Exploring the Connection Between
Fine Art and Culture

Here at HAVarts we believe that art is an important component in creating and building a more just society. 

As you read about the artists presented below, you will discover that each one has created works shaped by passion, dedication, and a commitment to enlightenment. Viewing and discussing these works can foster an environment of listening, healing, and justice. This is where we find resilience, in our ability to think critically and creatively about the world around us.

May the works created by these artists inspire and uplift you!

Betye Saar

Watch the short film “Betye Saar: Taking Care of Business”

There's no stopping the legendary artist Betye Saar, even at age 93.

Pushing boundaries for 70 years, this portrait of artist Betye Saar shows she isn't done fighting inequality in her personal and powerful work.

In a short video, Saar talks about collecting objects, African American history, art as a weapon, and making people think.

Frida Kahlo

“Self Portrait with Necklace of Thorns,” Frieda Kahlo, 1940

Kahlo had a personality that was considered a force of nature.

“I rather sit on the floor in the market of Toluca and sell tortillas than to have anything to do with those “artistic” bitches of Paris. They sit for hours on the “cafes” warming their precious behinds, and talk without stopping about “culture” “art” “revolution” and so on and so forth, thinking themselves the gods of the world, dreaming the most fantastic nonsenses, and poisoning the air with theories that never come true.”*

*Letter from Kahlo to Nickolas Muray about the Paris Exhibition André Breton arranged for her, 1939. 

Kahlo is the first Mexican artist to have a work acquired by the Louvre in Paris France. Born in Mexico to a German-Hungarian father and a mother of Spanish and Mexican heritage, she conquered the barriers related to her physical disabilities, male bias, and her political affiliations. Kahlo’s work is classified as part of the surrealist genre. She is an icon to feminists, the LGBTQ community, Mexican artists, and people with progressive political ideologies.

Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi

“A New Journey,” art quilt by Carolyn Mazloomi

“Quilts and quilt making are important to America and Black culture in particular, because the art form was historically one of the few mediums accessible to marginalized groups to tell their own story, to provide warmth for their families, and to empower them with a voice through cloth.” ~ Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi.

Mazloomi is a curator, historian, artist, and founder of the Women of Color Quilters Network. Among the many exhibitions she has curated is “Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations”, which visually surveys 400 years of African American history. It is the largest travel exhibit of African American quilts ever mounted.

Toni Scott

“A New Journey,” art quilt by Carolyn Mazloomi

DNA – Bloodlines and the Family of Mankind

In this major exhibition and installation, artist Toni Scott has woven her own personal family history with the universal history of African Americans and Native Americans in a celebration of the human spirit.

Bloodlines is a testimony of the dehumanizing cruelty of institutionalized slavery and post slavery colonialism in America, and the human spirit that would not be broken. Ultimately, Bloodlines celebrates not only the will to survive but also our magnificent diversity and our surprising homogeneity, in which only a few degrees of separation stand between us all.

Carl Owens

“Sisters of the Sun,” Carl Owens

Carl Owens was a very successful artist for his work in the 1970s promoting African and African American culture. 

Owens was an excellent example of someone who knew from an early age exactly why he was here. That kind of certainty added clarity to his life. From his point of view, he was here to make art, not meet the expectations of others. To him, life was all about controlling the direction he moved in.

Titus Kaphar

André Holland and Andra Day in “Exhibiting Forgiveness.”

Celebrated painter Titus Kaphar turns his attention to filmmaking to incorporate the language of paint and canvas.

Exhibiting Forgiveness is a film about family, generational healing, and the power of forgiveness. This soulful, sophisticated, and beautifully crafted film tells the story of Tarrell (André Holland), an art star reckoning with his own traumatic childhood by creating powerful and transcendent paintings.

For Freedoms

Where Do We Go From Here, CA. Photo: Andrew Gallery

For Freedoms is an artist-led organization that centers art as a catalyst for creative civic engagement, discourse and direct action. 

For Freedoms works closely with a variety of artists, organizations, institutions and brands to expand what participation in a democracy looks like and reshape conversations about politics. 

Members of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan visiting Nigeria.

Honoring the gains made in recognizing the gifts and humanity of others.

In February 2003, twelve members of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan went to Lagos, Ekiti and Ilesa Nigeria to find ways to build stronger relationships between Christians of different cultures.

In February of this year, Jacquelyn Hayes, founder of Hayes Advocacy for the Vegas Arts, and Jeanne Fiumara, Desert Spring United Methodist Church Art Guild Director, selected four original pieces from the 2003 trip to provide visitors to the church enjoyment and cultural enrichment.

The display includes a painting by Carl Owens, black and white photographs by G. Herb Gunn, and an East African Batik showing Maasai people. The works will be on display through April 2025. 

Desert Spring United Methodist Church is located at 120 N. Pavilion Center Dr. in Las Vegas, NV 89144. For a personal tour of the display, please contact Jacquelyn at jhayes@havarts.org.

Submit Your Ideas for Exhibition Themes

HAVarts is interested in hosting exhibitions where sculpture harmonizes with breathtaking works of art that capture or reflect on heritage, community, or other perspectives. Send your ideas and suggestions to Jacquelyn Hayes at jhayes@havarts.org, or click the button below.

Hayes Advocacy for the Vegas Arts is working to provide opportunities for you to engage in the arts. Your donation helps us provide amazing seminars, impressive exhibitions, and engaging events.

HAVarts is a 501 (C) (3) nonprofit organization, EIN 93-1978255.
Your gifts are tax deductible as allowed by law.