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“Suite Extracts,” an exhibition of paintings by Rodrecas “Drék” Davis, can be viewed in the Glassblock Gallery in the Fred J. Taylor Library and Technology Center at the University of Arkansas at Monticello through October 24. On October 24 at 1:30 p.m. in the UAM Visual and Performing Arts Center, Davis will give a presentation on his art and life. On October 24 from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Glassblock Gallery, a closing reception will be held for the exhibition. The exhibition, presentation and closing reception are free and open to the public.

The artworks in this exhibition are mixed media pieces composed of fabric and paint that address the theme of freedom and deal with the spiritual, the tangible/intangible and the layers that make up individual realities.

Davis, a native of Monroe, Georgia, graduated in 2006 from the University of Georgia’s Fine Arts program with an emphasis in drawing and painting. He primarily works as a mixed media artist and has contributed as a columnist for the Athens Banner-Herald and Code Z Online: Black Visual Culture Now. His academic contributions include presentations at various educational conferences, including the Hawaii University International Conferences on Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, where he explored manifestations of hip-hop culture in the visual arts.

Davis’ work has been featured in the politics issue of Callaloo: A Journal of African Diaspora Arts and Letters, Colorlines and in over 60 exhibitions. He currently serves as a professor and the head of the Department of Visual & Performing Arts at Grambling State University in Louisiana. A recipient of the Take Notice Fund grant awarded by the National Performance Network (The Ford Foundation), he also served as a juror for the 77th Annual Wabash Valley Exhibition at the Swope Art Museum in Indiana.

The gallery’s hours are Mondays from 9 to 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.