Grambling State University Professor Brings New Exhibition to LSMSA Art Gallery

Using the Rorschach test as a conceptual framework, the works in W.I.L.L. invite viewers into reflection and contemplation. The exhibition poses layered questions: what do you see, what do you think is happening here, and what is the shape of things to come? Davis's practice centers on drawing and painting in a mixed-media approach, often weaving in wordplay and lyrics. His work is deeply influenced by hip-hop culture, life in the American South, and the legacy of African history and spirituality.

A native of Monroe, Georgia, Rodrecas Davis is a 2006 graduate of the University of Georgia Fine Arts program with an emphasis on drawing and painting. Primarily a mixed-media artist, Davis is also a former columnist for the Athens Banner-Herald and Code Z Online: Black Visual Culture Now. Davis has presented papers at several academic conferences, including the HUIC Conference (Hawaii University International Conferences) Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, where he discussed manifestations of hip-hop culture in the visual arts. His work has been featured in the Politics Issue of Callaloo: A Journal of African Diaspora Arts and Letters, ColorLines, and over one hundred exhibitions. Davis is a professor and Head of the Department of Visual & Performing Arts at Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana. An inaugural recipient of the Take Notice Fund Grant awarded by the National Performance Network (Ford Foundation), Davis also served as juror of the 77th Annual Wabash Valley Exhibition at the Swope Art Museum in Indiana, and was most recently awarded a Creative Residency Fellowship at the Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences.

This solo exhibition is open to the public Monday through Friday, 11:00am – 4:00pm. The gallery is located inside the Center for Performance and Technology on LSMSA's campus.

The public is also invited to attend the closing reception with the artist on March 26th, 4:30pm – 6:00pm.

For further information, contact Chris King, Senior Lecturer of Visual Arts and Gallery Director, at cking@lsmsa.edu.

LSMSA is a tuition-free, public residential high school serving high-achieving sophomores, juniors, and seniors from across Louisiana. Financial assistance is available to ensure access to its 42-year tradition of a rigorous, college-level living and learning experience.

Learn more at LSMSA.edu.