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Artist Bio
Master Artist Michael Bernard Stevenson Jr. is Black and Italian, non-binary, and practices primarily in America. Their collaborative approach results in artwork that is created by and for the people.
Stevenson’s practice is dedicated to supporting young people ages as they develop skills in advanced imaginative thinking and self-confident expression. They have spent the last year and a half developing the Afro Contemporary Art Class (ACAC) at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School, with extensions of the ACAC launching at Jefferson High School and Portland State University in winter 2021. Stevenson also has a robust portfolio of artist projects that center food and the act of gathering around it, along with new curation and exhibition work in collaboration with currently and formerly incarcerated folks. They passionately pursue artistic engagement with others because Stevenson believes that nurturing empowered and open-minded young people and communities is the best and most direct way toward ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for all.
Afro Contemporary Art Bookshelf
2020
Beetle Kill Blue Spruce, publications
Created in collaboration with Afro Contemporary Artists, Afro Contemporary Art Class, and Daniel Bluestein through Past Lives LLC.
Educate to Liberate
2020
Wood, photograph
Beetle Kill Blue Spruce, publications
Created in collaboration with Kelly Lynn Lunde, Kimberly Maruska, and Christian Wall through Past Lives LLC.
People for Mutual Education Pamphlet Rack
2020
Wood and other mediums
Beetle Kill Blue Spruce, publications
Created in collaboration with People for Mutual Education, Outlet PDX, and Daniel Bluestein through Past Lives LLC.
Master Artist Michael Bernard Stevenson Jr. works in concert with friends and neighbors to weave communities together for the purpose of individual and collective prosperity. In this exhibition, Stevenson created Educate to Liberate, a new artwork that makes visual Stevenson’s collaborative approach to building community by juxtaposing their image with that of Huey P. Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense.
Each component of the larger installation has been created through artistic partnerships. The photograph frame and bracketing furniture were made by Past Lives LLC., a small business incubator that provides employment, mentorship, and comprehensive case management to those affected by the prison system. On these shelves, Stevenson provides documentation of their work in the community. Afro Contemporary Art Today!, is a series of publications that recounts the work of the inaugural Afro Contemporary Art Class (ACAC) at the Dr. MLK Jr. School. The ACAC is facilitated by Stevenson in service to elementary school students who explore the work of contemporary artists from the African diaspora. Also offered is a series of pamphlets produced by People for Mutual Education (P4ME), a lateral activist group co-founded by Stevenson that collaboratively assembles resources, synthesizes existing information, and shares knowledge on racial and social (in)justice topics in order to provide accessible information on current issues.
Leveraging the collaborative, intergenerational ethos of the ACAC and P4ME, Stevenson will present programming throughout the exhibition that will serve as curricular engagement and critical discourse through teach-ins, dialogues, and presentations.
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