Solo exhibition of MCC artist-in-residence Antoinette Cauley planned
Nicola Kosović
Antoinette Cauley
Posted
Mesa Community College artist-in-residence Antoinette Cauley will present a solo exhibition of her work Sept. 5-Oct.17 at the Art Gallery on the Southern and Dobson Campus.
A reception is 6-8 p.m. Sept. 5 in the gallery and an artist talk 7-8 p.m. Sept. 27 in Room 1 of the AC Building at he campus, 1833 W. Southern Ave. in Mesa, according to a release.
The collection of work called “I Used to Wonder What It Feels Like,” is a chronological journey taking viewers through the artists growth from a young girl with a pack of crayons and a dream, to Cauley’s international travels and immersion in the Berlin contemporary art scene. She returned to Phoenix to solidify her presence as a beloved local painter, curator and mentor to emerging artists.
Featuring a generous display of Cauley’s personal items, the exhibition highlights previously shown works and new paintings that follow her creative path to self discovery, the release states.
“From early drawings as a child to her most recent portraits, she intimately shares the process of overcoming self-doubt as she follows her ambition and solidifies her identity and career as an artist,” MCC Art Gallery Coordinator Tracey Blocker said in the release. “The exhibition is not just a celebration of an individuals success but a call to action for others to pursue their passions and believe in the transformative power of persistence and the creative process.”
“I’m having this exhibition at MCC because had it not been for my time at the college and professors like Ginger Leyendecker and Kai Kim, I would not be the artist I am today,” Cauley explained. “I attribute a great part of my success as an international artist to my time at MCC, which gave me the tools necessary to find my artistic voice.”
Cauley is best known for her nine-story-tall mural of American writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin in downtown Phoenix. Her work has won many awards including first place at the Artlink 19th Annual Juried Exhibition, and her inclusion in Phoenix Magazines Great 48: 48 Most Influential People in the State of Arizona. Her imagery references familiar landscapes and skyline and the Black hood culture, which has deepened her connection to the metro Phoenix community.
She has also been featured in various publications including Forbes. Cauley is often asked by the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury organizations to create art for public spaces around the Valley. Her commissioned work (including murals) can be seen in the Footprint Center arena, the basketball court of the Rose Mofford Sports Complex among other venues.
“It’s exciting to return to campus as an almost decade-long full-time artist to now show the school’s current students that their dreams are possible,” Cauley added. It’s important to be an example of life’s possibilities for them as well as for my community at large. It’s important for me to always honor those who have helped me achieve so much success and to pay it forward.”
