A Joy Unexpected: Exhibition + Virtual Panel Discussion

Join Root Division this June for A Joy Unexpected, curated by Root Division’s inaugural Curatorial Fellow, Tavarus Blackmon. This artist-centered exhibition grew from an in-depth curatorial exploration during a year of social-distancing. 


The artists in A Joy Unexpected had to face the unthinkable over the last year and move forward. They did not recoil but met the challenge with work, time in the studio, and an investigation into what their future might become while the world seemed to be changing around them. Political upheaval, environmental instability due to climate change, and challenges to voter freedom, had all been folded into the difficult year of 2020. How has the role of the artist changed, regarding protest and demands for social justice? How can joy be achieved when the future and present are beset with racism, intolerance, and violence?

Exhibition Dates: 
June 9 - 26, 2021

On view in the gallery by appointment (email us at visit [at] rootdivision.org)

(Virtual) Panel Discussion + Live Performance:
Thursday, June 17 from 5-6:30pm >>
featuring Massiel Bobadilla (Verge Center for the Arts),  Faith McKinney (Sojourner Truth Museum), as well as exhibition artists: Kiana Honarmand, Patti Kilroy, Daniel Alejandro Trejo



2nd Saturday Reception:
Saturday, June 12 (time and format TBD)