For three decades, native Venezuelan Orlando Acevedo has been collecting African Art. These items reminded him of the masking and dancing traditions of his Afro-Venezuelan heritage called Diablos de Yare. Over the years, Mr. Acevedo has collected numerous items from ethnic groups throughout the continent including the Dogon, Dan, Chokwe, Asante, Akan, Lobi and many others. Some of his favorite pieces are those of the Senufo, Dan and Baules of the Ivory Coast. This exhibit highlights the pride one individual has shown in his African heritage while also highlighting the diversity that exists in classical African Art. Each mask on display has cultural and spiritual meaning for the group of people that made it. Upon the close of this show, Mr. Acevedo will donate his entire collection to a developing Afro-Venezuelan cultural arts center.

Williams’ exhibition was a blending of the senses focused on art and music: seeing, sounds, and hearing colors. As an artist and musician, Williams heightens the exhibit visitors’ sensory experience with an accompanying musical CD, featuring Mario Abney and Zena Moses, that is also entitled Synesthesia. His vision was to create an exhibit that infused visual art, music, and spoken word (rap/poetry). The art work focused on paintings and found objects such as: wooden palettes, doors, musical instruments, tires, televisions, etc. Found objects are a continuum of a narrative flowing through the work, becoming elements of a story intricately woven into a work of art in order to create a new meaning and new context.

Inspiration for the exhibition came from a condition called Synesthesia or “joined perception” in which stimulation of one sensory leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory.