Angelina College to Honor Black History Month with Art Exhibition Featuring East Texas Talent

Angelina College will honor Black History Month with an art exhibition scheduled to run from Jan. 9 through Jan. 31 in the Angelina Center for the Arts gallery.

The gallery will feature works from several noted African-American artists with East Texas roots, including Karen Christopher and Blake Bean.

Christopher is no stranger to the AC Gallery, having graciously contributed to AC’s Black History Month celebration for many years. A musician and public speaker, she also holds a managerial position in Nacogdoches’ Norbord plant as well. She is a degreed artist, holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts from SFASU. Known for her fine drawings, Mrs. Christopher does commissioned portraits as well as religious or spiritual subjects. This year she will be exhibiting new paintings.

Bean will also be featured in this year’s exhibition with his fine paper mosaics and paintings. An artist by profession, Bean is from Lufkin, the son of Angelina College instructor Janice Harris. He is currently represented by Black Heritage Gallery in Houston, and clients regularly seeking his work include the families of celebrities George Foreman and Beyonce’ Knowles.

Bean has graciously donated three pieces of his work to Angelina College’s permanent collection. His new works will be on display for the upcoming gallery.

Bean’s collage work is characterized by meticulous construction that still maintains an ease and spontaneity about it. While obviously time-consuming to complete, the mosaics have a sense of freshness and vitality, giving the viewer’s eye much information on more than one spatial level. His paintings have a strength and vibrancy that set them apart.

The public is invited to the closing reception to honor the artists on Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 6 to 7:30 PM. Refreshments will be served, and there is no admission charge.

This untitled drawing by area artist Karen Christopher will be but one of the works on display during Angelina College’s Black History Month Exhibition scheduled to open Jan. 9 in the Angelina Center for the Arts Gallery. Artist Blake Bean and others are also scheduled to show their works in the exhibition set to run through Jan. 31.