Black artists featured in SMU exhibit

By Nancy George

Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum and his wife, Jessica, are lending 10 paintings from their art collection to SMU’s Hamon Arts Library for an exhibit Feb. 18 through May 22. Each piece represents a unique visual narrative of the Black experience.    

“We are sharing these pieces from our collection to bring recognition to the artists,” Beachum says. “We believe that their brilliant work and shared insights will start a conversation and bring people together in a new way. We are excited to be stewards of their work as well as catalysts for promoting their perspectives and ideas.”

Jessica and Kelvin Beachum began acquiring art in 2013 as a way to understand life through the lenses of visual artists. In nine years, they have assembled a significant collection of works by both well-known and emerging artists. 

The exhibit, “Narrative as Reality: A World Reimagined/ Selections from the Jessica and Kelvin Beachum Family Collection,” includes an oil on canvas by Dominic Chambers, recently included on Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list as one of the most exciting emerging artists of his generation. Artist Ryan Cosbert’s painting, Mayhem No. 2, is part of a series she started after George Floyd’s 2020 death. Multidisciplinary artist Robert Hodge used reclaimed paper from the sidewalk and movie posters in his Houston neighborhood for his work, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.

The exhibit will take place in the Mildred Hawn Gallery in SMU’s Hamon Arts Library. For more information, call 214-768-3813.

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