"Bass Reeves Lawman" by Najee Dorsey

28 x 77 inches, mixed media (2013) -- framed

Born in Arkansas, on January 26, 1973 and now residing in Atlanta, Georgia, Najee Dorsey; visual artist, gallerist, producer, CEO and founder of Black Art In America is known for embracing Southern roots in his works and relaying on canvas stories untold but not forgotten of the African American life. His artworks have been featured in exhibitions at the Arnika Dawkins Gallery, The Columbus Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, David C. Driskell Center, the Charles H. Wright Museum; Syracuse University; the African American Museum in Dallas, TX; Houston Museum of African American Culture, the Marietta Museum of Art, FL; Clark Atlanta University Museum, the University of Arkansas Library and Liberty Bank Trust Company in New Orleans, LA. Dorsey has been featured in articles for the ARTnews and the Forbes, “PRIZM Awakens Mighty Overdue Dialogue at Miami Art Week Fair Dedicated to African and African Diaspora Artist” written by Natasha Gural.

Najee Dorsey established Black Art In America (BAIA™) in 2010 as an online media platform for African American artists, collectors, art enthusiasts, and arts professionals. Black Art In America (BAIA™) is the leading online portal and network focused on African-American Art with visitors from over 100 countries visiting the site each month and about half a million visitors to their social media platforms. BAIA's mission is to document, preserve and promote the contributions of the African American arts community.

Najee Dorsey's comptemporary work a highlight of Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show 2012:  Visitors to this year's Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show might be surprised to find, among the landscape paintings and clay sculptures, scenes from the Occupy movement. The work belongs to Najee Dorsey, a self-described "documentarian of history and culture." 

Dorsey is one of 143 artists appearing in this year's show. An annual tradition since 1932, it's the nation's oldest outdoor art show. 

Dorsey's work makes the show feel as fresh as ever. The artist feels it's his duty to engage the community in discussion and reflection on political and social issues. Dorsey uses figurative mixed-media paintings to respond to the ongoing socioeconomic struggles of African-Americans in relation to America's past, specifically the civil-rights movement. 

In his latest series, "Resistance," Dorsey simultaneously honors the unsung heroes who faced injustice in the past and the rising voices of the recent Occupy movement. Artistic portraits feature individuals including Haitian freedom fighter Toussaint L'Ouverture Renditions and Claudette Colvin, known for resisting bus segregation before the better-known Rosa Parks incident. 

To create the intensely colorful mixed-media paintings, Dorsey starts by creating a digital collage of found imagery. He builds on this base with layers of ripped paper, paint and found objects to give each vignette the illusion of depth. The signage, license plates, bottle caps, dominoes and plastic bags used in the work make history feel tangible. The result is vivid, dynamic, and resonant of the cultural character of the South, where Dorsey draws much of his inspiration. 

Dorsey is a self-taught artist from Arkansas. His roots have infused his work with a sense of identity and personal meaning. In the past several years, Dorsey has been featured at the Charles H. Wright Museum in Detroit, the African American Museum in Dallas and the Marietta Museum of Art in Florida.

 
In addition to a well-established fine-arts career, Dorsey founded Black Art in America, a leading virtual network and resource for the black visual-arts community. BAIA provides commentary, news, gallery roundups, collector information and artist profiles. With more than a quarter-million visitors to the BAIA website each year, Dorsey's vision to create more exposure for artists of color is being realized. 

June 01, 2012 | BY Alyssa Stein and For the Philadelphia Daily News

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