Bethea, Christine CMC, American Kuba #58, 2022, quilted textile painting with cotton, wool, fiber blend, 53 x 17 inches, framed in an ivory floater frame measuring 54 x 18 inches Artist Bio: Christine Bethea is an award-winning visual artist of 20+ years with additional experience as a curator and arts administrator. Her work as a Western Pennsylvania quilter has been archived by the Senator John Heinz History Center, a Smithsonian Affiliate where she served as an advisor on their Quilt Symposium. Bethea is self-taught and has studied with several noted quilting masters including residents of Gee's Bend. with the Women of Gee's Bend. Selected to showcase at the 100th Folklorist Conference in Baltimore, Bethea's film direction of a Bhutanese resettlement as seen through the eyes of teen Bhutanese artists, received national recognition with support from the Pittsburgh Office of Public Art and National Endowment for the Arts. Bethea is a popular Teaching Artist, rostered by the Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media, whose mediums include: fiber, painting, glass, ceramic and mixed media and videography. She currently serves as President of Women of Visions, Inc, an historic African-American visual Arts organization located in Pittsburgh, PA recently named as one of America”s Cultural Treasures. Mentored by international sculptor Selma Burke at its founding, Women of Visions has sustained 40 years in the city of Pittsburgh as the only non-profit collective of African American women visual artists. Women of Visions mounts group and collaborative exhibitions, teaches classes to people of every generation, and networks to build relationships in the arts and lay community both in and outside the city of Pittsburgh. The members of Women of Visions represent a diverse range of lifestyles and artistic experiences; thus rich and varied expressions of personal, social, and political views are presented in each exhibition the group organizes. Over the course of 40 years, Women of Visions has continued to nurture and support professional and emerging women artists of color, and to bring to the general public the full richness and scope of our cultural heritage. Currently, Women of Visions is the oldest women’s organization of its kind in the country. They have experienced the years of both revolution and evolution. Now, with the country’s historic placement of a woman of color in the role of Vice President of the United States, this historic organization seeks ways to push themselves and their art to the next level. As part of their growth strategy, Women of Visions has inducted 16 new members in one year, amplified their mission with ground-breaking exhibitions, and are poised to pass on their legacy of establishing “excellence in the visual arts” to the next generation of African American women. In 2021, Women of Visions was awarded the title of “American Cultural Treasure” by the Ford Foundation and Heinz Foundation. For more information visit womenofvisionspgh.org. Merchandise will be packed and transported by the purchaser at their own risk and expense. A list of recommended shippers is on our website: https://www.conceptgallery.com/auctions/shipping/ .