The Eastern Shore: Works by J.B. Broussard
The Eastern Shore
Works by J.B. Broussard
Exhibition: June 8 – July 23, 2022
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 18, 2pm-4pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, July 9, 12pm-1pm | More info…
Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm
Location: Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
In his solo exhibition, The Eastern Shore, artist J.B. Broussard presents a selection of work that honors the legacy and expressions of freedom of the great 19th century abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.
At the center are Broussard’s new bronze sculptures of Tubman and Douglass, reverentially casting the bravery, wisdom, and resilience that both embodied in their fight against slavery and in their pursuit for human and civil rights. Complementing the sculptures are Broussard’s early work, charcoal drawings and paintings created in his youth that capture in portraiture, expressions of the Black experience.
Together, this collection of work traces the artistic path of artist J.B Broussard, and in the process brings about the underlying spirit that animates his work: to capture with dignity the expression of human beings in their struggle for freedom.
The show’s title, The Eastern Shore, pays tribute to the region where Tubman and Douglass were born and escaped slavery from, and where their fight for freedom and dignity began.
About the Artist: J.B. Broussard is a second generation native of Oakland. He began drawing at age of seven, took art classes during secondary school, and years later attended U.C. Berkeley as an Art major where he focused primarily on sculpture. After graduating from U.C. Berkeley he settled into a career in education. Now retired Broussard spends his time engaged in art projects. As a teenager he was exposed to the work of Charles White. Broussard describes the experience of viewing White’s work as “an awakening.” White’s dignified images of Black people had a lasting impact on him.
This exhibition is part of the Art of the African Diaspora: Luminaries series, and is generously funded by the East Bay Fund for Artists at the East Bay Community Foundation.
Art of the African Diaspora: Luminaries
Luminaries is a series of four solo exhibitions that shine a spotlight on the remarkable work of four artists – Diamela Cutiño, J.B. Broussard, Donna Gatson and Daniel W. White – who have participated in Art of the African Diaspora but who have maintained an inconspicuous public image throughout their storied artistic careers. The four exhibitions will be presented in the West Gallery throughout 2022, as part of the 25th anniversary of Art of the African Diaspora.
Top Image: J.B. Broussard, The General, 2021. Courtesy of the Artist
