Pics from Feb 19 reception at the Ben Bailey Art Gallery
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 Click on Photo to view video. Artist Lenard Brown spoke with students and guests about his body of works called 'Earth Amma' at a Feb 19 reception in the Ben Bailey Art Gallery. Photos Robert Peña / The South Texan |
As Texas A&M University Kingsville prepared for President Tallant's inauguration a symbol of a new beginning at this university, Art Department students were finding a lesson in symbology from artist Lenard Brown's 'Earth Amma' a show currently on display till March 13 at the Ben Bailey Gallery as part of Black History Month.
Amma, meaning Divine Mother, sums up the driving spirit behind Brown's work. He explained to guest at the Feb. 19 reception that after his mother had passed on and his grand mother spent much time in the hospital after having several strokes Brown began adhering translucent blue prints of a hospital over his work.
"The works are based on biblical stories or based on historic female figures," Brown said to the crowd. One such image is titled 'Miriam with Moses' who were two of the biblical leaders in the Exodus from Egypt. "This particular drawing has a symbol that resembles a fruit or pod which represents potential and growth," Brown Said.
There is much symbology depicted in Brown's drawings and prints. "The whole body of symbols are called 'Adinkra'," Brown said. These symbols are separated into different categories for example geometric symbols for man made things or rounded for more organic.
"There are around 1000 symbols with meaning, it is how they communicate in Gana," Brown said.
There was a brief comment by Art Department Chair, Charles Wissinger, to students at the reception about symbology in art. "Because you all do not do any research to find symbols on a much deeper and spiritual level," Wissinger said "We instead get images looking like biker T-shirts." referring to the 2008 Dia de los Muertos student exhibition.
Brown in turn said "If your not adding to the body of knowledge of art then your just an illustrator."
By the end of the reception the presence of the symbols was felt, bridging cultural gaps, and helping the students at Texas A&M University Kingsville transcend their own culture cliches in art.