. She received her MFA in the Writing Program in Critical Studies from California Institute of the Arts. As an arts advocate, she served on the board of LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions) from 2011 to 2019, with the last three years as chair. She also served on the board of the Museum of Neon Art, and is part of the Advisory Committee for Fulcrum Arts. Kathie was part of the art selection and art advisory committees for Metro Art for the Expo Metrorail Line, and has served on grant panels for the LA County Arts Commission. As an arts consultant she worked on CSR for a company in the global finance sector and has provided services to arts organizations serving Black communities in Los Angeles.