PAVARTES

The Manuel Zapata Olivella Center

cordially invites you to the FREE opening of its

First Annual Martin Luther King, Jr.

Commemorative Exhibition of Art

"Visions of Connection:

Celebrating African Roots and

Culture in the Americas"

DIRECTIONS EN ESPAÑOL

featuring works by

AMA BE (Ghana - US)

CHERYL EDWARDS (US)

GINA ECHEVERRY (Colombia)

PETER LEWIS (Trinidad)

SISTO PASCALE (Uruguay)

Opening: Friday, January 25, 2008. 7:00 PM

Sponsoring Organizations:

Wesley United Methodist Church

Milpa Cultural Association

TransAfrica Forum

Friends of the Congo

With Musical Groups:

Batalá Percussion Band (Brazil)

Candombe for Ever (Uruguay)

(twenty musicians on stage)

Exhibition: January 25 - 27, 2008 (11 AM - 5 PM)

Wesley United Methodist Church

5312 Connecticut Avenue & Jenifer Street, NW, Washington, DC 20015

For more information: manuelzapataolivellacenter@gmail.com

at 202- 558- 7230

info@wesleydc.org

at 202- 966- 5144

Ama BE

Ama BE recently wrote about herself “… I love what I do. Each creation is a jewel to me. I create from life around me and whatever I could get my hands on. I create from happiness, clear observations and ancestral support. My style is me, passionate, unique and changes with the seasons. Like every living tradition, my art tells a story you choose to hear. So come inside the, swim around, talk story with each piece if you like. Art is about the experience, I hope you have a great one here!... OceanFire Creations is an online storefront here to offer you creations out of AmaBEFree Studios by me, Nana Ama Bentsi-Enchill. OceanFire supports new traditional art and crafts inspired by ancient wisdom, current media, and one humanity. I am and artist, self-taught and empowered by ancestors. My art explores multi-media, including acrylic paint, digital photography, poetry, collage and found objects. I am happy to create with my hands from my heart.” oceanfire.ecrater.com

Cheryl D. Edwards

Cheryl was born in Miami Beach, Florida. She began her studies in art during 1990 in New York City in a class at the Art Student League taught by the late, Ernest Crichlow. She has been living in Washington, DC for the past 13 years. Cheryl has exhibited in many shows in the Washington, DC area. Cheryl has a studio in Takoma Park, District of Columbia. Cheryl is a member of the Strathmore Center for the Arts League; Capitol Hill Arts League, and a Board member of the A. Salon Studio, a non-profit art group. Her interest in art stems from her fascination of the human body as a whole. Her medium is oil, and egg tempera. After 15 years of painting nudes and portraits she has become fascinated with nature and how it relates to humanity. She says, "...the transfer of an image to canvas begins from the process of having the ability to capture the spirit of a person or object being observed.” “... the person's soul shines through the process of capturing the light and dark areas. Art allows me to travel into all realms of possibility. As I look at my life, I have found that I have always chosen ART..." Cheryl's studio is located at 6925 Willow Street, Takoma Park, Washington, DC. Please contact her for viewings and/or visit her website, www.yessy.com

Gina Maria Echeverry

Gina Maria was born in Chocó,

Colombia

, in 1976. She earned a Bachelor Degree as a Fine Arts Teacher from the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University of Bogotá, in her natal country, in 1997. That same year she moved back to Chocó, on the Colombian Pacific coast, to work with the poor communities and the children. Chocó is a territory with a majority of black population. It is also the poorest region in

Colombia

, and the most affected by violence in recent years. After finishing school, Gina Maria joined the Technological University of Chocó, where she created the Program of Fine Arts, the first ever to exist in the Colombian Pacific Coast, convinced, as she was that Arts offered a big possibility for the youngsters to be kept out of the mainstream violence. She was sure that through the Arts it was possible to improve the harsh conditions in which people live in that beautiful but impoverished region. With that goal in mind, she helped to create the Popular School for Arts, which made possible for many community artists with no formal education to have access to classes, governmental aid, and opportunities. Being an advocate for Civil and Human Rights, her art gathers the varied cultural expressions of the African Diaspora in Latin America, as well as the permanent struggle of women to reach their fulfillment, in a society that denies their right to be. The series that form her exhibition speak for themselves: When Mothers Love, Silent Witnesses, Waiting for Them, Women of Color, among others, are -unfortunately- signs that reflect the war she witnessed in her country, the suffering of the weakest, the pain that women and children have to endure. In year 2000 Gina left

Colombia

and moved to Philadelphia, PA, where she began to teach fine art classes to the children in North Philadelphia. Currently Gina divides her time between her paintings, teaching elementary school, and advocacy work on behalf of women and disadvantaged communities in Latin America. Gina has had exhibits in many places, in her natal

Colombia

and in the

USA

. In this country she has showed her artwork in cities like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington D.C., among others. niche5@hotmail.com

Peter Lewis

Peter wrote about himself “…a native from Trinidad, now Silver Spring, MD local is a divinely inspired artist who creates original artwork brought forth by meditation unto the Most High. As a spiritual being, Lewis understands it as his duty to pass on a universal message for all to interpret. Using his gift from God, Peter prays that his art may spark that divine connection in his fellow brothers and sisters. We are all one family, God’s children, and as one of His children, it is important for Peter to remind all of the true unity, that every being has a chance to connect with the Spirit. Every being knows that saying, “A Picture is worth a thousand words,” Peter’s art is beyond words, it is meant to provoke a personal feeling in each that is between them and the creator and beyond… Peter specializes in oil on canvas, using bold colors and abstract imagery, preferring to work in large scale… Peter is also available to be commissioned to do public artwork, providing that all inquiries recognize that he is an inspirational artist. A “theme” or “subject” may be offered, but the creation will manifest from the Divine.” http://www.mosthighpal.com/

Sisto Pascale

Sisto was born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1965. When he was just five years old he migrated with his family to the U.S., where he lived for seventeen years. At a very early age he began to study art and participated in numerous art contests and workshops. By the age of 18 he had achieved much recognition for his works to include the Scholastic Art Awards finalist with 2 gold keys, a painting at the Goddard Space Flight Center's collection, finalist at the Kennedy Center's Readers Digest Art Contest, ASTAG art awards. He also won scholarships from the Corcoran Art College, the Maryland College of Art and Design, the Baltimore Art College, the Pratt and many more. In 1987 he returned to Uruguay with a degree in Fine Arts from the Maryland College of Art and Design (now School of Art & Design at Montgomery College), including an Associates Degree in Fine Arts. In Uruguay he established his Art Studio and began teaching. From 1987 to date he has had his works exhibited in almost all of the main Uruguayan art galleries. During the last twenty years he has also made it possible for over 6,500 children, adolescents and adults to somehow be involved in his continuous art projects, thanks to the collaboration of many companies and his students. In his studio he has taught over 1,000 students, he has also worked hard in helping change the way art is taught in Uruguay through his conferences, where he has made many aware of the fact that art forms part of our day to day life. His studio is recognized as a formal art studio from the Ministry of Culture in Uruguay. There are very few studios in Uruguay that have this official registry. He has worked as an art consultant to many private firms and embassies including the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo. In 2007, as part of the celebrations for 20 years of exceptional work in Uruguay, he had five successful art exhibits. http://www.sistopascale.com/