Description

Art & Museum Exhibits BIPOC Initiative Solo Exhibitions at Freeport Art Museum October 27th marks the opening date for two new solo exhibitions under the umbrella of the Freeport Art Museum's Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Initiative. The overriding goals are to create an environment where the BIPOC community participates in programs and activities and broadens the art exhibited in ways that establish social and racial equity and share our diverse community's knowledge and contributions. Through 2025 (five years) artists of color will be selected by artists of color. Opening reception is hosted by the NAACP Freeport Branch. October 27th 5 pm to 7 pm. 2023, the third year of the BIPOC Initiative, features Nicole Davis, and Stephen Signa - Aviles. Nicole Davis is a visual artist and educator based in Illinois. She works primarily in textile, photography, and painting. Nicole served as a Special Education teacher in public school systems for twenty-one years before pivoting to an art career. She received an MFA degree from the University of Iowa in 2020. Her artwork has been shown throughout the Midwest including at the Soo Visual Arts Center, Minneapolis, MN, the Koehnline Museum in Skokie, IL, and the South Bend Museum of Art in South Bend, IN. Stephen Signa-Aviles is a Mexican-American artist living in Urbana, Illinois. His works are sculptural manifestations that embody themes of memory, national identity, assimilation, and cultural hybridity. Stephen earned an MFA in 2021 from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he currently is Assistant Professor of Art in the School of Art & Design.