Roots and Resilience: Art for Change: At Ringling College of Art + Design

Roots and Resilience: Art for Change is a dynamic group exhibition that foregrounds the contributions of African American artists as vital agents of cultural preservation, resistance, and transformation. Curated and designed by students in Ringling College’s Exhibition Design and Management course, led by Director and Chief Curator Tim Jaeger, the exhibition examines how creative expression becomes a powerful vehicle for storytelling, activism, and envisioning new futures.

The exhibition brings together groundbreaking artists such as Faith Ringgold, Aminah Robinson, Jacob Lawrence, and Romare Bearden—visionaries whose work reshaped American art through narratives grounded in the Black experience. Their legacies are joined by contemporary artist Kandy G. Lopez, whose practice offers fresh perspectives on identity, representation, and resilience in today’s cultural landscape.

Alongside these voices, the exhibition includes works by artists such as Fred Stein, Benny Andrews, Philip Reisman, and Moses Soyer. Their photography and paintings expand the dialogue, underscoring how the intersections of race, culture, and history have shaped American art across generations.

Spanning painting, printmaking, photography, and mixed media, Roots and Resilience honors the enduring legacy of African American artistry while highlighting the importance of intergenerational and intercultural exchange. In this space, art becomes both bridge and catalyst—connecting history to the present, and vision to change.

Sponsors: Community Foundation, Exchange, Michael Saunders & Company, Frank and Katerine Martucci, Richard and Pamela Mones, Sarasota Trading Company, SRQ Media, WSLR

Image: Kandy G Lopez, Jade I, 2023, Yarn and spray paint on hook mesh, 96” x 60”, courtesy of ACA Galleries, New York, NY