CityLights Exhibit with Claude Desir Jr.in Bridgeport by WPKN Community Radio published on 2021-02-04T19:41:13Z Interview of WPKN by Peggy Nelson and Richard Phenegar on their show STATE OF THE ARTS- about the new exhibit at City Lights Gallery to present the art of Claude Desir Jr. and offer a platform for a young Black man’s perspective, who reclaims derogatory Jim Crow imagery and stereotypes. His is a mixture of kindness and strength, wisdom and resilience, youthful creativity and playfulness, frustration and rage. Provocative art can be the sword and salve, to help purge and heal the festering wound of racial polarization and inequity. City Lights worked with Claude and two other artists of color, including Iyaba Ibo Mandingo and Gerald Moore, to produce a secondary exhibit designed to contextualize Claude's art.This second exhibit includes their art and samples of Black Americana. Much of the curatorial decision making was delegated to the featured artist Claude Desir Jr. Additional essays and video recordings of conversations with the artists will be uploaded to www.citylightsgallery.org in February 2021. The exhibit runs until February 24. Gallery hours are W-F 12-5, Sat 12-4. Requests for reservations are required by emailing clgallerybpt@gmail.com Face masks and physical distancing required.
