Museum of Sonoma County’s panel features Black artists and their inspirations

Four Black contemporary artists were the focal point Sunday of the Museum of Sonoma County’s “Art in Conversation: Black Resistance in Contemporary Art” — a panel discussion about the artists’ work, what it means to be a Black artist today, and the works as forms of resistance in Black culture.

Featured artists Unity Lewis, Michael Granville, and TheArthur Wright were joined by panel moderator Denise Ward, a Sonoma County metal artist.

An audience of about 75 people watched a three-minute video showcasing 400 years of Black art and excellence as a kick-off to Sunday’s panel.

“Art has always been the light to show us what people looked like, what they did, how they existed as humans on this planet,” Ward said during the discussion. “If you want to learn about civilization, don’t look at history books — look at art.”

Each artist talked about their journeys and about their artistic processes as audience members nodded and clapped reverently.

Wright and Lewis discussed the relevance of the color gold in their pieces.

“The color gold amplifies the light that melanin can carry. That blackness is that melanin, that melanin holds that life force, and that life force is connected to the sun and our connection to creation and growth,” Lewis said of his work.

In 1995, Wright discovered an innovative painting technique, “serendipitously,” as he worked on a watercolor piece on black paper. He needed to make a correction so he dabbed the paper with bleach and something magnificent happened — the paper turned gold, he shared during the panel.

In 2020, Granville, who’s also an athlete, launched Illustrative Voices, a group dedicated to empowering artists impacted by and who are passionate about social justice.

The group, he said, was born from the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd, as well as rallies supporting Stop Asian Hate movements that erupted across the U.S. in 2020 and 2021.

“I grew up being more of a private artist ... the gift of being an exhibition director for Illustrative Voices was to knock down that wall of selfishness and expand my eyes to where I am now — among so many artists in the Bay,” Granville said. “I’ve found myself as a student of art.”

Sunday’s panel was presented in partnership with Petaluma Blacks for Community Development.

“I hope this afternoon becomes a step forward for everyone in the room to dig deep,” Ward said.

You can reach Staff Writer Mya Constantino at mya.constantino@pressdemocrat.com. @searchingformya on Twitter.