Rehoboth Art League to host opening reception Feb. 9

During Black History Month, the Rehoboth Art League will showcase inspiring and unique work from past and present Delaware-based Black artists in its galleries at 12 Dodds Lane, Henlopen Acres.

Tidal Wave: In Partnership with Good Aesthetic Gallery will be on display in the Corkran Gallery. To the Water’s Edge and Back will feature paintings from the late Edward Loper Jr. in the Tubbs Gallery.

The art league will host an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 9, inviting anyone interested to visit the Corkran, Tubbs and Ventures galleries to see the displayed work. At this reception, the art league will welcome local mixologist Sean Norris, who will be pouring two special cocktails.

Tidal Wave is an exhibition curated by Shameka Jones, founder and director of Good Aesthetic Gallery. The group show is a sweet thank you and an ode to the golden memory of Delaware’s Black beaches during the 19th and 20th centuries. In tandem with Edward Loper Jr.: To the Water’s Edge and Back, this showcase signifies a manifestation of an incessant dream of the freedom to take up space. While honoring the past, Tidal Wave grounds viewers in the present and propels them into the future. Through the lens of Black artists, the audience will explore the relationship between aesthetics and the senses. The exhibit features work from Jefiah Bordley, Tanya Bracey, Sheila Exum, Charlese Phillips, Dakeim Tolson and Shameka Jones.

Edward Loper Jr.: To the Water’s Edge and Back features work that represents the most complete display of Loper’s paintings and captures the artist’s journeys along the East Coast. Loper’s exhibiting artworks harness the subdued nature of large bodies of water and their surrounding areas. Soft blues and quiet reds accompanied by strong angular shapes mirror the meditative force near any shore. He also draws the viewer’s attention to the stark contrast of living farther inland. Paintings of bold outlines, complex structures and even characters appear. It is a vivid reminder that life is a journey of ebbs and flows between self and the greater collective.

Jamie Loper, son of Edward Loper Jr., will give a gallery talk at 10  a.m., Saturday,  Feb. 10, on his father’s career and artistic vision. Jamie, who manages his father’s collection of artwork, will be speaking about his father’s legacy as an artist and the curation of this show’s maritime paintings. Many of the works included have personal stories that will be shared, along with Loper’s development as an artist, from his time teaching at Wilmington High School and West End Neighborhood House to his studies at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. Gallery talks are free and open to the public.

The Ventures Gallery will become an extension of the Members’ Sales Gallery, showcasing an eclectic collection of fine art and crafts by RAL member artists. Guests can peruse everything from watercolor paintings to wearable fiber art, ceramics and fine art photography. Each purchase supports a practicing artist, as well as the mission of the Rehoboth Art League.

For more information, go to rehobothartleague.org or call 302-227-8408, Ext. 112.