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Afri-Cobra Meeting November 5, 1978

-Critique of Frank Smith's Work-

The work is done on buckskin, their [[there]] are 18 peices [[pieces]] in the series. Frank points out one piece called "Arising Spirits." The title is spelled out in the work. It is an aerial view, having no top or bottom, it is designed to work from any angle. The imaginary energy enclosed in the cycle is dispersed, radiating out. This tradition of stitching and quilting is intrinsically Afro-American. Most of the stitching at this point is done by machine. 

-Stevens-How do you exhibit them?
-Ron Anderson suggests a plywood suspension.
-Harris- Refers to Cliff Clay a Cleveland artist who also works with stretched skins.
-Nelson Stevens adds the work of Joe Overstreet, who some time ago also worked with free form skin like irregular canvas. On which he painted targets. 
-Aturo Lindsay suggests exhibiting them four to five feet from the wall, possibly strung from the ceiling and floor at different levels. 
-Stevens notices the black textured areas painted black. 
-Frank explains that he first painted the area black with acrylic then incorporated black tiny threads and heavy yarn. This is backed by heavy canvas making the quilted effect. It is a/very tactile piece. 
-Ron Anderson says the texture around the edge should be continued in the center. He also inquires as to how much metallic thread is being used. 
-Frank Smith identifies blue, copper, white, and silver, bronze, gold ect [[etc.]] as the metallic threads used.
-Stevens sees the extension of this to be metallic wire in/addition to the rope. 
-Ron points out interest of the frayed edge.
-Art Beatty feels that hanging the yarn off the edge of the peice [[piece]] would increase interest. 

-Critique of Michael Harris' Work-

-Michael Harris-"I have been going thru a period of change. Analagous [[Analogous]] to labor pains. This painting is the head just coming out, freedom from past structure." The work includes more spatial effects than previous paintings by Harris. He is continuing to use the mandala symbol to express his personal relationship to the sun. One painting is called "Jazz". Michael begins very intuitionally letting the work develope [[develop]] and "talk to me".
-Rose Auld-"What kind of skin?'
-Harris- explains he is working on suede leather. Using layers of matte varnish to size it. The softness of the materials give wrinkled effects. He then cut the suede to resemble the shape of Zimbabwe. 
-Frank Smith points out that the monting [[mounting]] doesn't do the piece justice. It's not large enough to give the work the space it needs. Plywood is suggested not to be as good as wood mounting.
-Ron Anderson agrees, he adds that the square and rectangle shape limits the free form skin shape. 
-Michael Harris feels that the familiar rectangle should emphazie [[emphasize]] the irregular. He wants to get into using other materials such as nails.