Keith Smith, Ife Olatunji, and Cody Frei stand in front of Olatunji’s photograph of “Cigarette Altar” taken on a Brazilian trip. One of the featured artists at the B-Flex event on April 7, she is a documentary filmmaker and founder of Freedom Lover Films. Smith and Frei are coordinators of CENTER, the gallery and performance space where the event was held. Photo courtesy of CENTER.
CENTER Gallery, a contemporary art space in Milwaukee’s Riverwest community, hosted a bimonthly “B-Flex” event on Saturday, April 7, from 7 pm – 10 pm. This curatorial collaboration featured selected contemporary fine and folk artwork on loan from the collection of Milwaukee – based Evelyn Patricia Terry and her Terry McCormick Gallery, located in Milwaukee’s Walnut Way neighborhood. You may Link to additional information on Terry at www.evelynpatriciaterry.com/news.
Terry, a professional visual artist, writer, and lecturer, has been collecting original art for well over thirty years. She says, “I concentrate on collecting African American art to give African – American artists visibility and support, but I collect from anyone when the right energy, money, and passion coalesce.” Terry’s most recent acquisition shown in the B–Flex exhibition is that of filmmaker Ife Olatunji’s ritual photograph of a Brazilian altar of cigarette packages. During this one evening event, other artwork featured included that of Riverwest resident, Paul Eddie Davis, and regionally, nationally, and internationally exhibited artists such as Bessie Sims, Margo Humphrey, Barkley L. Hendricks, Warrington Colescott, Muneer Bahauddeen, Gerald Duane Coleman, and Youssou Lô – among others.
Lamont Johnson performed a tap dance routine. Spoken word artist Roosevelt Person, accompanied by guitarist, Jesse James followed. CENTER is located at 631 East Center Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The B-Flex team, Cody Frei, Jermaine House, Tyler Roberts, and Keith Smith coordinated this event focusing on one of Riverwest’s notable strengths – community diversity.