Homecoming

Cedric Ingram
January 6–February 10, 2024
Reception Saturday, January 6, 5:00–7:00 pm
Artist will be in attendance

Artist's statement

Growing up as an African American kid, I never really saw artwork that represented people of my culture. Most other 70s and 80s babies, like me, can remember going to Granny's house and seeing the paintings of Jesus she had on the wall beside the photo of MLK. When it came to embracing the African American culture artistically, there was nothing. Only until I was an adult did I, and we, realize how important seeing representations of ourselves was so impactful on our lives. Of course, this knowledge comes with learning and recognizing systematic racism that exists and being exposed to more outlets of learning than what our elders had access to. Now being a grownup and having young Black children, I made it a point to make efforts to break this cycle so my children can grow and be embraced by the art they see. Not only for my children, but for all people of my community, I think it is important to see a mirror of ourselves artistically.

Community Property, acrylic, 17" x 13"

My work focuses on embracing ourselves in a modern/everyday context. There are so many things we acknowledge as a people in the past tense, but I feel we don't focus enough on our greatness now. Not just on a large world or national scale; there are things going on in our homes and local communities that deserve recognition and attention. Homecoming, a 23-piece exhibition, centers focus on this very thing, yet connects past ideologies (often outdated) to present perspectives while making a contribution to take control of the African American narrative. We have had the beauty of far more access to information about ourselves than our parents, grandparents, etc. Along with that has come a disconnect from some of the past ideologies and a graduation of knowledge of self within black culture. This show reiterates the theme of change, growth, development, and being able to embrace and give back knowledge and love to the people that raised our generation. To portray my subject matter in the works of Homecoming, my staple medium is oil pastel. I love the bold vibrant colors it provides and great contrast with the medium. With realism and detail being in my artistic DNA, I also work with acrylics and sometimes couple oil pastels in the same work. The odd pairing of these two media challenges expectations and gives new life and potential to both respectively. As my art is ever changing, I have come to paint on wood to create a three-dimensional effect with two-dimensional works to continue to blend lines, further engage viewers and not be defined by just one thing. These qualities only mimic how I envision the complexity of my culture and help to give style and voice within my work. This transitional period in my work of 3D in 2D is also a reflection of expansive personal perspectives on topics like religion, cultural economics, self-love, politics and more, which is evident in this exhibition.