The Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County's new exhibit, “Our People: The Black Influence in Contemporary Culture” exhibit, opens Jan. 26. CityView spoke with the exhibit’s curator, Collyn Strother, about his vision for “Our People” and why people should attend.
Strother, who has roots in Fayetteville and graduated from Fayetteville State University, is also the curator of the city's Gallery 13, an exceptional space showcasing modern pop art. He’s the owner of CROO Designs and the Creative Director behind the streetwear brand Wise Mind Movement. Additionally, he is a widely recognized photographer and visual artist. Strother’s artistic journey began as a youth in Fayetteville, drawing inspiration from graphic design, photography, and music.
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What’s your vision behind the ‘Our People’ exhibit?
My vision behind the exhibit was essentially to give Black folks their flowers. To celebrate the influence they have on our contemporary culture. I can't say enough that Black folk have influenced everything that we do — especially when it comes to the multiple disciplines of art. We can talk about food, fashion, music, everything that we experience in our contemporary culture has been influenced by Black people.
From a Black History Month standpoint, I think it's good to celebrate what Black people have done. And we have to celebrate those things because, what's to come is gonna be a mixed nation that is directly influenced by black and brown people. So that's my vision behind this. I want to display that in the best way possible from a visual 2D and 3D perspective. I hope that people come here and appreciate that. And I hope we gain more allies and opportunities as Black people.
What does it mean for something to be in ‘contemporary culture’? What elements did the Curator envision when thinking about artwork for ‘Our People’?
Well, contemporary is anything that's happening right now; things that we experience. There's multiple elements to make something contemporary or relevant. A lot of that has to do with pop culture. If it's popular, it could simply slide into what we experience every day, which is contemporary. So contemporary culture is the culture that we live in. We could talk about Black culture. We could talk about different ethnic groups or cultures. But when we talk about contemporary culture, we're talking about everything as a whole - what we experience right now.
“Our People” focuses on 2D and 3D art. So when I talk about contemporary, we're gonna see what’s going on in art right now. That's why it's a forward-looking exhibit because we’re not only looking for what's going on right now, but also what’s to come. I think that's what's special about this show — this hasn't been done at the Arts Council before. This is me trying to bring something forward-looking to the Arts Council. I think that's really special because Black people lead what's going on right now. I just feel like it's right for Black history to celebrate the Black people of the present, not looking past, but looking forward. I just want to shed light on them and where they’re taking things. Whether it be Black people celebrating their culture, Black people celebrating their music, or Black icons. This is everything that's popular right now in the contemporary world
Can the Curator tell us a little about how many artists are participating in ‘Our People’ and how many pieces of artwork will be a part of the exhibit?
We're looking at roughly 51 artists from around the country and about 70+ pieces, which is a big exhibition for the space that we're curating. A lot of the pieces are photography. I plan on displaying these closely together so that I have more space to display different pieces and artforms.
What excited the Curator the most about the ‘Our People’ exhibit?
One thing that excites me a lot is bringing this to Fayetteville and the Arts Council. That excites me because I know it's something that needs to be done for our people. And it is something that I hope to transpire for the next curator to do this. One thing about being the “first” is that you can't hold that title at face value. If you’re the first, you're supposed to do it so that the people following you can do it better than you did. And if they show you love and they respect you for opening the gate, cool. But if they don't, being the “first” to do something is a title that you don't properly own. In art, you're never gonna be the first to do something and you're never gonna be the last to do it either. Beyond that, I'm excited to see The Social Contract perform, as well as the spoken word performances. I'm also excited to see all the artists network with each other.
How is ‘OurPeople’ different from other Black History Month art exhibits that the Arts Council has presented in the past?
I think everything that’s gone into making this exhibit are the things that make it different. Not to hype myself, but I’m someone who lives art every day. I'm constantly around other artists. That's all I really know. And I’m not saying the people who did this before me weren’t, but I just offer a different, youthful perspective to get to this point. I've also learned from all the past curators. So they have added to what I know, and I'm only shedding light into this pop culture space that we live in every day. So that's the only difference really. I'm just a product of the past exhibits.
What’s all in store for the grand opening on Jan. 26?
We’re excited to welcome many of the contributing artists for “Our People” to its opening reception at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26, at the Arts Council. DJ Fudgee will kick off the evening followed by a welcome from both myself and the Arts Council President/CEO Bob Pinson. In addition, the Arts Council is excited to welcome local poets and spoken word artists as part of the “Our People’ opening. The evening will be capped off by a live performance from the local hip hop collective, The Social Contract.
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