NOW - SEPT 28 | 'Black Beaches During Segregation' at Honfleur Gallery

Honfleur Gallery is pleased to present "Black Beaches During Segregation" by award-winning DC muralist and artist Rik Freeman as part of its Artist in Residency Program. This series of oil on canvas paintings focuses on the Atlantic Seaboard and how segregation and "Jim Crow" laws meant to degrade the humanity of Black people, instead inspired the creation of these Black beaches and recreational areas. Says Freeman, "I chose to portray the fellowship, joy, and history of Black Beaches, a history of overcoming the degradation of racist "Jim Crow." laws.

The series features six beaches, from Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, to American Beach, Florida; five still exist as primarily Black-owned beaches or municipalities. "The paintings pay attention to the uniqueness of each beach and the similarities. They emphasize characters' interactions and the compositional flow of scenes, referencing the periods of each beach's respective histories, " says Freeman.

Born in 1956 in Athens, Georgia, Freeman began his professional career as an Artist and Muralist in Washington, DC, in 1989. While known for his many public commissions, including Ode to Barry Farms (2016, Barry Farm Recreation Center), KNOWLEDGE (2011, Dorothy I. Height Library), Freeman has a steady exhibition history of his works on

canvas, having been featured in numerous group shows, including Honfleur Gallery, Hill Center, and the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum of African American Art.