This artwork is a tribute to the Valerie Monroe whose is the foundational reason why the album Manyara was created as a tribute to the time that we shared together before her passing. Her passion for plants and nature was evident in everything she did, from her career to her personal life.
But among all the flowers and plants she studied, it was the wild dandelion that held a special place in her heart.During my time of being in her presence, she marveled at Wild Dandelions ability to thrive in the toughest conditions and saw beauty in its simple white blooms.
Even as her health declined due to cancer, she found comfort in watching the dandelions dance in the breeze outside her window. The audio that you'll hear in this peice is a plantwave recording of the wild dandelions that was recording on my recent trip to Texas during the pandemic. I've went back to the home where we use to live in San Antonio. the wild dandelion still live on the property.
The DC Arts Center, located in the heart of Adams Morgan, is proud to present the first exhibition of the 2023 Curatorial Initiative, A Shared Sense of Time, curated by Jeffry Cudlin and assisted by apprentice curators Benedetta Castrioto and FAITH (Eleisha Faith McCorkle). The exhibition features Sara Dittrich, Ledah Fincke, Imka, Amy Reid, Davis Sailsbury (Dais Queue), Joana Stillwell. The exhibition brings together six DMV-based visual artists and musicians who use unique rhythms and concepts of tempo to create disorienting, altered states of consciousness.
The featured artists use field recordings, found biological rhythms, or rules-based improvisation to create extraordinary aesthetic experiences out of ordinary, everyday phenomena. The exhibition encourages visitors to engage in a process of exploration, much like author V.S. Naipaul’s description of “finding experience where I thought there had been nothing.” Through their innovative use of rhythm, sound, and image, the six featured artists in A Shared Sense of Time creates a dynamic interplay between the domestic and natural worlds, inviting visitors to contemplate their place within the larger scheme of things.
Program Manager Jerry Truong explains, “In working with Jeffry to organize this exhibition, I was drawn to his commitment to seeking out artists who are not only working in a conceptually challenging way, but also pushing the envelope in terms of interactivity. We hope that visitors to this show will discover a unique and captivating experience.”
“Jeffry is expanding the ways in which our patrons and audiences experience art in the District by bringing together a multitude of art forms,” said Executive Director Sean Elias. “Just as we, here at The DC Arts Center, continue to expand our programming and offerings to foster underrepresented artists in as many artistic disciplines as possible.”
Join them in celebrating the opening of A Shared Sense of Time on Friday, April 21, 2023 at 7:00 PM. The exhibition runs through May 21, 2023