A couple of weeks ago, artist Janice Frame had an opening reception at Eisenhauer Gallery in Edgartown. “The Eisenhauer Gallerinas” were adorned with flowers. “There was dancing. People sipped sangria. The gallery was more full than ever before — the room was brimming with joy, energy and appreciation,” according to a statement by Eisenhauer Gallery. The gallery has extended the exhibit, so there is still time to see it.
An Island native, Frame holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Fisk University in fiber and textiles and art education. She holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Cambridge College, and teaches art on the Island.
“As an African American artist in today’s world,” Frame writes in her artist’s statement, “I embody the vast differences found in our collective backgrounds. I view them as cultural assets. We are always self-discovering, and these discoveries take us in surprising directions. We must gain strength from what we learn from each other as well as listen to that persistent, ever-present, intuitive self.”
Many of Frame’s portraits directly face the viewer, each one richly adorned and clearly a person, different from an icon or a figure.
“It’s crucial for my work to present Africans as fully realized humans with wants and needs. My goal is for Black viewers to see themselves represented authentically and with dignity,” Frame says. “For non-Black audiences, it’s an invitation to see Africans as complex, nuanced individuals.”
Frame continues, “The connection of one’s own rich heritage and personal growth will travel into the inevitable and critical connection between African Americans and Africa. These connections are rich and very important. They exist! My work, I hope, will serve as a creative connection between the African diaspora and Western culture. It is this connection that causes my creative forces to react.” That connection is clear.
Visit Eisenhauer Gallery at 38 North Water St., Edgartown. See Frame’s work at eisenhauergallery.com/collections/janice-frame.