Works by Huntsville artist Jahni Moore are on display now through June 20 in the foyer exhibition hall at the International Arts Center on the campus of Troy University.
The exhibit, “Notations of a Native Son,” is available for viewing Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. An artist talk and reception will be held at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 19. The exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public.
A southern-born artist who uses figuration to navigate the dark and obscure spaces of humanity, Moore’s work includes paintings, drawings, assemblages, writing and installation. He received his bachelor’s degree in art and master’s degree in art education from Alabama A&M University. He also earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Arts Institute of Chicago.
“For me art is a type of language,” Moore said. “The works in this show are more like a hum rising up in the distance, growing louder as we come forward on the historical narrative. They are visual documentations of events along the historical continuum of Black figures against a sometime hostile American landscape. At the same time the works are indicative that they are as just as much a part of the landscape as any other figure on the horizon.”
Moore currently resides in Huntsville where he creates art and works as an instructor at Lee High Art Magnet School. He has 15 years of arts education experience with varying age groups, ranging from primary schools to college-level at Alabama A&M and Oakwood universities.
Moore has twice been nominated to serve as an American Ambassador of Art to Colombia, South America, where he created murals, conducted lectures and gave presentations focused on using art as a tool for social change through addressing the issues of violence and social justice.
His work has been exhibited in the New Orleans African American Museum; the Lowe Mill Gallery in Huntsville; the Sullivan Gallery and the Museum of Science and Industry both in Chicago; the Heritage House Museum in Talladega; Troy University’s Rosa Parks Museum; Laxart in Los Angeles; the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum; and the Gallery of Contemporary Art in Antioquia, South America, among others.
