February 11 2022 - April 15, 2022
Opening Reception: Friday, February 11, 6 - 8 PM
Visits available by appointment
410 Glenwood Ave Suite 170, Raleigh, NC, 27603
CREATING A HOME, NOT AN EMPIRE is a group exhibition exploring the co-creation of the black family home and process of remembering. To create a home for oneself is to create a space of familiarity, safety, and reverence. An empire aspires to constantly be growing and consuming while the home is satisfied serving it’s sole purpose- protecting its inhabitants and housing their stories.
This is reflected in the artwork by invoking memories from the shared black experience as a form of history preservation. Every item within a home tells a story and this exhibition challenges you to decipher the narrative of each art piece for yourself.
Consider the questions: Where does this piece take place? What’s happening before and after this scene? How do your own experiences relate?
FEBRUARY 11
6 - 8:00PM (In person) Be among the first to experience CREATING A HOME, NOT AN EMPIRE! VAE’s fist Collaborative Curatorial Fellowship Exhibition!
FEBRUARY 27
2 - 4:00PM (Virtual) Grandma’s Couch Presents Drag Queen Story Hour! Join us as we celebrate Black Children’s Book Week with Stormie Daie! Register today!
MARCH 30
6:30 - 8:30 PM (Virtual) Join us in conversation with the exhibiting artists and learn a little about the practices that lead them to this opportunity.
APRIL 10
2 - 3:00PM (Virtual) Grandma’s Couch Presents Drag Queen Story Hour: So Nice, We Had to Do it Twice! Join us for an encore!
APRIL 15
6 - 8:00PM (In Person) Visit us as we say goodbye to CREATING A HOME, NOT AN EMPIRE and reflect on the impact of the exhibition.
CREATING A HOME, NOT AN EMPIRE was curated by VAE’s inaugural Collaborative Curatorial Fellow, Alyssa Cuffie!
Alyssa Cuffie (she/her) is an artist and curator from Milwaukee, WI who is based in Cary, North Carolina. She is the daughter of Celeste who is the daughter of Augustine who is the daughter of Clemontee.
From zines to tiktok to paper mache, all of Alyssa’s work highlights the importance of womanism and preserving black history. Her most recent curatorial project was Womanifesto magazine- a four issue zine series highlighting BIPOC creatives. She’s also exhibited work at the Milwaukee Art Museum, Houston Museum of Fine Art, and the Chicago Cultural Center among other places.
Aliyah Bonnette, Artist
Larissa M Miller, Artist
Peter J. Brown II, Artist
Kameron Southerland, Steering Committee Member
Gwendolyn Wallace, Artist
mk, Artist
Steven Johnson, Artist
Jasmine Best, Artist
Nill Smith, Artist
Vonnie Quest, Artist
Kinari Council, Artist
Olivia Chisholm, Artist
Mike Williams, Steering Committee Member
The Collaborative Curatorial Fellowship invites artists, arts administrators, community organizers, and anyone who has a great idea to participate in an opportunity to learn thoughtful and holistic approaches to curating an exhibition and creating programming. The Collaborative Curatorial Fellow, with guidance from VAE’s staff, will fine-tune the exhibition proposal they apply with, build a steering committee*, create and execute programming, and communicate with exhibiting artists over a six-month period.
This program aims to equitably pay creative individuals for their time and artistry while exposing them to VAE’s way of creating programming, WITH the community, rather than simply FOR the community. The ultimate goal is to create a diverse community of past Fellows who become leaders in the arts community and continue to advocate for equitable pay structures and community collaboration throughout their successful careers!