Sharing Our View

John Baker curated an exhibition of African American art by William Y. Cooper, Wilhelmina Godfrey, James Pappas, Jeanette Shropshire, William E. West, Sr., James Cooper, and himself, including works from the collection. Following its presentation at the Burchfield Penney, the exhibition traveled to New Mount Ararat Temple of Prayer – a church and community center in Buffalo’s East Side neighborhood – to inaugurate East Side/West Side, the Useum Outreach Program. Activities created in association with this exhibition including games, a Kente weaving project, and an interactive computer program, incorporated African art aesthetics. Themed workshops for young people introduced them to role model artists: John Baker on mosaic animal shields, Jeanette Shropshire on rhythmic mural painting, William West, Sr. on abstract paper collage, James Pappas on painting and jazz, John Baker on community quilting, and Bill Cooper on watercolor painting.