PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa
Contact: Kevin Ledgewood
pr@tuscarts.org
205-758-5195, x6
ARTIST WINFRED HAWKINS FEATURED DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT THE DINAH WASHINGTON CULTURAL ARTS CENTER
(TUSCALOOSA, Ala.) The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa will host an exhibit of paintings by Winfred Hawkins in recognition of Black History Month Feb. 5-26, 2021 in The Arts Council Gallery at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center. Titled “Akachi: Hand Of God,” the exhibit will open with a reception on from 5-8 p.m. during the First Friday Art Walk in Downtown Tuscaloosa.
Akachi is an Igbo word from west Africa that means “Hand Of God.” The Igbo term evokes the history of slaves shipped to the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade, the majority of whom came from central and west Africa. Hawkins says of his work, “This show is a combination of various works that I have been working on since my arm injury in 2012. Reflecting Boy is an ongoing series that focuses on my experiences growing up in Montgomery, Alabama. In a way, this work pays homage to my younger self. The ‘Boy’ is in the act of reflecting upon something that has happened, or is currently happening to him.”
Born in Montgomery, Winfred Hawkins started drawing at an early age. He developed his drafting skills by watching his father draw and by copying animals from nature books. “I was basically a copying machine. I would draw just about anything you put in front of me,” Hawkins says.
While attending high school at Booker T. Washington Magnet High School in Montgomery, Hawkins was commissioned by the Rosa Parks Museum at Troy University to design ten bronze roundels for the outside of the museum. He completed the project after graduating from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2007. Since that time Hawkins has been working as a graphic designer in Montgomery. In 2020 he worked with two other artists to create a mural on the side of The King’s Canvas art studio in Montgomery on historic Oak Street, along the route where hundreds of Selma to Montgomery marchers walked to the State Capitol in 1965. He also works as Programs Manager for ArtsRevive in Selma.
For more information about Winfred Hawkins’ work on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, search for 33Akachi.
For more information about the gallery and Hawkins’ exhibit, visit cac.tuscarts.org/cacgallery. The galleries available during First Friday are available for viewing at www.firstfridaytuscaloosa.com.
Current Hours at The Arts Council Gallery at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center are weekdays 1 p.m.- 3 p.m.
The Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center is located at 620 Greensboro Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa. For more information about The Arts Council or Bama Theatre, patrons should follow and like “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” on Facebook and Twitter and also Instagram @tuscaloosaartscouncil. Call 205-758-5195 or visit tuscarts.org for further information.
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