The Observer Newspapers | Art Exhibit Explores the History of the Blues

May 9, 2008

Art Exhibit Explores the History of the Blues

By Leslie Perales

Observer Staff Writer

Rik Freeman's art will bring music and history to life at the Greater Reston Arts Center beginning Friday. "The Chittlin Circuit Review" is a series of narrative paintings that tells the story of blues music in the United States. Beginning in the 1880s, when Jim Crow laws were enacted, blacks found alternative places to gather, perform and enjoy music. The clubs and venues that were frequented became known as the Chittlin Circuit.

"The blues is basically what it's about, but that's kind of like the hook to bring you in," Freeman said. "It has as much to do with the lifestyle and the culture surrounding the early blues and where it comes from."

Freeman, a Washington, D.C., resident, said although the characters in the paintings do not exist, they are based on history. For example, in the painting "Moses Train," two World War I veterans are sitting next to each other and one is wearing a French medal. France was giving the medal to black soldiers when the U.S. would not award medals to blacks, Freeman said.

Freeman said he began the series of paintings in 1994 after he watched a PBS documentary and realized that a lot of what happens in the world now started long ago. He said the documentary featured a scene in which a man was dancing on a street corner and he spun on his head. The clip seemed to reflect what a hip-hop dancer might do today, but the scene was from 1908, Freeman said. "A chill went up my spine," he said. "Nothing we're doing now is new."

Soon after, Freeman began to create "The Chittlin Circuit Review," telling stories about people and the history of the blues. Freeman has been working as a muralist since the late 1980s. He said a lot of his work has a historical motif, and he prefers to look at history from an everyday point of view rather than focusing on famous images or people.

Joanne Bauer, exhibitions director for GRACE, said working with Freeman has been delightful and the gallery also plans to offer educational programming, including a catalog of Freeman's work and a short film, to complement the exhibit. "It's going to be a really rich experience for people who come to the gallery," Bauer said. "Plus the paintings themselves are just so vibrant and lively."

Bauer described Freeman's artistic style as very sensuous. "Everything moves in the paintings, it's all rhythmical," she said. "Anatomy plays second fiddle to the movement."

She said what is also great about the work is the insight it offers. "People took hardship and adversity and used it to make a lasting art form," she said. Bauer said she hopes the exhibit will serve as a venue for discussion of that history.

"The way he's remembering it is so respectful, he's really honoring it," she said.

The exhibit at GRACE will be the first time Freeman has shown the pieces collectively. "The Chittlin Circuit Review" opens Friday, with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m., and runs through June 14. On May 21, GRACE will offer visitors a chance to spend the evening with Freeman, and on May 30, GRACE will hold iJam: Teen Night, where teens can participate in an informal jam session in the gallery.

Art With A Twist: A Chittlin Circuit Juke Joint will be held June 5 and the event will feature an evening of cocktails and art. An artist-led family workshop will take place June 7.

Freeman said that after the exhibit closes in Reston, it will then start a tour around the country on "its own Chittlin Circuit tour." Before leaving the area, Freeman will visit both Herndon and South Lakes high schools.