Provided by Center for the Arts
Exhibit Dates: Feb. 7 to March 27
Meet the Artist Reception: Saturday, Feb. 8, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
(Hosted by the Prince William County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.)
The Center for the Arts is pleased to present “It’s Complicated,” featuring emerging Baltimore artist Dr. Yemonja Smalls.
It’s Complicated…An Investigation into the Complexities of Relationships
When used to define the relationship, the words “it’s complicated” suggest hidden or unexplained snags, trickiness or entanglement that blur the beauty of the bond. In her first East Coast solo show, Yemonja selects and assembles mixed media to convey the complexities that color relationships. She explores both a metaphorical and literal process of breaking, tearing, hiding, layering and cementing to yield insight into what creates and maintains unions.
Through deconstructed and re-assembled materials, Yemonja presents multifaceted layers of said connections with precision. The chemistry of colors combined are held together, and even in fracture, everything remains whole. She presents reflections of life/death, self-love, soul-ties, and work-life balance, for viewer dialogue.
About the Artist
Dr. Yemonja Smalls is an artist with very little formal artistic training. Originally from Hershey, Pennsylvania, she is a recent Chicago to Baltimore transplant. She works in the Maryland Department of Health’s Developmental Disabilities Administration.
Yemonja completed her pre-doctoral internship at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Kennedy Krieger Institute, and received her doctorate from Louisiana State University in clinical psychology. She is expanding her clinical skills with a master’s degree in Art Therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Yemonja has interned at sites supporting adults with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as African American teenage girls who experienced life trauma, and family caregivers who may be subject to secondary trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout.
Yemonja’s creations have been exhibited in the museums and galleries in Chicago and Milwaukee, on the set of the Fox TV show “Empire,” Howard University, and Hill Center Galleries. Some of her creations reside in various private collections across the nation.
The Center for the Arts is located at 9419 Battle Street in historic Manassas. The Center for the Arts is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Saturday.
