The African American Master Artists in Residence Program at Northeastern University (AAMARP) has been a dynamic and unique nexus for artists of the African diaspora for 50 years, according to its current director, Dr. Reginald Jackson, himself a collagist, photographer, filmmaker, professor emeritus at Simmons college, and one of AAMARP’s original practitioners.

• "Out of the Fire" represents the transformative journey of resilience and rebirth within the world (A.A.M.A.R.P.) The African American Master Artist Residency Program has been able to sustain since 1970’s. A dreamchild of the artist Dana Chandler, the imagery of fire symbolizes the trials and tribulations that our ancestors endured, from the harsh realities of slavery to the ongoing struggles for justice and equality. Yet, just as fire can destroy, it also has the power to purify, cleanse, and give birth to new life. The reality of black art being constructed within a time in which institutionalized racism in local and national museums and galleries remain absent of black art, captures the moment of emerging from the flames, embodying a sense of strength, survival, and regeneration.

  "Out of the Fire" is both a homage and a celebration, recognizing that through the fire burns, it also creates the fertile ground from which we rise, stronger, wiser, and more connected to our heritage. The vibrant colors, bold brushstrokes, and layered textures in some works evoke a feeling of movement and transition, as if emerging from a tumultuous past into a bright future. The figures in the composition are not just survivors, but symbols of the ancestors whose spirits continue to guide us. The work draws from African spiritual symbolism, where fire is often seen as a catalyst for both destruction and renewal.

It all begins with an idea.