Faces of Colombia:
The Invisible Communities
Works By Donna Slade
Hispanic Heritage Exhibit
September 23 - October 22, 2022
The Arts Center
301 Hay Street
Downtown Fayetteville
Free & Open For Public Viewing
Faces of
Strength, Determination & Dignity
In July 2017, as part of a volunteer peace delegation with the Witness for Peace organization, artist Donna Slade traveled to Colombia, South America to capture a very personal and revealing account of how conditions under an oppressive government have created violence, displacement, and economic insecurity, particularly for Afro-Colombian and Indigenous people in the communities of Cali, Buenaventura, and Bogota.
Despite their insecurities and vulnerabilities, Donna was impressed by the strength, determination, and dignity of the people. The emotional journey led her to question how she can help make a difference using the power of art to tell the tell the stories of these citizen’s hardships, and highlight the strength, dignity, and vulnerabilities of Colombian activists and community leaders as they work for social justice.
Stiving to make the invisible… visible, Donna hopes to initiate a dialogue with the viewer that will encourage others to recognize the interconnectedness of struggle for racial justice across the globe.
Meet THE ARTIST
Donna Slade, cpsa
Donna Slade is an award winning, published colored pencil artist.
Her work is contemporary realism featuring a straightforward approach to representational art. Looking past the obvious, close observation and a unique artistic interpretation of a subject is her process. Her choice of subject comes from a place of intuition that is fueled by a desire to capture a subject and present it in such a way that will stir unexpected emotions and thoughts for the viewer.
Though she works in various media, Donna has considered colored pencil her primary medium. Using strong composition, and a full range of values, she layer more than 10 to 20 layers of color working from dark to light. Layering gives me the ability to achieve a level of accuracy while building bold vibrant colors.
Hispanic Heritage Exhibit Presented By
