
This February, Latinos Organizing for Understanding and Development will host a Black History Month Exhibit, an annual event that brings out local talent to showcase their works for the community in a dedicated space for Black artists.
Latinos Organizing for Understanding and Development (LOUD) is a statewide initiative focused on promoting collaboration between Latino arts and service organizations, artists, and the communities in which they operate. Currently there are four artists, with plans to invite more, who will set up at the LOUD Gallery in Omega School, 835 W. Badger Rd., before the exhibit’s reception in early February.
“We wanted to kind of showcase some of the best talent in town,” said Oscar Mireles, founder of LOUD. “Black History Month comes quicker than you realize… and with the holidays, it’s always a little harder to connect with people.”
The four artists currently set up are include Matthew Braunginn, Jerry Butler, Sophia Voelker and Jerry Jordan. All are returning from LOUD’s Black History Month Exhibit last year.
Bruanginn, also called “Higgs” as an artist, has a background in art, activism, policy analysis, racial and economic equity, climate change, infrastructure and the history of race and racism in the United States. He came into painting in 2017 while he sought a new creative outlet. Braunginn’s work is abstract expressionist paintings inspired by his personal perceptions of his experience and the world around him.
Butler is a highly educated artist with tenure working in administration and teaching at colleges in Madison. He often creates community-based projects for kids — highly based on his research and belief that “kids (students) must design their own path and educational goals for true reform in education to become a reality,” he wrote on his portfolio website.
His work is both simple and intricate, Mireles describes it, with textures layered over each other to give a visual flow.
Voelker is a mixed media artist and painter who works under “Black Butterfly Studio.” She is a self-taught artist who works on canvas, driftwood, repurposed glass and drywall mud as her mediums. Voelker’s work is inspired by her life events where she tries to convey works in an aesthetically pleasing humorous or calming manner.
Jordan is an artist and children’s book illustrator. His work is contemporary realism and is inspired by artists in the Harlem Renaissance. Jordan’s work is best described as a reinterpretation of classical paintings in a more contemporary style.
The four artists and others will showcase their art all throughout February at Omega School. A reception will be held to kick off the Black History Month Exhibit on Feb. 7 from 6-8 p.m. It is free to attend but registration is required.