EXOR Galleries: Blog

EXOR Galleries mourns the loss of Michelle Coleman following recent shooting in Purvis' Overtown.

It started as a celebration of life. Twelve young people were shot; Michelle Coleman (just 23 years-old) died and others now remain seriously and critically injured. When will the bloodshed end? What will it take to awaken our young minds? What will it take to spark interest in breaking away from the same dead-end decisions? What will it take to break the cycle of violence? Life is a menu of choices. Imagine for an instant that a teenager with a felony, surrounded by criminalized behaviors, envisions a section on the standard menu of violence and lawlessness titled, “healthy alternatives.” He opts for a new palette—a palette different from the palette of blood and guns carried by his peers and jailmates—his palette would be filled with paint and his powerful weapon of choice—brushes. Too far-fetched? This would never happen? Only in a movie? A poetic metaphor maybe, but not likely on the streets of Overtown? Wrong. Dead wrong. Choices were made by Purvis Young. Purvis Young, as a teenager coming of age in the increasingly violent Overtown community, made the decision to write his own menu—he did it—he traded the palette of blood and guns for paint and brushes. Arrested for breaking and entering, Purvis spent some time in jail. When he came out, he came out with a calling to affect change. He wasn’t forced into painting; canvases weren’t handed to him; a gun wasn’t held to his head—he simply made a choice for his life that he would walk a different path. It was as simple and deliberate as that. He looked at photos of the murals painted on the Wall of Respect in Chicago (1967), and thought “I ain't gonna stand on no street corner all day, I'm going to paint!” And so it goes.

A street scene in Overtown with the artwork by Purvis Young installed on the side of the Metrorail overpass as part of the City of Miami’s Art in Public Places initiative.

The rest is history—with his art adorning the most coveted spaces in our nation’s most prestigious galleries—among them the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C.—Purvis is one of the most collected urban expressionist artist. It is likely that Purvis has the most pieces purchased for and retained in private collections than any other living artist today. The Purvis phenomenon started with a young man breaking the cycle of violence and choosing a life with meaningful purpose. Young’s power is in his brush. Those close to Purvis know that he is a strong, tough man and a man with conviction. In choosing the brush, his voice and strength became anything but passive. His images are powerful—they evoke reaction—they are active. He addresses tough issues — social injustices — drugs — death — mayhem. He paints what he sees in Overtown — the good and the bad — funerals — pregnant women — celebrations. He also paints the salvation he sees through religious icons placed in his scenes offering hope and faith for a better tomorrow.

EXOR Galleries believes that art is a vehicle for change. Saddened by the events of July 6th, we at EXOR Galleries maintain that apathy can not and should no longer be an option. Change is long overdue on the streets of America’s urban landscape. We are all one people connected through the human experience. Learn about the universal language of art. Learn about the power of one man’s choice to arm himself with paint and brushes. Introduce a young person to the story of Purvis Young. Come see for yourself why we feel that Purvis can serve as a role model. You will be inspired to help join the crusade to awaken the consciousness of an entire generation to recognize the truly awesome possibilities that come with choosing alternatives to bloodshed. If only…

Suzanne Khalil, MFA, Ph.D.
EXOR Galleries, Curator

1. For full story reported in The Miami Herald Click here
2. A quotation by Purvis Young taken from: Cantor-Navas, J. (1999, May 20) From outsider to insider. Miami New Times.

Photography by Suzanne Khalil.