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Artistic resilience: Exhibition showcases artists who remained creative during pandemic
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The pandemic created many challenges including our ability to appreciate the arts.
Artists had to come up with clever ways to showcase their art when in-person gallery viewings were not an option. The South Broadway Cultural Center was forced to cancel an art reception an hour before it was scheduled to start when the initial shutdown was enforced by the state in 2020. The city鈥檚 Department of Arts & Culture鈥檚 Public Art Urban Enhancement division took to YouTube to showcase exhibits.
Artistic resilience: Exhibition showcases artists who remained creative during pandemic
Augustine Romero, curator at the South Broadway Cultural Center, has put together an art show that reflects on the resilience of local artists during the pandemic shutdown.
鈥淭he Post Covid Bomb鈥� features a diverse collection by more than 30 artists who exhibited their work between 2020 and 2023. The exhibition is comprised of previously displayed and new works that will on view through Aug. 17 at the South Broadway Cultural Center, 1025 Broadway Blvd. SE. Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. More information can be found at .
鈥淚 thought it would be a good way to revisit some of the artists鈥� work, because during that time period, people weren鈥檛 really looking at art,鈥� Romero said. 鈥淭hings are changing right now and people are out and about a bit more. So, it made sense just to come back and revisit some previous works or give the opportunity for some of those artists to create something new.鈥�
Romero wanted to include more art pieces in the exhibition, but space is limited in the gallery at the center. He narrowed down the collection to interesting pieces of various styles and content.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a good range of mediums,鈥� he explained. 鈥淭here鈥檚 some oil on canvas, acrylic on canvas. There鈥檚 some works on cardboard, there鈥檚 some bronze works. There鈥檚 just a good range of materials. There鈥檚 some aerosol art. There鈥檚 just a good range of the community.鈥�
Romero created the collection from a wide range of artists who come with their own unique influences.
鈥淭his show is kind of a reflection of that and the mediums also contribute to the methods,鈥� he explained.
The South Broadway Cultural Center is historically a community space that was organized and built for and by the community, Romero said.
鈥淪o, I tend to honor those artists and that history of regional artists in a sense,鈥� he explained.
Romero said the show is an effort to create another opportunity for some of the artists that were showing during COVID and for people who were unable to visit the gallery.
鈥淭he selected artists are just revisiting the space,鈥� Romero said. 鈥�(It is) an opportunity to share their work in a time that people are getting out more frequently now that the lockdowns over.鈥�
The name of the exhibition is a play on words related to COVID and the artists鈥� talents.
鈥淭he idea of 鈥楾he Post Covid Bomb鈥� was, you know, when COVID did hit, it was like somebody dropped a bomb on us,鈥� Romero said. 鈥淎nd also, the word 鈥榖omb鈥� also plays on the contemporary context of something really hip, you know, 鈥業t鈥檚 the bomb.鈥� 鈥�
