$1,000 in cash prizes will be awarded:
Grand Prize- $500
2nd place- $300
Two Honorable Mention Prizes- $100 each

Submitted works must address the subject of HIV/AIDS Awareness. Accepted works must be wall ready upon delivery. An independent jury of professional artists will select the award recipients. There is no submission fee.

Submission Deadline: September 15
Artist Notification: September 22
Delivery of Artwork: September 25th
Opening Reception: October 1

Please email submissions to caritashopegallery@gmail.com. Submissions should be JPEG or GIF files only with a file size no larger than 2 MGs.

Submissions may also be mailed to:
Caritas Village
[choice] LIFE OVER AIDS
2509 Harvard Ave.
Memphis, TN  38112

For more information, call (901) 327-5246 or email caritashopegallery@gmail.com.

The Neighborhood Graphic Arts and Photography Club at Caritas Village in the Binghampton Neighborhood of Memphis was started 2008. Youth between the ages of 5 and 16 are taught the basics of digital photography which includes taking pictures, downloading, editing and cropping. Field trips are taken in the Memphis area and at the Naval Base in Millington.

James Bonds has worked with the photography club since moving to the Binghampton neighborhood in 2003. Hailing from the West Side of Chicago, he joined the Army, and then later got his BA in Photography. He also has two associate degrees in Photo Offset Printing and in Graphic Design.

In 2008, the group was recognized by and received a $5000 grant from Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine, for the wonderful work he has done with these kids in the neighborhood.

From Darlene:

Having been surrounded by and involved in music throughout my life, it feels necessary to create a series that expresses music in my world. Does not art enhance art? Creativity in one sparks the same in another. We do not exist unaffected by the actions of others, nor non influential of others. Art about art is a battling issue in the minds of some, but, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17.

Submitting to the stimulus of music, I’ve doubled back and shaped music through strong, stated lines and bold colors. A Capella connotes a world that surpasses naturalistic sound, bodily movement and instrumentation.

Sometimes you have to go a bit off the beaten path to find the best kept secrets in Memphis, and sometimes you can find them in the unlikeliest of neighborhoods. That’s what brought me to Binghamton to Meet Ms. Onie Johns and find out more about a place called Caritas Village. Caritas Village is housed in a former Masonic lodge at 2509 Harvard, and it’s truly a remarkable place.

The gallery is also intended to provide a forum for work that is in progress. The activities in this gallery should stimulate dialogue in the community as well as generate new ideas and involvement.

If you are an artist interested in submitting work for consideration, please see our prospectus for submission details and requirements. Thank you for your support of the Village and Hope Gallery!

From Live From Memphis and ArtsMemphis:

Frank D. Robinson Jr. is an artist living a working in Memphis. Although he has spent time all over America – Studying art at the Art Institute of Chicago, and showing in cities from New York to New Orleans, Memphis will always be his home.

Frank D. works in various mediums – paint, pencil, markers, found objects (or “trash” as he lovingly refers to it) – with one goal, to create. Whether it’s a six-foot-tall painting of “Thug Jesus” or a t-shirt design for breast cancer, Frank D. is always creating. His work seeks to inspire through the everyday – by using found objects, and common language, Frank D. is able to touch people on a base level, expressing to them his concerns, his passions, his humanity.

Currently Frank D. is the artist-in-residence at Caritas Village, where he has a studio and occasionally teaches classes. If you ever in the neighborhood, stop by and check out some of his work – it’s everywhere!

I heART HAITI
Friday, February 12th
5p – 9p
Caritas Village

I heART HAITI is an art exhibition, silent auction and benefit for the beautiful country of HAITI.

More than 20 artists from around the country will be exhibiting donated work including Margarette Louiseau (Haiti), Dail Chambers (St. Louis), frank d. robinson jr. (Memphis), Johnnie Mayberry (Jackson, Miss.), Carl E. Moore (Memphis), Krista Franklin (Chicago), John Bullock (Memphis), Shalishah Petey Franklin (Memphis), Edwin McSwine (Memphis), Marcellous Lovelace (Chicago), Siphne Sylve (New Orleans), Morris T. Howard (Memphis), Terry Lynn of TWIN (Memphis), Brandon Tolson (St. Louis), Darlene Newman (Memphis). Artwork from members of NIA Artist Collective and students at Memphis College of Art will also be on exhibit.

Presented by Strange Fruit Productions and NIA Artist Collective at the Caritas Village, we encourage you to come, hear live music, spoken word, and most importantly help our creative community rebuild another community.

I heART HAITI. DON’T YOU?

ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT HAITI THROUGH GSL HAITI PARTNERSHIP.

Shane lives at and is a founding member of The Simple Way, an intentional Christian community in north Philly and on the advisory board for the Christian Community Development Association. Shane will be speaking at Caritas Village on Saturday evening, Jan. 9th @ 6:30pm. This event is free and open to the public!