The Museum of African American Art | Los Angeles

Internationally renowned artist, Bernard Stanley Hoyes to exhibit at Museum of African American Art (MAAA), July 2 through September 24

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Bernard Stanley Hoyes demonstrated artistic abilities early. When he was trotted off to live with a great aunt in rural Jamaica, his exposure to the revival cults, ceremonies and rituals planted seeds deep within, that would manifest in his art years later.

Hoyes's formal art studies began at Junior Art Centre at the Institute of Jamaica. At age 15 he left Jamaica for New York City. His lessons continued at the Art Students League and Vermont Academy. A heady combination of his drive to excel and the influence of the civil rights movement placed Hoyes at the helm of propelling the Academy to

institute social and cultural programs. Upon graduation he was the first recipient of the Frederick Stanley Art Award and saw the launching of the school's first formal arts department. When Hoyes attended an alumni reception some years later, to receive the Florence Sabin Distinguished Alumni Award, he felt pride in seeing the new edifice housing a formal art department. He earned a Bachelor in Fine Arts in painting and graphic design from the California School of Arts and Crafts in Oakland.

The artist states, “I have been a creator of art, symbols of ancestral echoes since a child in Jamaica...The images I convey symbolize a culmination of these ancestral echoes brought to classical form. They are contemporary,eternal in spirit and stand as praise to our existence --past, present and future.”

During the 70’s he, worked intensively on his “Rag Series” which symbolized, documented and prophesied his journey from a struggling artist to one of prominence. In the early 80’s he began works that recalled his Afro-Caribbean roots, specifically the rituals of African Spirituality and Christianity, since the Middle Passage. Now internationally acclaimed, Bernard Stanley Hoyes is an artist with a self-validated

mission, a spiritual vision and challenge to master unique compositions of spiritual significance. Hoyes says, “I desire to visually engross the viewer through powerful expressive works. I paint from an intuitive point of view. During this process, the spirits take possession and a ritual theme becomes dominant.”

Hoyes has participated in numerous solo exhibitions here and abroad. He has created murals in the inner city of Los Angeles, Ca. He has curated exhibitions and held a position on the board at the Museum of African American Art in Los Angeles. Won awards of Excellence for his famous “Revival Series,” nationally and internationally. His works have been featured in numerous television and film productions, and collected internationally.

Recognition and affirmation of traditional African religion and spirituality in Bernard Stanley Hoyes’ artworks continue to find universal appeal, stunning audiences worldwide. One of his commissioned murals, graces the exterior wall of the First A.M.E. Church, Los Angeles, along LaSalle and 21st. Titled: "In The Spirit of Contribution,” it is dedicated to both African American and Hispanic people who’ve made noteworthy contributions to the building of America. Hoyes artworks are in museums, galleries and private collections worldwide, for more information visit:www.bernardhoyes.com. Oprah Winfrey, Natalie Cole, Steve Harvey, Keenan Ivory Wayans and the National Urban League are among his collectors. President Barack Obama has even been photographed in front of his work. His craft has been fêted internationally in museums, galleries around the world.

Bernard Stanley Hoyes now resides and creates from his studio in Desert Hot Springs, California. The Bernard Stanley Hoyes, MAAA exhibit: “Evolving Art Practice, Rags to the Revival Series,” will open Sunday,July 2 and run through Sunday, September 24. The Museum of African American Art (MAAA) has free admission is open Thursdays to Sundays, 12:00pm to 5:00PM, located on the third floor of Macy’s in Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 4005 Crenshaw Blvd. For more information visit: www.maaala.org.

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