Artist LaKela Brown Celebrates Black Culture Through the Language of Sculpture

If you’ve traveled through Charles V. Park Library on campus recently, you may have noticed that the Baber Room Gallery has been consistently rotating in new and exciting exhibitions by nationally and internationally- acclaimed artists and sharing artwork representing diverse voices and approaches to creating.

The newest exhibition, Foraged, is by Detroit native and Brooklyn-based artist LaKela Brown. Brown is a critically acclaimed artist, shown in museums and galleries nationally and internationally and receiving acclaim in top art journals such as Art In America and the New York Times Art Review. The New York Times recently listed LaKela Brown as one of the top artists to view at the New York Armory Show. Brown’s thoughtful work takes inspiration from ancient languages and challenges traditional notions of the still-life while featuring and celebrating Black American cultural artifacts. Using ethnobotany and objects of adornment derived from Black culture, the works in this exhibition reference the history, nourishment, and movement of a people while simultaneously becoming their language and intentional act of care and resilience.

Foraged is on view from November 13, 2023- January 14, 2024, in the Baber Room Gallery inside Charles v. Park Library. LaKela Brown will be on campus giving an artist talk in the Sarah & Daniel Opperman Auditorium on November 15^th at 6:30 pm. A reception will immediately follow the artist's talk. The exhibition, artist talk, and reception are free and open to the public.

Image info: African/American Still Life, Bouquet No. 1” Plaster and Wooden Dowels, 8”x4”x4”, 2023