Duane Deterville was born on March 14, 1960. Duane is an artist, writer, and visual culture scholar primarily interested in African and African diasporic cultural expression. His drawings touch on the intersection of ritual and symbol in African diasporic religions.
Duane Deterville can be traced back to Oakland going back to the late 1970s. He is deeply rooted in uplifting the African and African diasporic youth and adults in his community through projects and his current works. He uses his platform not only to express the history of black art in Oakland but also to make art an option for those who fell into a system that was not meant for their success.
Duane Deterville received his BFA at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco and went on to receive his MA in visual and critical studies from there in 2009. Cofounding the Sankofa Cultural Institute in 1998, it provides an ever-expanding cultural network called the Afriscape of new dialogue, art, research, and cultural expression. He has done a bit of traveling as he was invited to Festigraff, where he became inspired by the graffiti. While his original purpose was to document murals that he inquired about, Deterville ended up leaving one of his own.
Duane’s launch of art may have been in 1990 when he finished his silkscreen print of Josephine Baker titled Blue/Green Josephine. This print was made using the artist’s own hand and fingerprints as the texture of her skin on Lenox 100 rag archival paper. Its inspiration was derived from the cover image of Ishmael Reed’s Mumbo Jumbo. The artist was “taken by the way that Reed attached his very personal take on the historical figure of Josephine Baker to the image” and thus followed suit. The print, one of fifteen in its series, is a representation of Josephine Baker with its green and blue accents alluded to by the name.
Blue/Green Josephine
Haunts:
You may find Duane at the SFMOMA, the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, and the Sankofa Cultural Institute. Duane spends most of his time in Oakland and puts on art shows to become closer to his community. Duane is at the First Friday event in Oakland, California.
These places are important to Duane because he works with a community that allows him to gain access to creating change and being a positive influence on kids in the community. Duane is open to having conversations whenever he runs into people who are interested in learning about him.
Duane teaches the elements of art, including texture, shape, and color, which is the foundation for creating art. He is able to show up at these events to inform his community to access the many tools that are taken away from communities of color.
~ by Jada Ross ~
External Links:
Deterville, Duane. “The Afriscape – Writing & Artwork by Kwadwo Duane Deterville.” Facebook, 19 Dec. 2010, https://m.facebook.com/theafriscape/photos/a.10150104122800701/10150104122885701/?type=3.
https://bampfa.org/event/duane-deterville-future-blackwards-afrifuturism-and-black-visual-culture
http://krowswork.com/duanedeterville.html
https://twitter.com/duanedeterville/media
