Chop Shop: We Are Here

Curated by Steven M. Cozart and Roymieco Carter

Chop Shop: We Are Here is a collective exploration of racial consciousness and identity through drawing, painting, and sculpture. The Chop Shop Artists Collective, a group of Black and Brown male artists, was founded in 2020 during the global pandemic as a space for virtual conversations and fellowship. In the wake of George Floyd's murder and its worldwide broadcast, these artists found strength in community, bonding over shared experiences.

Many members are educators who recognize art's power to teach and inspire. The phrase "We Are Here"– an assertion of presence– counters the strategies of separation and control that have historically been used to oppress Black and Brown people, especially within educational institutions, employment opportunities, and fine art spaces.

We are thrilled to present our third biennial of established and emerging Black artists in our region. Our inaugural biennial, Visual Vanguard, launched in the summer of 2021 during the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement – a pivotal time in our nation's history. The second biennial in 2023, my Presence is Present, explored Afro-surrealism and carried the mantle of Black excellence and evolution in art and culture.

Chop Shop: We Are Here highlights the transformative role of the arts in confronting the challenges faced by Black and Brown men – issues frequently neglected by mainstream society.

Steven M. Cozart, a Durham, NC native now based in Greensboro, is an artist, educator, and documentarian. Despite having an achromatic vision, he embraces painting alongside drawing. His figurative work explores themes of colorism, texturism, and perceptions of Black masculinity. His art has been exhibited at institutions such as the Sigal Museum, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Weatherspoon Art Museum, The Nasher Museum, Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art, and the Brooklyn Collective.

Roymieco Carter, raised in the tobacco farmlands of Virginia, draws inspiration from his rural upbringing. His work interrogates themes of violence, displacement, and oppression, exploring how history is manipulated and rewritten. Holding a BFA in Art and Advertising from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MFA in Graphic Design from Penn State, Carter’s work fuses documented history with cultural narratives and folklore, evoking deep emotional and personal insights.