curated by Dalissa McEwen-Reeder

New Hope Arts’ 2022 Legacy Exhibition, Ancestral Intersection, is an invitational art exhibition highlighting how an artist’s personal ancestry or connection to humanity has impacted their past work, influences their current work, and inspires future work. The regional artists featured in this show come from various cultural/ethnic backgrounds to reflect the nature of the population in the US.

"Within this body of work, it is my hope that one can discover the common threads that bind us together as human beings while also gaining an understanding of and celebrating the distinct heritage and viewpoint of each individual artist."

Exhibiting Artists/Groups*

Opening Reception: September 24, 4-8 pm, with a live performance by Tchin, an Indigenous Elder musician, artist, and culture bearer who will play the Native courting flute which has unique historical and cultural significance

Gallery Hours: Friday-Sunday, noon - 5pm

*Within this group of established artists, there are a few artists who represent local non-profit organizations whose missions I’d like to amplify; We Are The Seeds, the OYA ["oh-yah"] Studio, and the Centro de Cultura, Arte, Trabajo y Educacion. Each one gives a voice to underrepresented artists in the US.

We Are the Seeds “celebrates and educates about contemporary Indigenous arts and culture, creates opportunities for Indigenous artists, and provides positive and accurate representation for Indigenous peoples.” Director Tailinh Agoyo says, “We are challenging Indigenous erasure and invisibility in Philadelphia (and beyond) and creating safe spaces to exist as we are— beautiful, thriving peoples with important histories and even stronger futures.”

The OYA ["oh-yah"] Studio cultivates racial equity in the ceramic arts by facilitating opportunities for Black ceramic artists and creating a physical archive of our extensive contributions to the field. According to a 2019 study by Williams College, less than 1.2% of the artists in major U.S. museums are African American artists despite the U.S. population being approximately 15% African American.

Founder and artist, Yinka Orafidiya, is working to change that narrative by establishing a studio museum that will showcase Black ceramic artists while also providing mentorship, artist-in-residence opportunities, and low-cost/no-cost educational workshops to underserved individuals who aspire to become professional ceramic artists. Isaac Scott is the inaugural artist-in-residence at OYA's ceramic studio, which launched as a LLC early this year, helping to shape the residency experience for future artists. The museum, which is currently in the pre-launch phase, will operate as OYA's nonprofit arm, enabling the organization to acquire and permanently archive the largest collection of artwork by Black ceramic artists in the nation.

The Centro de Cultura, Arte, Trabajo y Educacion, a non-profit organization in Norristown, PA. is dedicated to providing holistic programming and support to help the dreams of the Latinx community in Norristown and surrounding areas come true. Their mission is to “ignite social transformation developing the talents and empowering the Latinx community through education, culture, art, technology, health, and science.

In this way, CCATE embraces four key sectors for a successful community. Based on family, student, and faculty interests and talents, we collaboratively design classes in the areas of dramatic and visual arts, media productions, and music. What makes CCATE unique is how through the intersection of our dreams and determination, we collectively create space for individual growth, community engagement and social change.