“Surrounded by Giants,” the photography of Jason Woods, opens Thursday, April 5, at the Community Artists’ Collective with a reception from 7 to 10 p.m. The exhibition continues through May 5.

Woods will discuss his work in the exhibition Saturday, April 14, at 2 p.m., followed by a discussion on early African American photography in the United States by curator Michael K. Taylor.

The public can also meet the artist at 4 p.m. during the “Hot Block on Holman 2.0” event and the Midtown Visions tour the same day.

Jason Woods, aka Flash Gordon Parks, is an accomplished photographer who began his study at Houston’s Jack Yates Senior High School. He continued his study and progression as an artist at Sam Houston State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Photography.

During that time Woods began to cultivate all of his inherent artistic talents. A lifelong lover of music, he began to dig deeper into the history and inner workings of music through crates of records. Determined to create new mediums of art that combine various genres in innovative ways, Woods created The Beautiful Side of Ugly (2005) with Eric Blaylock. TBSOU combined the poetic words of Blaylock with the striking images of Woods to document the beauty of urban areas in Houston, Texas.

The Collective is located at 1413 Holman at LaBranch in the Midtown Art Center Tea Room Gallery. Hours are from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and by appointment.

MFAH 16^TH ANNUAL CITYWIDE

AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTISTS EXHIBITION

Closing Reception, Tours, and Exhibition Talk.

HOUSTON (Feb. 10, 2012) – Sponsored by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) through Five-A (the African American Art Advisory Association at the MFAH), the annual Citywide exhibitions offer artists the opportunity to show their work to a broader public, and to the collecting community. The 16th Annual Citywide African American Artist Exhibition will be held from February 1, 2012 – March 3, 2012 at Heritage Plaza (sponsored by Arts Brookfield) and the Community Artists’ Collective.

The 16th Annual Citywide Exhibition is curated by artist/curator Michael K. Taylor. The awarded prizes will be juried by artist Floyd Newsum, Professor of Art at the University of Houston Downtown, artist George Smith, Professor Emeritus of Art at Rice University, and Joan Bristow, artist and winner of the 2011 For the Sake of Art at Texas Southern University.

Locations:
Heritage Plaza, 1111 Bagby, Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm
Community Artists’ Collective, 1413 Holman at the Tea Room Gallery, Thur.-Sat. 12-5pm

Prize Ceremony:

Friday, Mar. 2, 6:00—8:00 pm, Community Artists’ Collective.

All prize winners will be announced at 7:00 pm.
• 1st prize: $500 and a full scholarship for one studio art class at the MFAH Glassell School of Art
• 2nd prize: $250
• 3rd prize: $250

Tours and Talks:

Community Artists’ Collective – Sat. Feb 25th 1-3pm Collectors, Artists, & Curatorial Talk

An open dialogue with the 16^th Annual Citywide curator Michael K. Taylor, art collectors, artists and the public. Topics will include creating, collecting and displaying fine art. Please visit thecollective.org/citywide for more info.

 Heritage Plaza – Each Thursday 12-1pm : The Community Artists’ Collective will host tours lead by Michelle Barnes (Executive Director), Katy Kleinhans ( Citywide at Heritage Plaza Coordinator ) and select artists.

Participating Artists: Moses Adams, Ron Adams, D’jomme Adia, Hardy Allen, Lashun Beal, Vonetta Berry, Emile C. Browne, Lanre Buraimoh, Valerie Burkes, Cynthia Burleson, Quenton Byers, Eugene Campbell, Kerri Carmouche, Alton Cooper, Quincy Cooper, Joanne Edwards, Akua Fayette, Toyin Folorunso, Pamela Frazier, Leonard Freeman, Jevon Gee, Clyde Ellington Grant II, Lisa E. Harris, Derek Hawkins, Jamil Higley, Keith Hollingsworth, Emma Horace, Dedrick James, Cletus O. Johnson, Dannye Jones, kYmberly Keeton, Linda Simien Kelly, Kelvin Latson, Dekeita McClenon, Tony McMillian, Gail Mebane, Kula Moore, Quentin Pace, Alton Pearce, Frank Perkins, Bridgette A. Phillips, Justin Ransburg, Ezra Roy, Deanna Santiago, Rev. Adreon Scott, Elizabeth Montgomery Shelton, Micah Simmons, Mike Thomas, Jasmin Vann, Donald Walker, Charles Washington, Curtis Williams, Jackie Williams, and Gery Wych.

Five-A, the African American Art Advisory Association at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, was established in 1993 to enhance the museum’s collection of African American and African art.  At the end of each year, Five-A uses its membership dues and other fund-raising proceeds to purchase major works for the permanent collection of the museum. In addition to sponsoring the work of acclaimed artists, Five-A also has championed artists history has overlooked. The support and guidance of Five-A has been instrumental in shepherding up-and-coming artists into the collection. Since its founding, Five-A has brought an impressive 44 objects into the museum’s collection.

The Community Artists’ Collective (The Collective) was conceived in 1985 by Michelle Barnes, artist, art educator and director of Barnes-Blackman Galleries, and Dr. Sarah Trotty, artist and art educator at Texas Southern University. The Collective was organized to meet the needs of professional African American artists with a special sensitivity to African American women artists. The Community Artists’ Collective programs are supported in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance and the Texas Commission on the Arts and through collaborations with community organizations.  The Collective is a member of the Fresh Arts Coalition.

Arts Brookfield (Houston) of Brookfield Properties owns and manages many of the buildings which create downtown Houston’s signature skyline, including the Allen Center and Cullen Center properties and the Heritage Plaza.  Arts Brookfield animates its public spaces in major cities across North America with acclaimed free visual and performing arts.

For more information and updates regarding the exhibition please visit thecollective.org/citywide or mfah.org/programs-for/page/annual-citywide-exhibition/