CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
”How We Got Over”
::: sayings from my kindred ‘nem
JANUARY 17 - MARCH 7, 2025 | WEST WING AND COMMONS GALLERIES
OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 5 - 8PM.
The Greenville Museum of Art (GMoA) is thrilled to host, “How We Got Over” ::: sayings from my kindred ‘nem, an exhibition guest curated by Zacaria Sage. This exhibition showcases the work of seven North Carolina-based artists (Bruklyn, Fuss, Majesty Royale-Jackson, Nina Alex Scott, Shambo Medina, Taari Felice, and Tashia Ethridge) working in a variety of media in response to GMoA’s fall 2024 exhibition, Aphorisms & Verses: Works from the GMoA Collection by Ben Shahn and Marvin Saltzman, which will remain partially installed through March 7th.
“An aphorism is an expressive truth, observation, or set of instructions,” writes guest curator Zacaria Sage and curatorial consultant Sir Porte. “This concept transcends generational lines, cultures, and territory borders to equip people with life-sourced guidance. The work of Ben Shahn and Marvin Saltzman are some examples of sense-making with aphorisms through written or visual forms in the GMoA permanent collection. Those works are in conversation with the seven invited artists of “How We Got Over” ::: sayings from my kindred ‘nem, who have unearthed other Aphro-isms. Aphro-isms, or Black Aphorisms, offer a rich legacy of sharing the wisdom gained from lived experience and the trials we have overcome. Aphro-isms are an oral tradition of learning, telling, remembering, and listening to truths. The embedded knowledge of these sometimes witty or metaphorical wisdoms often comes from those with the knowledge of danger, marginality, or precarity.”
GMoA will host the opening reception of “How We Got Over” ::: sayings from my kindred ‘nem on Friday, February 7 from 5-8pm. Join us for light refreshments, live music by Debbie the Artist and poetry by Regina YC Garcia, and a chance to meet the guest curator and participating artists.
ABOUT THE GUEST CURATOR, ZACARIA SAGE:
Zacaria is a weaver of story who uses the elements of Movement, Color, and Sound to draw out imaginative narratives that bring honor and dignity to his experience of Blackness. His core aspiration is to create spaces within museums that resonate with people of color; where members of his community not only encounter themselves in the storytelling of the shared historical, present, and future iterations; but where folx are duly invited to feel a deep sense of ownership over that story. Zacaria is passionate about empowering Black and Brown patrons to assert and claim agency in shaping how interconnected personal narratives are told. He firmly believes that everyone, regardless of their background, should enter these spaces with a profound sense that they are standing on sacred ground, witnessing a sacred story.
A true creative at heart, Zacaria seeks to grow his interdisciplinary artistry into an intentional practice that takes center stage in his life - intentionally casting a shadow of doubt over the capitalist structures that govern our world - to honor the ancestral wealth and rememory that affirms his practice as one of healing modality and portal maker. As an interdisciplinary storyteller, artist, and teacher known for a unique voice and unconventional style, Zacaria uses his practices to create avenues to have difficult conversations about race, class, gender, and spirituality. Zacaria's evolution as an artist stems from a personal drive to expand as a multi-disciplinary artist. Encouraged by the support of the Black Trans and Queer community, he remains committed to pursuing his dreams with unyielding passion.
