Black History Month: Gallery Guichard bringing art from across the globe to Bronzeville
CHICAGO (CBS) -- As we celebrate Black History Month, we explore the intersection of art and culture.
CBS 2's Mugo Odigwe takes us to Chicago's famed Bronzeville neighborhood, where a husband and wife are taking their message of understanding and inclusion all around the world.
"The artwork is beautiful, and it's amazing, but it does tell stories," said Frances Guichard, co-owner of Gallery Guichard.
There are no words in the stories at Gallery Guichard. The gallery's art focuses on Black life around the world, in stunning images that shake the soul and awaken the mind.
Andre and Frances Guichard are accomplished artists, and husband and wife. They call Gallery Guichard at 47th and Vincennes home – literally, but more on that later.
Their gallery is a labor of love; and an ode to each other and to Bronzeville.
"He mentioned Bronzeville, and I immediately said it had to be here," Frances said.
"It allows us to beautify 47th Street, and then bring in other businesses as well," she added. "And it allows for the community to engage in art that they normally wouldn't any have access to."
Another important goal: to give multi-cultural artists a way to show their work to the world. What does that mean for the Black community, especially when it comes to representation in art?
"This means everything to diversity, and it allows African Americans a platform to be able to get their artwork out," Frances said.
The building also provides several artists a chance to live and create in the same place.
"We're also partners in the Bronzeville Artist Lofts, which is an 18-unit artist live-work space," Andre said.
The gallery is housed on the first floor.
Artists like Raymond Thomas and Alpha Bruton have apartments upstairs that double as studios. So do Andre and Frances.
"For lack of a better word, I think of it as a commune of artists, and collectors, and creatives," Andre said.
And there's plenty of history at the gallery, too. Next door, you'll find the Great Migration Garden, a nod to a key time in African American history, when millions of Black people moved from the South to the Midwest, Northeast, and West between 1910 and 1970.
"We have, through different collaborations, created the Great Migration Sculpture Garden, which is a tribute to the over 1.5 million African Americans who migrated from the South to the North, and here to Bronzeville," Andre said. "This community is the sacred ground where they landed."
To the Guichards, all African life and art is sacred.
"As African people, we are on all seven continents," Andre said. "Part of our mission has been to showcase and connect artists of the whole African diaspora, understanding that we're the same."
As part of their "Bridge Program," Frances and Andre have visited several African countries; bringing with them art from Chicago, and bringing back art from Africa.
"It's an opportunity to share a wealth of information with another culture," Frances said.
As Frances loves to say, art helps people understand each other.
"There are a lot of social justice stories that need to be told through art, because it softens the conversation," Frances said. "Now you get a discussion that's going on, and then people are actually thinking of solutions."
And that can make the world a better and gentler place.
"We find out we're all just people, and that we all have dreams and aspirations," Frances said.
Gallery Guichard is hosting a special exhibit for Black History Month. For details, visit galleryguichard.com.
