Artist Talk with Dr. Yemonja Smalls

Manassas VA

19 February, 2020

11:24 AM

Description

Center for the Arts to Host Free Artist Talk Featuring Dr. Yemonja Smalls on March 6 Exhibit Dates: February 7-March 27, 2020Artist Talk: Friday, March 6, 6-7 PMBook Reading & Signing: Saturday, March 14, 2-4 PM(9419 Battle St, Manassas) In celebration of our current exhibit, It's Complicated by Dr. Yemonja Smalls, the Center for the Arts will host a free artist talk on Friday, March 6, 6-7 PM in the Caton Merchant Gallery. It's Complicated…An Investigation into the Complexities of RelationshipsWhen used to define the relationship, the uttered words, "it's complicated" suggest hidden or unexplained snags, trickiness or entanglement that blur the beauty of the bond. In her first east coast solo show, Yemonja selects and assembles mixed media to convey the complexities that color relationships. In this investigative show, she explores both a metaphorical and literal process of breaking, tearing, hiding, layering and cementing to yield insight into what creates and maintains unions. Through deconstructed and re-assembled materials, Yemonja presents multifaceted layers of said connections with precision. The chemistry of colors combined are held together, and even in fracture, everything remains whole. She presents reflections of life/death, self-love, soul-ties, and work-life balance, to name a few, for viewer dialogue. About the Artist:Dr. Yemonja Smalls is an artist with very little formal artistic training. Originally from Hershey, PA, but a recent Chicago, IL to Baltimore, MD transplant, she works in the Maryland Department of Health's Developmental Disabilities Administration. Yemonja completed her pre-doctoral internship at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Kennedy Krieger Institute, and received her doctorate from Louisiana State University in clinical psychology. She is expanding her clinical skills with a master's degree in Art Therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and has interned at sites supporting adults with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, as well as African American teenage girls who experienced life trauma, and family caregivers who may be subject to secondary trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout. Yemonja's creations in various mediums have been exhibited in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, on the set of the famous Fox Hit TV show "Empire", Harold Washington Library, South Side Community Art Center, Gallery Guichard, Howard University, Hill Center Galleries, the Sojourner Family Peace Center among others, and reside in various private collections across the nation. www.YemonjaPaints.com The Center for the Arts is located at 9419 Battle Street in historic Manassas. The Center for the Arts is open daily from 10 AM – 5 PM Mon – Fri; 1 PM – 5 PM Saturday. Center for the Arts, Jordan Exum: 703-330-2787 - [email protected] 9419 Battle St, Manassas, VA 20110 center-for-the-arts.org / instagram: @cfamanassas