Resources:
Sarah Rigg's Feature Article: Black artists spotlighted in annual art show at Ypsi’s Riverside Art Center
4th Annual Black Artist Exhibit: "Embracing Unity through Art"
African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County
Transcription:
Lee Van Roth: You're listening to 89.1 WEMU. I'm Lee Van Roth, and this is On the Ground Ypsi. Riverside Arts Center is currently hosting the fourth annual Black Artist Exhibition in cooperation with the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County. The show opened with a reception on January 16th and runs through February 28th with a closing reception planned for February 27th. With me today is Ronnie Peterson, who helped to start the event four years ago alongside the museum. Ronnie, welcome! Thank you so much for joining us!
Ronnie Peterson: Thank you for the invitation! Certainly appreciate you for that!
Lee Van Roth: As we mentioned at the top, this is the fourth year of the Black Artist Exhibition at RAC. Can you take us back to four years ago when these conversations kind of started and how this partnership kind of came together?
Ronnie Peterson: Well, certainly me and Gloria wanted to give back to the community. We wanted to find out a way that we could continue to give long after we've gone to make sure that the community is able to share the richness and culture that exists in our community. Of course, we thought art would be the first, let me say, activity would occur that we would be supportive of. And we contacted Debby Covington of the African American Museum in Washtenaw County, who does outstanding work, they do some work throughout the year, not just for this event, and Lynne Settles, who is a very excellent artist but also a person who gives a lot back to the community, and say, "How can we create this and be supported of it, not only one year but consistently every year?" And we reached out to the Riverside Art Theater And let me just say the Riverside Art Theater and their board of directors here in Ypsilanti and their director and their assistant director said, "Yes! We want to be supportive of this effort!" And we thought what a fine venue to have it at the Riverside Art Theater, which has opened up its doors for many other artists and have given support throughout the last four years of this activity.
Lee Van Roth: And over those four years, how has the exhibition sort of evolved in that time? I'm sure it's gotten bigger, at least, with more folks kind of reaching out and wanting to be a part of the program.
Ronnie Peterson: Well, we have had people as far as Lansing, Detroit, Southfield, Sterling Heights, Madison Heights, West Bloomfield to come. This year, unfortunately, we had to turn down artists because the room is not just big enough to take in all the artwork, or let me say, artists who are willing to lend their renderings to the show. That's tremendous! That's commendable to the artist who, let me say, wants to give to the community. And that's commendable to the organization who has created this venue to make people want to be a part of it. The reception, was, let me say, one of few times where we had no chairs left! And I think, the last few times, there were no chairs available in the Riverside Art Theater. People have to stand up to come to the event and, let me say, share free of charge. We do not expect to charge forever for this event. It is free to the community. It's free to anyone who comes. And like you said, we appreciate visitors throughout the metropolitan area.
Lee Van Roth: And each year, there is a different theme that the show kind of follows. This year's theme being "Embracing Unity through Art." It's in honor of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and to Black history sort of as a whole too. And I'm wondering how we reached that theme for this year. Why was this a message that you wanted to convey through art to the local audience?
Ronnie Peterson: Well, every year, we try to come up with a saying. I give the credit a lot to Lynne Settles on this one because she is an artist. And we wanted to, let me say, express to the community that it's not a just a Black thing. We're a community. We all have different nationalities, race, creed, color. We all have different agendas, but the agenda, let me say, that it's be inclusive to the committee at large. And so, we want to say, as anyone who's an artist, know that you render your work based upon what you see and what you feel. And it's important to them to share that in unity. So, what a unity message! And I'm glad to see the diversity at the reception. I'm glad to see the diversity at the exhibit. And it is important that we play a role. African Americans or Blacks should not step aside. We're one community, and we must contribute what we see and what we feel. And bringing about unity through art is a strong message. And, yes, it is to contribute to Dr. Martin Luther King. We always try to kick the event off around his birthday. He gave so much to make us be where we are today as a nation. We still have challenges. We have a long way to go. And I was a demonstrator, so it was very important to me that I give back because of his work. And that's why there's no charge for the event. The activities is all local donated. No one gets paid. It's all about us coming together to remember a remarkable person who has change the landscape of this country. And continually, we must work in unity to continue that movement. It's not a movement about because of a bullet on the Lorraine Hotel steps of Memphis, Tennessee. We were all on the steps that day, and we should all realize somebody made a huge sacrifice for the contribution.
Lee Van Roth: Visitors to the opening reception and throughout the exhibition this month can expect to see more than 50 different artworks in a wide variety of media from several different artists. What do you think, as far as going from the submission reviewing process to the final show, what do you see in this exhibition that shows the broad diversity of the arts in our community here and specifically art created by Black artists?
Ronnie Peterson: Well, it's a good question you asked me that because I'm looking at them the other day, Friday at the reception. And I see the differences. It's the message in it. You've got generations. We've got teenage artists who participate all the way up to, let me say, the mature age. And it's the different message in what they want to communicate in their artwork. That's what I find so unique in such appreciation. They see with their eyes how they see this country, how they feed children who live in poverty, how they can happy families, how they see life itself. And it's a difference, and it's tremendous to look at it. And the artists usually attend. We have a large attendance for artists, who not just drop the artwork off, who stays for the show to explain their expression in artwork. Let me also mention the Palm Leaf Club. It's the oldest African American, Black women's club in the state of Michigan, that was created out of Ypsilanti in 1904. And Judy Jackson served as president. They're also sponsoring an event. Their event's going to be in February because it's run from Martin Luther King's birthday all through African American History Month. So, it's an activity they will create, and it'd be about journey from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. So, we share historical sessions too during the art show. And also, we have other artists that will be performing different activities during these two months.
Lee Van Roth: This is WEMU's On the Ground Ypsi. I'm Lee Van Roth, continuing my conversation with Ronnie Peterson. So, Ronnie, from a community standpoint, and you touched on this a bit earlier, and I'd love to dig into it a little more with you. Why is it so important for spaces like this to exist within, especially here in Ypsi and in Washtenaw County, these kinds of spaces offered by RAC and then curated by an organization like the African American Cultural and Historical Museum. Why is it so important now, especially, to cultivate these kinds of spaces and have these kinds of conversations around art and around the Black experience here in our region?
Ronnie Peterson: I think you say that so clearly, and I think it's important. And I think we need to know each other. It's unfortunate, let me say, we still live pretty segregated. It's very unfortunate, and I shared that in my views when we were organizing this activity. We're still segregated in many ways, I mean, after 60-some years. I was a protester, and I was a demonstrator. And, let me say, I lived under Jim Crow. My vacation was in the South every year, and it was different rules and regulations in the South--much different than Michigan. But Michigan, too, had its struggles integrating. The things that would happen is we should be one community, and that's why I appreciate the Riverside Art Theater by opening up the doors and letting us be a part of the activities that take place. You're going to hear other announcements too that we're going to be coming out with pretty soon with the art community and what we're doing collectively in terms of creating more events. But we got to bring the community together. It's unfortunate that we still go to the events and everybody looks alike. They shouldn't look alike, and that's why we try to broadcast what's going at the Riverside Art Theater. We got to be one community who shares different backgrounds, different history, different issues, but we come collectively to support one another.
Lee Van Roth: And for folks who haven't had a chance to drop in to Riverside yet to enjoy the exhibition, if anyone, for some reason, is hesitant to go and enjoy some beautiful art, what would you say to them to encourage them to come out?
Ronnie Peterson: Well, you come and you'll be surprised because a lot of the audience is not African American. They're people who appreciate the work of art, and they appreciate the contributions that people are making because no one is paid to do this. They all do it on a volunteer basis, and they're doing it to share the beauty that they see with their eyes and their artwork. And I would encourage you to come out and enjoy yourself. The closing, I believe, is February 27th. We always have good or excellent entertainment that night to close it out. And you would appreciate the fact that we are a diverse community that comes together for good things but also being supportive of one another.
Lee Van Roth: Ronnie, thank you so much for sharing a little background on this exhibition and in the partnerships that have made it possible! It's a really lovely exhibit that I personally am very excited to go and drop by a couple of times probably!
Ronnie Peterson: Thank you, WEMU! You do a great job in keeping the community informed!
Lee Van Roth: For more on today's conversation and a link to the full article, visit our website at WEMU.org. On the Ground Ypsi is brought to you in partnership with Concentrate Media. I'm Lee Van Roth, and this is your community NPR station, 89.1 WEMU-FM, Ypsilanti.
Non-commercial, fact based reporting is made possible by your financial support. Make your donation to WEMU today to keep your community NPR station thriving.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on X (Twitter)
Contact WEMU News at 734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org
