Join the Joshua Johnson Council on Facebook Live for their April meeting featuring a presentations from curator Thomas James and artist Murjoni Merriweather.
About Murjoni Werriweather:
As a black woman artist from Maryland, Murjoni Merriweather has found that the best way to create and talk about black culture is through art, especially claywork. As a student from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Murjoni creates sculpted beings that are based around real people and real experiences. Her work addresses and eliminates stereotypes through clay portraits and video work. With this, she enjoys going against the European standards of “beauty” that are placed upon people of color (light skin, petite figure, etc.), and normalizing what is natural about black bodies; loving and accepting them as they come.
Through the artwork, connections and reflections with herself and others are based on shared experiences. She plans to continue eliminating stereotypes and prejudices while uplifting the black community through her craft.
About Thomas James:
Thomas James is a visual arts curator and content creator based in Maryland. An appreciator and collector of fine arts, he highlights working artists and facilitates spaces for creatives to refine and develop their craft.
He studied Business Administration at Frostburg State University where he first dove seriously into the world of art. His first exhibition was at Mountain City Center for the Arts, where he was interning. After graduation, Thomas took an opportunity to independently curate another exhibition, Darkest Before the Dawn at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, and was eventually able to get the show to travel to the ArtReach Gallery in Washington, DC.
Thomas then went on to join the team at The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC and conduct a fellowship at The Maryland Federation of Art in Annapolis, Maryland before joining the Baltimore anchor institution, Creative Alliance, in 2018. Today, Thomas continues to curate beyond Creative Alliance at institutions like the Eubie Blake Cultural Center in Baltimore, Maryland and Anne Arundel Community College.
About the Joshua Johnson Council (JJC):
Joshua Johnson Council (JJC) Members share a passion for African American and African art. Named after an 18th-century African American portrait painter who lived and worked in Maryland, the JJC is one of the oldest African American museum support groups in the U.S. Its mission is to forge meaningful connections between Baltimore’s African American communities and The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) by promoting and highlighting the achievements of African American artists.
JJC Membership offers a wide range of opportunities for active participation within a network of friends and colleagues dedicated to art, education, community, and family. JJC programs and meetings take place on the second Thursday of each month.
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