About three years ago Chamia LaRae was wandering through Richmond’s Spirit & Soul Festival downtown when she came across a stall festooned with work by longtime Oakland artist TheArthur Wright.
Intrigued by his prints and pointillistic canvases, the Richmond native walked past his booth several times before she “felt compelled to stop in and talk with him about it,” she told Richmondside in a recent interview.
They struck up a friendly conversation and, “He asked if I was an artist and I told him about some of the mixed-media work I was doing but had never displayed. He really encouraged me and that conversation introduced me to the Art of the African Diaspora organization.”
With Wright’s support the polymorphously creative LaRae started showing her mixed-media pieces. She quickly became a visible figure on the Bay Area art scene, including serving as one of the key curators for the 29th annual “Art of the African Diaspora” exhibition, which opened Jan. 14 at the Richmond Art Center and runs through March 15.
The opening reception on Sat. Jan. 24 is preceded by the Artistic Achievement Awardee talk featuring winners from last year’s exhibition. There’s also a panel discussion with sculptor Kristine Mays, Malik Seneferu, who’s created many public art works installed around Richmond, sculptor James Moore, and Denise Pate, community investment director for the San Francisco Arts Commission (one of largest municipal arts organizations in the nation).
This year the Richmond Art Center exhibition includes about 160 artists, each represented by a single work though there are dozens of satellite shows presented by Art of the African Diaspora across the Bay Area.
The sheer range of expression is dazzling. James Moore’s diminutive sculpture captures a human figure suspended between losing and regaining balance. Douglas Doss’ photo “His World…Our Hands” captures a newborn infant being cradled by hands mid-air. And Iconic Vinyl Art created a large-scale reproduction of a vintage ad for Curl-O-Matic, circa 1959.
The bulk of the art is on display at satellite exhibitions. LaRae curated one of the highest-profile sideshows at the Macy’s flagship outlet on Union Square in San Francisco. Running Feb. 1 through March 7, “Black Brilliance 2026” includes artists such as Julie Atkinson, Iconic Vinyl Art, Simone Nia Rae, and Yusuf Ssali, artists whose work would shine in the prestigious setting.
“I recognize the importance of the location and how it’s symbolic of affluence and San Francisco’s revitalization,” LaRae said. “I want to honor that while not just having something expected. I love Iconic Vinyl Art, who created beautiful pieces that feature folks we should or may know. Simone Nia Rae’s abstract acrylic pieces are brilliant. Yusef Ssali created this wonderful large-scale piece. They all have a lot of elegance.”
Over three decades the Art of the African Diaspora show has waxed and waned, at one point dwindling to about three dozen artists, said Stephen Bruce, the chair of the steering committee that organizes the exhibition. He and an energetic group of artists stepped in around 2018, “and our goal was to get it healthy again, following the ideals of our founders,” he said.
“The idea was to create a forum for artists regardless of professional level, creating opportunities for mentoring between up-and-coming artists and seasoned pros,” Bruce said.
Stockton-based sculptor James Moore, who’s finishing up a city-commissioned sculpture called “Strike” that will soon be installed in Shields-Reid Park, first participated in Art of the African Diaspora about a decade ago. He got busy with various projects and didn’t return until recently, submitting a piece for this year’s show from his miniature sculpture series “Dancing On Air.”
“Getting any group of artists together is like a roomful of cats, and getting them moving in the same direction is hard,” said Moore, who maintained a studio in Richmond for several years. “But there is a community united by passion for their art and it really coalesces around events like this.”
Show originally founded as “Art of the Living Black” in 1996
If you go
What: “Art of the African Diaspora,” a celebration of the creative achievements of about 160artists of African descent.
When: Opening reception is Sat., Jan. 24; show runs through March 15.
Where: Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Ave., and on various dates at other locations throughout the Bay Area. Free.
Details: Visit aotad.org
Founded by the late artists Jan Hart-Schuyers and Rae Louise Hayward in 1996 at the Richmond Art Center, “Art of the African Diaspora” was originally called the “Art of the Living Black.” In an unanticipated twist, veteran arts administrator and curator Jeff Nathanson, who served as RAC’s executive director from 1991 to 2000 when the center helped launch the show, recently returned as the art center’s interim executive director.
“I worked closely with the artists, who came in and presented the idea,” he recalled. “It was really exciting at the time, ‘Let’s celebrate the Black artists’ community.’ I can’t remember if we thought it would be biennial but I do remember we had this conversation afterwards saying, ‘This was so successful, let’s do it every year.’ I’m thrilled that the “Art of Living Black” is still going. I walked through the partially installed exhibition the other day and it looks fabulous.”
Nathanson stepped in for RAC’s ailing Executive Director José R. Rivera, who’s been on medical leave since last summer. He’s committed to staying on until Rivera returns or a new leader is selected.
Enjoying retirement after a series of positions leading arts organizations, most recently running the Museum of Sonoma County in Santa Rosa, Nathanson reconnected with RAC when he curated “Time & Time: The Art of John Wehrle,” a major retrospective presented last year. He took the helm at a pivotal moment for the center, as 2026 marks its 90th anniversary. A planning committee is working on events marking the milestone for late summer and fall, including a gala fundraising celebration.
Returning to RAC after a quarter century away, he said he’s still getting a handle on all of the center’s activities.
“In some respects it’s all new. I mean, there’s a lot of continuity in programming, but it’s all new players,” Nathanson said. “What I’m seeing is where the center had to really scale back during COVID and get into survival mode, it’s been steady growth over the last four or five years. The professionalism of the staff and dedication of the board really shows.”
