Wine Down Wednesday ushers in all that Bison at Basel has to offer
By Damenica Ellis
Featured Image by Kellen Thompson.
Twenty-one student artists from Howard’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts arrived in Miami to exhibit their work to the tens of thousands who come to the city for Art Basel.
Miami Beach Art Basel is a week of exhibits, installations, and activities celebrating creativity. This year marks the fourth year of Bison at Basel, which brings Howard pride and talent to the showroom.
As students landed, VIP, alumni, and donors kicked off the week with Wine Down Wednesday, a reception with wine tasting, conversation on Black art, and an exclusive first look at the students' artwork.
Guests were first introduced to Hedon State Wines, a Black-owned D.C.-based winery.
“We look at wine as just another form of art, just a liquid form,” said Michael Goode, managing partner of the business, along with Levi Daniels. “We think it's an expression of creativity and being able to take grapes and turn them into something really beautiful, just like what happens in the school of arts.”
Next in the night’s adventure came a conversation on the importance of collecting Black art.
Karen Lowe, an art advisor and Howard alumna who has worked in the industry for over 25 years, said the university shaped the way she viewed art.
“I know people buying art and they'll say, ‘I don't know where to find Black art,’” she said. “Or if I say Black art, everybody gets a certain image in their mind and not realizing that Black artists make all kinds of things.”
“When you collect, you’re preserving stories,” she said, highlighting artists and photographers who attended or taught at the university.
Karinn Glover, a Howard alumna from the class of ‘94 who is now a psychiatrist based in New York, appreciated the presentation. She began collecting art after visiting Art Basel in 2019. There she was in conversation with others about buying and treasuring Black art.
“I really became kind of fired up about supporting Black artists,” she said.
“When we treasure our work in our hearts, other communities pay attention,” she continued. “I just refuse to believe that other communities can just buy our art, hang it in their living rooms like there are some trinkets, when we don't have some of the same works or works of similar caliber.”
To close the night, a slideshow of paintings and photos from the student artists was then played, impressing guests.
These pieces will be featured in the Student Art Exhibition opening Thursday, Dec. 4, and staying on display until Saturday, Dec. 7. One of many Bison at Basel events from Dec. 3-7.
Other plans guests are looking forward to include Bison at Basel Meets Soul Basel, an art tour in historic Overtown, the alumni exhibit and reception, both taking place on Friday, and the Howard House Party on Saturday.
