The Armory Show | RICHARD BEAVERS GALLERY Booth 214 

Blueprints of Power: Symbols, Systems, and the Architecture of Control

Power does not simply appear; it is drafted, measured, enforced. In this compelling curatorial vision, Heyward, Sorrells, and Daniels reveal how control is built into the very structures of our daily lives through law, language, history, and the image itself.

Heyward’s deeply personal compositions collapse the distance between individual and institution, using portraiture to interrogate who holds the pen that drafts our social contracts. His work draws direct lines from historical policy to present-day oppression, and from vulnerability to radical presence.

Sorrells immerses viewers in mythic and monumental imagery layered with religious, cultural, and ancestral symbolism. He resurrects buried histories to reveal how systems of exclusion were designed to endure, while also offering visual redemption through resurrection, recognition, and resistance.

Daniels' portraiture reclaims visibility for Black men through poised, vulnerable, and psychologically rich representations. His subjects interrupt dominant narratives with clarity and calm, offering new language for dignity, humanity, and complexity.

Blueprints of Power is more than just an exhibition - it’s a challenge. It prompts us to ask: What systems were designed for us, and which were created to contain us? What blueprints have we inherited? And which ones must we now redraw? As we step onto this global stage, we remain rooted in our mission: to elevate truth-telling artists whose work not only reflects the world but also reshapes it.

https://www.thearmoryshow.com/

We Belong Here: The Gutierrez Collection

We Belong Here: The Gutierrez Collection is the first public exhibition of a collection of contemporary art built over the past decade by North Carolina–based collectors Onay Gutierrez and Jeff Childers.  The exhibition features over 130 works created in the twenty-first century by some of the biggest names in contemporary art today. The international contemporary artists featured work in a broad range of media, engaged with current social, political, cultural, and personal issues.

We Belong Here: The Gutierrez Collection features works by Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Jerrell Gibbs, Jeffrey Gibson, Ayana Jackson, Hayv Kahraman, Kaws, Jun Kaneko, David LaChapelle, Beverly McIver, Clarence Heyward, Zanele Muholi, Carmen Neely, Zohra Opoku, Angel Otero, Maia Cruz Palileo, Tavares Strachan, Mickalene Thomas, and Kehinde Wiley among many others.

https://cameronartmuseum.org/exhibition/we-belong-here-the-gutierrez-collection/

Richard Beavers Gallery is pleased to announce participation in Expo Chicago Art Fair 2025.

From April 10 – 13, 2025, the Dallas Art Fair will present its next iteration. We are very excited to be back in Dallas for our 16th Dallas Art Fair in the Fashion Industry Gallery. We will take work by Judy Chicago, Hung Liu, Swoon, Virgil Ortiz, Greg Murr, Sam Lao, John Baldessari, FAILE, Nadya Tolokonnikova, Florence Pierce, Mokha Laget, Luis Jiménez, Hunt Slonem, Clarence Heyward, and Raphaelle Goethals.

https://www.dallasartfair.com/

HOOD ORNAMENT

Curated by Charles Moore
Hood Ornament explores the layered meanings behind its name—a decorative emblem on a car and a reference to Black neighborhoods—both symbols of identity, status, and lived experience. The exhibition brings together artists who examine how Black identity is shaped by history, community, and cultural expression. Through different materials and approaches, these works reflect themes of resilience,transformation, and self-determination. Across generations and geographies, the artists in Hood Ornament—Kevin Cobb, Alexandra Couch, Conrad Egyir, Aristotle Forester, Clarence Heyward, Suni Mullen, Terrence Musekiwa, Guy Stanley Philoche, Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Felandas Thames, Khari Turner, Shinique Smith, Kara Walker, and Bill Traylor—navigate the fluid terrain of Black identity, tracing its shape across time and medium. Each work speaks to the act of self-definition, where material, memory, and myth converge to tell stories both intimate and expansive.

https://www.containertc.org/exhibitions/30-hood-ornament-curated-by-charles-moore/overview/

AMERICAN FICTION

SOLO EXHIBITION at RICHARD BEAVERS GALLERY

BROOKLYN, NYC

Where do the narratives we embrace, the myths we create, and the truths of our reality converge? In “American Fiction,” the lines between history, imagination, and reality blur. The exhibition unfolds as a cinematic journey, one steeped in the residue of collective memory and personal experience. The works function as fragmented chapters, each a potent vignette that captures the tension between enduring structures and the urgency of transformation as we reconsider what it means to be Black in America today. The vision behind Clarence Heyward’s paintings is both raw and poetic, calling us to reflect on the weight of the past and the possibilities of an emancipatory future. Here, fiction does not obscure the truth; it amplifies it.

https://www.richardbeaversgallery.com/exhibitions/27-american-fiction-clarence-heyward/#

Coined in the South aims to bridge the gap between museums, galleries, and studios by showcasing thought-provoking works by the emerging talents of the South. The exhibition transcends any singular aesthetic, theme, or medium, striving to mirror the rich diversity and creative spirit of the southern arts community.

https://www.mintmuseum.org/exhibition/coined-in-the-south-2024/

Turner Carroll Gallery is exhibiting Clarence Heyward, Virgil Ortiz, Nadya Tolokonnikova, Swoon, and FAILE at Art Miami 2024.

https://turnercarrollgallery.com/december-3-8-2024-art-miami/

Richard Beavers Gallery, Brooklyn presents

ROOTS and ROUTES

Opening Reception:
Saturday July 13, 2024 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Exhibition Dates:
July 13, 2024 - August 24, 2024

Featured Artists:
Desmond Beach | Leroy Campbell | Lynthia Edwards | Clarence Heyward | Frank Morrison | Charly Palmer | daàPò réo | Terron Cooper Sorrells

To understand who we are, we need to understand where we’ve been. “Roots & Routes” illuminates the journeys ingrained in the heritage of African American families and their diverse journeys through migration, urbanization, and cultural exchange. The exhibition reflects on ancestral origins, the Great Migration, and contemporary movements, showcasing how these paths have shaped identities and communities. Drawing on the Negro Motorist Green Book, the artworks highlight resilience and resourcefulness. They breathe life into histories, challenging stereotypes and celebrating heritage. Through their work, they reconceptualize history, connecting past to present, and illuminating the ongoing contributions of African American communities. Spanning generations, it fosters empathy and highlights the enduring contributions of African American communities to the broader American narrative.

https://www.richardbeaversgallery.com/exhibitions/26-roots-and-routes-group-show/

June 21-October 6, 2024

5: Five Years of Acquisitions features new acquisitions from over the past five years. Artists featured include Rick Beck, John Cage, Willie Cole, Clarence Heyward, Robert Motherwell, Alison Saar, and Rosalia Torres-Weiner, among others.

https://cameronartmuseum.org/exhibition/5-five-years-of-acquisitions/

RICHARD BEAVERS GALLERY, Soho presents

SUBJECT MATTERS

Opening Reception
May 3, 2024 | 6:00PM - 9:00PM

Exhibition Dates
May 3, 2024 - June 15, 2024

What does it mean for a person, a community, or a life to matter? Today, we encounter the politicization of identity that pits us against one another rather than amplifies the voices that have been continually suppressed. "Subject Matters," a group exhibition featuring the works that tackles this notion by illuminating the multifaceted narratives of black life and culture within inner city environments.

These artists bring together their unique and diverse experiences, triumphs, fears, and hopes from their respective communities. Their distinct approaches place their stories against a backdrop of societal marginalization and systemic inequality. By confronting the social, political, and cultural issues by challenging mainstream discourses that seek to rewrite their histories, these artists offer compelling insights into the lived realities of black individuals and communities.
"Subject Matters" is a proclamation. Whether through figuration or abstraction, painting, or multidisciplinary mediums, the exhibition's artists subvert narratives of oppression, violence, and trauma. In their place, they reveal layers and layers of stories that celebrate the richness and diversity of their cultural heritage, despite the weight of racial divides that continue to persist. From portraiture to scenes of everyday life and even the conceptual embodiment of the Black psyche, these artworks are testaments to the resilience, creativity, and ingenuity that survive within Black communities forced to navigate the complexities of inner-city life....

EXHIBITING ARTISTS
Desmond Beach | Xavier Daniels | Lynthia Edwards | Clarence Heyward | Marcus Antonius Jansen | Frank Morrison | TJ
Morrison | Melvin Nesbitt Jr | Dan Oliver | Terron Cooper Sorrells | Phyllis Stephens

https://www.richardbeaversgallery.com/exhibitions/24-subject-matters-group-show/

The Weight We Carry is a group exhibition that brings together some of our time’s most influential artists, including Shepard Fairey, Nadya Tolokonnikova, Douglas Miles, Swoon, and Clarence Heyward. The exhibition explores the humanity of these artists, how they found similar forms of expression despite their different backgrounds, and the resulting sublime beauty of their artworks.

https://www.containertc.org/exhibitions/28-the-weight-we-carry-shepard-fairey-nadya-tolokonnikova/works/

Richard Beavers Gallery is pleased to announce participation in Expo Chicago Art Fair 2024. The Richard Beavers Gallery will show works from eight spectacular artists, Desmond Beach, Xavier Daniels, Clarence Heyward, Marcus Jansen, Frank Morrison, Melvin Nesbitt Jr., Terron Cooper Sorrells, and Phyllis Stephens. 

In the heart of the downtown arts district, the Dallas Art Fair offers collectors, arts professionals, and the public the opportunity to engage with a rich selection of modern and contemporary artworks presented by leading national and international galleries.

https://www.dallasartfair.com/

As Miami’s original and longest running contemporary art fair and second most attended fair globally, Art Miami is consistently recognized as a leading destination for the acquisition of the most important works from the 20th and 21st centuries in collaboration with the world's most respected galleries.

https://www.artmiami.com/home

Ella West Gallery is pleased to present the work of Kennedi Carter, Clarence Heyward and Ernie Barnes in its inaugural exhibition, Return to Parrish Street: A Dream Realized. With a mission to showcase work that speaks to and reflects the diversity of our community and beyond, Ella West Gallery is committed to championing underrepresented artists and expanding their access to collectors and enthusiasts. By creating space for a broad range of emerging and established regional, national, and international artists, the gallery will nurture the artistic growth of a generation that will reshape art history.  

https://www.ellawestgallery.com/exhibitions/6-return-to-parrish-street-a-dream-realized/overview/

my Presence is Present is an exhibition that navigates through surreal African-American experiences as told by 21 emerging and established contemporary artists in and around the Carolinas. Each participating artist purposefully creates work in response to our inherent memories and identities of growing up and living in the American South.

https://www.ganttcenter.org/exhibitions/my-presence-is-present/

Clarence Heyward: UNSEEN, from the Contemporary Art Museum, Raleigh, NC

Opening Reception at Turner Carroll, Friday, June 23, 5–7 pm

One of our breakout artists of 2022 will be coming to Turner Carroll Gallery for his inaugural solo exhibition in Santa Fe, Clarence Heyward. Throughout 2022 we had difficulty keeping Clarence’s stunning paintings for more than a day or two before a collector took an interest and purchased a piece. Having the works from his solo exhibition at CAM Raleigh travel to the gallery represents a rare opportunity to see and collect the work of this rising star. UNSEEN is accompanied by a soundscape and takes the viewer on a visual journey of what would happen to his family if he became one of the daily casualties of black men in America being killed. This powerful exhibition is not to be missed. Heyward’s paintings were collected by multiple museums before he was ever represented by a gallery, and Turner Carroll is proud to be his first representative.

https://www.turnercarrollgallery.com/june-23-3023-clarence-heyward-unseen/

From April 19 – 22, 2023 the Dallas Art Fair will present its next iteration in-person. We are very excited to be back in Dallas for the fair, and will our booth will feature exceptional artists including Hunt Slonem, Greg Murr, Judy Chicago, Hung Liu, Clarence Heyward and Mokha Laget.

https://www.dallasartfair.com/exhibitors/turner-carroll-gallery

Renaissance of Brooklyn: History is Present uses Charlotte’s historic Brooklyn neighborhood as a reference point to acknowledge the impact of erased and forgotten African-American communities. These timeless people; as author Toni Morrison calls them are ancestors beyond our immediate families who influence our present day reality. From the late 1800s to the early 1960s, Brooklyn was a city within a city that provided opportunities and sanctuary in a segregated South. The multigenerational group of contemporary artists in Renaissance of Brooklyn through their work portray their lived experiences and perspectives as African-American women and men living in the South. They are reclaiming space in the history of and vision for North Carolina.

Renaissance of Brooklyn also recognizes the special relationship between Brooklyn, New York and the Brooklyn community in Charlotte that was forged during the “Great Migration” of African-Americans from the South in the early 20th century. These two cities represent the millions of Black American families who consequently have Northern and Southern branches.

Curated by Yvonne Bynoe,

@shelovesblackart

This longest-running exhibition of African American art has been displayed annually at MSI since 1970. Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition features paintings, drawings, fine art prints, sculpture, mixed-media, ceramics and photography by African American artists.

https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/black-creativity-juried-art-exhibition/

November 29 – December 4, 2022 | Art Miami
Turner Carroll Gallery is excited about exhibiting Hung Liu, Mildred Howard, and Swoon, at Art Miami, along with three emerging artists with current East Coast museum exhibitions who will show in Miami for the first time: Mokha Laget (Katzen Art Center), Clarence Heyward (CAM Raleigh), and Lien Truong (Nasher Museum of Art).

https://www.turnercarrollgallery.com/november-29-december-4-2022-art-miami/

Portraiture has long been an effective mode of artistic expression. A portrait is more than a mere rendering of an individual or group of people, and often serves as a revealing window onto the sitters’ individuality. Portraits can also be political, poignant and powerful means of representing the figure to reveal insight into the human condition. For some artists, creating portraits can be a practical and personal way to fashion identity.

The eleven recently acquired works included here represent a broad range of stylistic and conceptual approaches to rendering portraits. Ming Smith uses the camera to establish a forthright and self-reflexive gaze, while Clarence Heyward turns his back to us as a way to universalize his experience. Others such as Genesis Tremaine and Tunji Adeyeni-Jones distort and abstract the figure to evoke a psychological and physical dynamism. These diverse artistic strategies reveal portraiture’s true power: its ability to capture the nuances and expansiveness of one’s subjectivity.

This exhibition is organized by Lauren Haynes, former Patsy R. and Raymond D. Nasher Senior Curator of Contemporary Art and Curatorial Assistant Julianne Miao, with research support by Caroline Carey, A.B.’22.

https://nasher.duke.edu/exhibitions/the-power-of-portraiture-recent-acquisitions/

https://www.greenhillnc.org/exhibitions1

B22: Wiregrass Biennial is a survey of works being created by artists from across the Southeast region, and the group show strengthens the arts community in the Southeast by bringing regional emerging and established contemporary artists to a local Wiregrass audience. For area residents and visitors, this year’s biennial will continue to build on the museum’s reputation for showcasing work from artists from different backgrounds through diverse mediums – from painting and sculpture, to installation and multimedia, large-scale works, and more – offering visitors the opportunity to learn from and connect with the art and artists of our time.

https://www.wiregrassmuseum.org/wma_exhibitions/b22-wiregrass-biennial/

THIS WE BELIEVE | When we say, “this we believe”, who is included in that “we”? 21c Durham’s latest exhibition examines the power of belief systems—religious, political, economic—and how ideology has influenced contemporary culture and society.

https://www.21cmuseumhotels.com/museum/exhibit/this-we-believe/

Clarence Heyward, Lynn Marshall-Linnemeier, Juan Logan, Renzo Ortega, and Samantha Rosado, range from well-established professionals to emerging talent. Collectively, their work reflects on and responds to personal, cultural, and historical memory.

https://www.cravenallengallery.com/exhibitions/

In the heart of the downtown arts district, the Dallas Art Fair offers collectors, arts professionals, and the public the opportunity to engage with a rich selection of modern and contemporary artworks presented by leading national and international galleries. Thoughtfully curated exhibitions and innovative programming encourage lively conversations and close looking in a robust and rapidly growing arts community.

https://www.dallasartfair.com/

https://camraleigh.org/exhibitions/

Reckoning and Resilience: North Carolina Art Now brings together 31 emerging and established artists working across the state. This group survey, featuring approximately 70 works, presents an expansive view of contemporary art in North Carolina both in terms of regional geography and artistic approaches.

https://nasher.duke.edu/exhibitions/reckoning-and-resilience-north-carolina-art-now/