On display in the Ford Family Gallery June 18-August 2, 2024

Please join us in celebrating "Ode to my Umi," an exhibition curated by Eshay Brantley, a 2023-24 Fellow of the Emerging Curators Institute (ECI) at White Bear Center for the Arts (WBCA).

As the culmination of her fellowship, Eshay envisions "Ode to my Umi" as a multidisciplinary exhibit that pays homage to Black grandmothers and mothers’ stories, revealing the intergenerational resilience and comfort passed along generation after generation. Artists featured in this exhibition include Namir Fearce, Bayou, Precious Wallace of King P. Studio, and Donte Collins, with performance art by Ashe Jaafaru. The exhibition takes place in the Ford Family Gallery.

For the Community Reception on July 11 and throughout the run of the exhibition, in alignment with "Ode to my Umi," Emerging Curators Institute Director Barak adé Soleil offers a curatorial response with the presentation of global artist Iyabo Kwayana’s film work "Crossing Over" in the WBCA atrium.

ECI, founded in 2016, is dedicated to developing the unique practices of emerging curators in Minnesota, through collaborative research, professional growth, and presentation opportunities.

Ode to my Umi is curated by 2023-24 Emerging Curators Institute Fellow Eshay Brantley, with curatorial support by Sadie Woods, and presented by Emerging Curators Institute in partnership with White Bear Center for the Arts.