Opening Friday, November 19 in the Gallery at 3S Artspace are two exhibits: A Quiet Reach, featuring works by Daniel Minter, and Vision and Visibility, a group exhibit of works by emerging BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) artists from New England. A reception and opportunity to meet some of the artists will be held from 5-8pm.

Exhibits at 3S are always free and open to the public, and can also be viewed virtually at 3SArtspace’s website. Through the unique lens of contemporary arts experiences, 3S Artspace invites divergent perspectives and encourages lively discourse centered around issues of today.

Prior to the pandemic, Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire planned to exhibit a selection of Daniel Minter’s work in their galleries in 2020. However, as spaces all over the country shut their doors, exhibitions were canceled or postponed. “Fortunately, however, ‘as one door closes, another opens,’ or so they say,” said Beth Falconer, Executive Director of 3S Artspace. “We began discussions with the team at Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire about ways we could work together to present Daniel’s work, and without a doubt, this led to an abundance of silver linings.”

“The breadth and depth of what we were each previously planning on our own has grown. With newly formed relationships and meaningful collaborations, we’re not only preparing to hold Daniel Minter exhibitions at 3S and BHTNH, but we’re also exhibiting an extraordinary group show, poetry nights, and more, rounding out a calendar of opportunities from November into January. Both organizations hope that our combined efforts lead to more visitation and participation,” said Falconer.

A Quiet Reach
Daniel Minter’s overall body of work often deals with themes of displacement and diaspora; ordinary/extraordinary blackness; spirituality in the Afro-Atlantic world; and the (re)creation of meanings of home.

For the past 15 years, Minter has raised awareness of the forced removal in 1912 of an interracial community on Maine’s Malaga Island which is the focus of the work in A Quiet Reach. “He’s the one who first put the story of Malaga to imagery,” said JerriAnne Boggis, Executive Director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. “It’s a tragic story of a free community of people of color living together harmoniously with poor whites on this island. Maine decided it was a blight to society and the State’s tourism so they dug up all the graves, tore down all the buildings, and moved everyone off the islands, relocating some people of color in an asylum for the mentally ill.”

Minter’s formative work on Malaga emerges from his active engagement with the island, its descendants, archeologists, anthropologists, and scholars. His dedication to righting history was pivotal in the island’s dedication as a public preserve. Minter works in varied media and this cross-fertilization informs his artistic sensibility. His carvings become assemblages. His paintings are often sculptural. Minter embeds a set of symbols that tell a complex and layered story centered in an African American historical context yet are connected to Black histories in the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, and especially, Brazil. “The extensive detail in this work to reveal Malaga Island’s story, the way he uses the water, and stenciling over stories is so much about the invisible being made visible. The story of enslavement, the disappearing of people, crossing water, and then, their reemergence can be seen. It’s the African American story told beautifully through art. It’s captivating,” said Boggis.

An excerpt from Revelations: Bitter History, Enduring Spirit in the Art of Daniel Minter by Henry John Drewal states: “The story of the Malaga Island community is but one local episode revealing the depth and pervasiveness of abiding racism in this country, whether south or north, east or west, past or present. Internationally, the Malaga community shares a history not unlike those countless African communities in the Americas (known as maroon (Engl.), cimarron (Sp.), or quilombo (Bantu) who resisted bondage and struggled to maintain their freedom and independence. They too were destroyed physically, but their stories are beginning to be told.

The Malaga story may be directly connected to this global history of African diasporas for a slaving ship named Malaga that was built not far from the island in 1832 and was active in the illegal trans-Atlantic slave trade for many years.” In his artist statement, Minter said, “Like the soft ripples on the still morning shore, Malaga touches us all. My work regarding the story of Malaga island has been a process of learning and telling, telling and showing, showing and feeling.” Select pieces in this exhibit are gratefully on loan from Greenhut Galleries.

Vision and Visibility
The work exhibited in Vision and Visibility was selected from an open call for submissions by guest artists Sachiko Akiyama, L’Merchie Frazier, and Ashley Page, along with leadership from 3S Artspace and Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. The artists’ work represents a wide breadth of mediums and offers viewers a unique insight into perspective, perception, the personal, as well as cultural identity. Exhibiting artists include Leslie Anne Condon, Laura Di Piazza, L’Merchie Frazier, Hai-Wen Lin, Julia Marden, Jasmine Milton, Ashley Page, Aina Sullivan, Cynthia Velásquez-Owens, and Evelyn Wong.

“I was curious about this exhibition call because it’s in partnership with the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire and specifically requested works from BIPOC artists in New England. It’s a rare and exciting opportunity to show work alongside other BIPOC artists who are making work under themes, ideas, or desires for sharing our vision as well as to gain visibility and recognition for our work. [It’s] an opportunity for BIPOC audiences to share a space with us as well.” said Evelyn
Wong. “I am new to New England and hope to remain an active member of the Seacoast artist community, especially the artist community of color,” said Cynthia Velásquez-Owens in her application.

3S Artspace and Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire say they are honored to share this work with the public in an effort to make visible the work of contemporary BIPOC artists and to encourage us all to stay curious, foster empathy, and fuel creativity. JerriAnne Boggis said, “Artists of color are here. They’ve always been here creating art, and the majority folks are just catching up. Art is a platform to use to successfully make our presence seen in the community.”

Visitors can learn more about health and safety during your visit to 3S Artspace:
www.3sarts.org/health-and-safety

Coinciding with the Gallery exhibits, 3S Artspace has launched a virtual Gallery experience (at
www.galleryat3S.org) for those who are not ready or able to visit 3S Artspace in person as a way to
stay connected to 3S from home. The virtual exhibits will have a 3D virtual tour of the Gallery space,
as well as high-resolution images of works in the exhibit.
● Gallery exhibition dates: November 19, 2021 – January 2, 2022
Free and open to the public.
● More info on A Quiet Reach: https://www.3sarts.org/gallery/minter-malaga
● More info on Vision and Visibility: https://www.3sarts.org/gallery/vision-visibility
● Visit 3S Artspace’s virtual Gallery & 3D tour: www.galleryat3S.org
● These exhibits are generously supported by Bangor Savings Bank, listingtunnel.com,
Mezzanine Catering, Revision Energy, and Service Credit Union.