ART TAKES CENTER STAGE DURING HISTORIC JUNETEENTH WEEK
Read the newsletter in its entirety here.
Read the newsletter in its entirety here.Pigment International showcased the work of Black artists Reggie McFly, Edo, James Nelson, Robert Lewis Clark and photographer Howard Simmons during The Obama Presidential Center (OPC) Viewing Event on June 18th. Pigment was among a select group of vendors and non-profits selected to participate in the event ahead of the official OPC opening. IN attendance were local state, national and world leaders. The event featured uplifting performances from a host of national recognized performers, and heartfelt and soaring speeches offered by the former First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama. Held in the shadow of the OPC in Midway Plaisance, it underscored the importance of the South Side of Chicago to the Obamas life and now stands as an enduring legacy.
WHAT THE EYE BEHOLDS: SEVEN ARTISTS TRANSFORM OUR PERCEPTIONS IN TRANSFORMATIVE EXHIBITION
This July, What the Eye Beholds is a compelling group exhibition presented by September Gray Fine Art Gallery. Curated by September Gray, the show brings together seven visionary contemporary artists whose work interrogates the very nature of perception — what we see, what we feel, and what remains just beyond our reach. The exhibition opens July 17, 2026, at the Zhou B Art Center, with a reception from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
The exhibition features artists Khalilah Birdsong, Kevin Cole, Najee Dorsey, Preston Sampson, Eric Stephenson, Gabrielle Torres, and Jamele Wright Sr. — a roster whose collective vision spans painting, sculpture, and mixed media. Each artist brings a distinctive visual language to the shared investigation: how personal histories, inner conviction, hidden fears, and quiet complexities shape the way we interpret the world around us. Together, they construct a dynamic dialogue between the individual and the universal.
Gray’s curatorial premise is both intimate and expansive. “From the moment we open our eyes each morning, we are shaped by the environments we inhabit — through conversation and silence, memory and anticipation, the familiar and the unexpected,” she says. What the Eye Beholds honors that daily negotiation, asking viewers not merely to look, but to truly see. The works on view challenge surface appearances and invite deeper engagement with the emotional and intellectual currents that flow beneath the visible world.
Located at 1029 W. 35th Street in Chicago’s vibrant Bridgeport neighborhood, Zhou B Art Center has long been a cornerstone of the city’s contemporary art landscape. This summer, it welcomes an exhibition that is as timely as it is transcendent. Do not miss the opportunity to encounter these seven extraordinary artists and the worlds they’ve built from what the eye alone cannot contain.
EXHIBITION DETAILS
Opening Reception: July 17, 2026, | 7:00 PM — 10:00 PM
Venue: Zhou B Art Center, Second Floor | 1029 W. 35th Street, Chicago, IL 60609
Contact: septembergrayart@gmail.com | www.septembergrayart.com | (404) 907–1923
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