Jamal Cyrus, Whose Work Explores Black Culture and Justice, Featured in Sister Shows at UH and TSU

Jamal Cyrus, Whose Work Explores Black Culture and Justice, Featured in Sister Shows at UH and TSU

Jamal Cyrus' 'Lights from the Garden' (photo from blafferartmuseum.org, courtesy of the artist and Inman Gallery)

TANDEM EXHIBITIONS AT UH's Blaffer Art Museum and the University Museum at Texas Southern University will bring together both of the major Third Ward-located universities for the first time for one exhibition. The exhibitions will celebrate the work of Houston-born artist Jamal Cyrus, an alumnus of UH and also a professor at TSU, whose conceptual and research-driven art often focuses on issues like Black political movements, social justice issues and the African diaspora.

A former member of pioneering collective Otabenga Jones & Associates, Cyrus has participated in a number of nationally recognized exhibitions and was the recipient of the 2017 BMW Art Journey Prize and the 2019 David C. Driskell Prize.

Jamal Cyrus (photo from BMW Group Culture on Facebook)

The exhibition at UH, titled The End of My Beginning, opened June 5 and runs through Sept. 19. The first museum survey of works by Cyrus, the exhibition includes 50 artworks — drawings, prints, paintings, works on paper, sculpture, textiles and installations — that span the 15 formative years of Cyrus's practice from 2005-2020.

The sister exhibition at TSU, titled Levels and Layers, opens on June 18 and will feature a selection of historical works from TSU's permanent collection, alongside artwork being made in Houston's historic Third Ward neighborhood.

The precedent-setting project, which is co-organized by The Blaffer Museum's director and chief curator Steven Matijcio and Alvia Wardlaw, the director and curator of TSU's University Museum and one of the country's leading experts on African American art, will also include a series of performances and community-driven events connecting together both campuses.

After the completion of the Houston presentation of The End of My Beginning, the exhibition will travel to the Institute of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

Art + Entertainment
With Expertise in Blondes, Extensions and More, the Janelle Alexis Team Is a Go-To Salon

YOU CAN'T LIMIT Janelle to one title – Hairdresser. Her career and business has been established and built on a strong foundation. Using her two business degrees + one more in-process, this enables Janelle and the team to deliver not only a customer-focused experience, but a foundationally solid business. There is much more than meets the eye, and in sharing a little bit about Janelle, she was not only an international hair extension educator for over 14 years, but brings extensive expertise to blondes. She rounds this out with her previously launched namesake cosmetic line, which is a perfect complement to her belief that “Beauty is our Business”.

Keep Reading Show less

What year was your organization launched? Founded in Houston in 1947, as the Cerebral Palsy Treatment Center, the organization provided services to individuals with disabilities living in Houston and Harris County. In 1989, the organization changed its name and greatly expanded its services to meet the needs of its clientele. Today as Easter Seals Greater Houston, the organization provides multiple outstanding service programs to children, adults, veterans, and service members with all types of disabilities and their families in Harris and sixteen surrounding counties.

Keep Reading Show less

John Kuykendall, Showroom Manager, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove

How did you get to where you are today? Growing up I had envisioned myself as a news anchor, living in NY and enthusiastically saying into the camera “Good Morning America!”. To this day, I am still a news/political junkie. My mother owned fur salons so specialty retail, luxury retail was in my blood through the family business. Eventually, mom shuttered the stores and I was recruited to a large specialty retailer. Over the next 30 years, I was in commissioned sales on the sales floor, became a department manager, worked my way up to buyer and store manager. Although I never became a newscaster, I did live in NYC for a few years. But Texas is home and with aging grandparents, I felt the pull to come back to my roots. A headhunter approached me. I never envisioned myself in the high-end appliance market, but there are so many similarities. Clients want a memorable experience; whether shopping for diamonds and fur or remodeling their kitchen.

Keep Reading Show less