-By John Jude Palencar


A couple of months ago I was invited to participate in an art event titled, “Unveiling Visions”: The Alchemy of the Black Imagination – Art & Design Exhibition.

Curators John Jennings (Artist/ Illustrator, Associate Art Professor) and Reynaldo Anderson (Author, Historian, and Communications Professor ) have designed an exhibition exploring black imagination in popular culture. The exhibition is comprised of prints and original art encompassing a variety of genres from the visual arts – from comics to book covers as well as personal works.

More than eighty artists are represented in this show, and I am honored to be included in this wonderful creative event.

For Octavia Butler’s “Wildseed”, Acrylic on panel by John Jude Palencar, Private Collection

For Octavia Butler’s “Mind of My Mind”, Acrylic on board by John Jude Palencar, Private Collection

Here are few photographs from the opening and exhibition:

Art: Craig Singleton

Artist Sheeba Maya (Column Art) and her mother

Unveiling Visions: The Alchemy of the Black ImaginationThe Schomburg Center For Research in Black Culture,  The New York Public Library 
October 1st – December 31st 2015

Unveiling Visions: The Alchemy of the Black Imagination is sure to satisfy the sci-fi/fantasy nerd in all of us. Curated by artist John Jennings and Reynaldo Anderson, this exhibition includes artifacts from the Schomburg collections that are connected to Afrofuturism, black speculative imagination and Diasporan cultural production. Offering a fresh perspective on the power of speculative imagination and the struggle for various freedoms of expression in popular culture, Unveiling Visions showcases illustrations and other graphics that highlight those popularly found in science fiction, magical realism and fantasy. Items on display include film posters, comics, t-shirts, magazines, CD covers, playbills, religious literature, and more.

Participating Artists:

Goni Montes, James Eugene, John Jennings, John Jude Palencar, Stacey Robinson
David Palumbo, James Lewis, Jason Reeves, Jennifer Crute’, Jiba Molei Anderson,
Duane Deterville, Jon Moody, Pierre Droal, Tim Okamura, Julie Anderson, Julie Dillon,
James Mason, Craig Fusco, Kari Gunther, Ken Patterson, Maurice Mosqua, Lalo Alcaraz, Krista Franklin, K.F. Anderson, Loic Zimmermann, Manzel Bowman, Marque Strickland, Shawn Martinbrough, Matthew Clarke ,Tristan Roach, Rivenis Black, Mathieu Saunier, Stanford Carpenter, Paul Deo, Micheline Hess, Miranda Meeks, Cedric Peyravernay, Bryan Christopher Moss, Afua Richardson, Mshindo Kuumba I, Eric Battle, N. Steven Harris, Obi Ud, Quentin Vercetty, Eric Wilkerson, Eric Orr, Hyoung Taek Nam, Art Jones, Tim Fielder, Toujour, Richard Meril, Sheeba Maya, Ron Wimberly, Paul Lewin, Nettrice Gaskins, Sharon L. DeLa Cruz, Shomari Harrington, Shawn Alleyne, Tansie Stephens, Vigilism X Ikire Jones, Vincent Sammy, Tony Puryear, Adam Roush, Alex Batchelor, Alex Huchiwood, Andre Leroy Davis, Ariel Jackson, Ben Passmore, Bizhan Khodabandeh, Black Kirby, Craig “C Flux” Singleton, Chuck Collins, Charlie Goubile, Damon Davis, Dave Crosland, Dave White, Mike and Mark Davis, Dawud Anyabwile, Gil Ashby, Maya Smith, Edison Moody, Denys Cowan, Geneva “GD Bee” Benton, Brandon Palas, Andrew Dalhouse, Brian McGee.

“The Black Fantastic” event run concurrent with this exhibition and includes films, readings, poetry and performances.

For more information, visit the links below: