{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Episode 51: Ukwensi Chappell - Gallerie Ukwensi at Ghents","description":"Black artists and their work have long been marginalized as untrained, uneducated, and lesser than their White counterparts. The terms \u201cBlack art\u201d and \u201cBlack artists\u201d by definition prove this marginalization. The artist is seen as Black first, and then through a less than approving lens, their work is viewed in its own little box, unworthy of comparison to the likes of a Rembrandt, a Van Gogh, a Picasso, or a Warhol. They aren\u2019t seen as impressionists, abstractists, sculptors, cubists, expressionists, or realists. They are merely Black artists that make Black art that only Black people could understand and appreciate.    Ukwensi Chappel sees art as art. In 2018, Ukwensi Chappell opened Gallerie Ukwensi, located in the Ghent District of Norfolk. Ukwensi opened Gallerie Ukwensi to do what other gallery\u2019s wouldn\u2019t: expose and educate people to the beauty of art crafted by Black artists. A tour through his gallery reveals something deeper, something powerful and beautiful, rooted in centuries of exclusion.   Ukwensi takes the time to greet every customer, young or old, Black, White or purple, rich or poor. He doesn\u2019t just greet people; he engages with them.    When asked why he knows so much about not only a particular piece, but the artists themselves, he says \u201cMost galleries in the area didn\u2019t greet me when I came in, and if they did, they didn\u2019t tell me about the art. But every piece has a story, and every story was an experience by the artist.\u201d    Ukwensi\u2019s art, rich abstracts made of layers of crushed glass and pigments suspended in clear enamel that form 3-dimensional kaleidoscopes, line the main wall. He calls his work \u201cMy windows to your imagination.\u201d No matter what you think you see in his work, its correct.   To learn more about Gallerie Ukwensi at Ghents, please follow them on Facebook and Instagram by putting Gallerie Ukwensi at Ghents in your search box.  You may also visit their website at www.gallerie-ukwensi.com   To learn more about Huami Magazine, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram by putting Huami Magazine in your search box.  You may also visit our website at www.huamimagazine.com   To follow this podcast on Facebook and Instagram, simply put This Is Who I Am in your search box.   To purchase your copy of Is My Time Now: Caregiving 101, please visit www.revodellcleveland.com. You may also contact Odell Cleveland directly at 336-895-8995 ","author_name":"thisiswhoiam's podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/thisiswhoiam.libsyn.com\/website","html":"