Next Meeting:
Friday, May 18, 2012, 10:30am – 1pm
Guest artist: Phoebe Beasley
Visit her website
When President Clinton presented the Ambassadors of the Diplomatic Corps with one of Beasley's monoprints entitled "Clinton Inaugural" in 1993, it was the second time she received the coveted Presidential Seal on her artwork, The first time was in 1989 when she was commissioned to do the "Official Artwork" for the inauguration of President Bush - thus, making her the only artist to twice receive the honor.
Phoebe has had numerous solo and group exhibitions in the United States and abroad, and was honored by the State Department for her participation in the Art in Embassies Program.
Beasley's collage artwork was part of two major touring museum exhibitions, including a group show mounted by the Smithsonian Institution entitled, In the Spirit of Martin, honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And, Phoebe's work was part of a museum show in 2008 entitled, Portraying Lincoln: Man of Many Faces, based on the life and work of President Lincoln.
Most recently, a touring museum exhibition of The Kinsey Collection featured several of Phoebe's works. The national tour includes a seven month run at the Smithsonian from 2010 until late 2011. And, a solo two month retrospective of Beasley's artwork entitled, Highways to the Heart: A 40 Year Journey was mounted by the M. Hanks Gallery in Santa Monica in the fall of 2010.
Beasley completed a collaboration with Dr. Maya Angelou in which she created several serigraphs from poems by Langston Hughes for a limited edition book. Dr. Angelou selected the poems and titled the masterful compilation, Sunrise is Coming After While, and then wrote the forwards on Hughes and Beasley.
[more images on Phoebe’s website]