Beverly & Sam Ross Gallery
ZAIRE LOVE
GHETTO GIRLS DESERVE GOOD THINGS
October 23 – December 15, 2023
Zaire Love is an award-winning filmmaker, music maker, writer, and educator whose mission is to honor, amplify, and immortalize the stories and voices of the Black South focusing most of her work in Memphis and Mississippi. Bringing honor to the Black South, its people, its traditions, and its cultures in the past, present, and future is her life’s work.
As an emerging artist, Zaire has been awarded honors at multiple film festivals, created work for PBS, and granted the If/Then and HULU grant to produce her award-winning short documentary, SLICE. Her artistry is an ode to being Black and Southern in America because the Black South has always had meaningful “cornbread” to share. Zaire calls her work creative cornbread because it is Black Southern sustenance filled with knowledge, discovery, imagination, and authentic artistry that nourishes those who partake.
Zaire Love is a graduate of Spelman College [BA], Houston Baptist University [M. Ed], and the University of Mississippi [MFA]. She directs the Southern Foodways Alliance film program and is the Creative Director at Scalawag Magazine. She is writing new narrative scripts and exploring new documentary ideas with her studio, Creative Cornbread.
EXHIBITION STATEMENT
GHETTO GIRLS DESERVE GOOD THINGS is an ode to the originators of carefree expressive style and culture that influences contemporary culture. There is a demand for ghetto aesthetics and ingenuity but often the creators are erased while the “pseudo-innovators” write a new story with stolen culture. Will we ever talk to the ghetto girl about her dreams, desires, and hopes for her future? And if we do, what would we hear?
In this moment of advocating for Black representation, Black excellence, and Black equity in America, we must keep in mind that radical activism means radical representation. GHETTO GIRLS DESERVE GOOD THINGS exists to ensure ghetto girls have a chance to pull their seats up to the table and tell their stories.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
The genesis of my mission to honor, amplify, and immortalize the stories and voices of the Black South are my granny’s stories about my rebellious Big Mama who didn’t take no mess. She just lived her life on her terms with a toughness and stance that was counter to the narrative that Black folks in the South just let life and harm handle them any kinda way.
The Black South is the catalyst for what makes many Americans proud to be American. Our culture, music, food, literature, inventions, and all of the things make folks from all around the world want to see and witness what America has to offer.
The ghetto girl is no different. Her carefree and artistic style is duplicated and tone-downed to be palatable to the masses. The hairstyles and colors, accessories, style, and vernacular that have made the word “ghetto” have a negative connotation are the same characteristics that make the mainstream interpretation of it “bold” and “edgy”.
The film ETTO, which inspired and influenced this exhibition is a story about how an unapologetically ghetto Black woman navigates the workspace and must decide between her ghetto peace and her proper paycheck. In an Afrofuturistic future, this wouldn’t be an issue but because we’re in the present GHETTO GIRLS DESERVE GOOD THINGS exists as an ode to the originators of carefree expressive style and culture that influences contemporary culture. It exists to honor, amplify, and immortalize the ghetto girls whose influence ain’t credited enough.
FALL 2023 BFA EXHIBITION (Gallery Foyer)
December 11, 2023 – February 15, 2024
Opening Reception: Friday, December 15 (5:00-8:00 pm)
The Beverly and Sam Ross Gallery at Christian Brothers University is proud to present the Fall 2023 BFA Exhibition, featuring works by the following graduating seniors in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts:
DARIUS ANDERSON
Biography: I have spent years finding a way to record my message, and photography was my escape to clarifying the viewer’s view through personality and engagement. I have seen a lot: growth, death, maturity, hope, so my lens is always amplified. My eyes are always open. I can see beyond what is in front of me to create a multitude of realities. My love varies, from photography, music, video, and design. A plethora of activities is a flexible way to capture your specific message. A vast majority of people are unheard, and my job is to make your message heard. I was afraid of not having an impact on the world, and photography was my way to impact it and others. I am shining my light in a world of darkness. A small town kid, from a rough and tough place. You have to be crazy to live like this, however the good crazy.
Artist’s Statement: I, Bogey Studios, hit record on your message, clarifying your view with design, photography, and an amplified lens. My creative artillery is filtered by God’s vision. I am influenced by vibrant color palettes such as green, yellow, red, and blues. These colors make my palette. Photos become supernatural and joyous to look at. I want people to feel the same Joy I feel when taking the photo. My eye becomes your eye when looking at my colorful prints. Bogey’s vibe is to genuinely serve those who want to capture life before a camera. I am inspired by other photographers who showed me how to use my first camera and ever since I learned to manipulate the camera, I fell in Love. I never took a class for it. I just dove headfirst into photography creating images to my liking. Creating is an adrenaline rush, a fresh new feeling for a cognitive thinker. I will bring your thoughts to life, putting you at ease, with innovative media. This canvas I lay for you is a color palette of energy, so let’s Hit Record.
MANUELLA CUETO
Biography: Manuella Cueto was born and raised in Memphis, TN. Manuella is an artist who works with graphic media. She is currently based in Memphis and is graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Christian Brothers University. She has been a part of the AdFed since 2022. She is currently still making work and planning to continue creating designs in the future.
Artist’s Statement: My practice is memorable, and I give places identity with the media of videos, photography, object making, and full identity. I focus on giving places a home where the art that they use can become part of their brand. That can be in the face of a logo, website, graphic materials. I focus on giving places those components that can allow for others to see what they are about. The cool thing about this process is that other people can be part of this experience too along with me. I help their ideas become more than just a dream, but an actual work or art. I have a close relationship with these kinds of works because they bring identity to a place that seems not to have one.
The Beverly + Sam Ross Gallery is located on the lower level of Plough Memorial Library in the center of campus on the Buckman Quadrangle, easily accessible from the Central Avenue parking lot and the East Parkway entrance. All exhibits are free and open to the public.
CONTACT
Scott A. Carter, MFA
Assistant Professor and Gallery Coordinator • (901) 321-3243 • scarte20@cbu.edu