Black History Month Painting Class

Celebrate Black History month with a painting program inspired by famous African American painter Tariku Shiferaw and Stanley Whitney. Patrons will get the chance to paint two small abstract paintings on canvas, inspired by Tariku Shiferaw’s Cranes in the Sky and Stanley Whitney’s Do Be U.  

Tariku Shiferaw was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and currently lives and works in New York City. Utilizing a variety of materials, such as mylar and vinyl, he creates a layered geometric abstraction. Shiferaw is best known for the thick horizontal lines in his work and his use of electric blue and a vigorous black. His work explores hierarchical systems and societal structures as well as perception of space. Shiferaw integrates hip hop culture by titling his works after songs by the likes of Tupac, Nas, Kendrick Lamar, SZA and Cardi B. By imposing Blackness on the viewer, he is, in his own words to CFHILL, “inserting himself and the culture in the canon of western art history. 

Stanley Whitney’s vibrant abstract paintings unlock the linear structure of the grid, imbuing it with new and unexpected cadences of color, rhythm, and space. Deriving inspiration from sources as diverse as Piet Mondrian, free jazz, and American quilt-making, Whitney composes with blocks and bars that articulate a chromatic call-and-response in each canvas. 

Registration Required. Registration opens Tuesday, February 3, 2026. Materials for this program are provided with the generous support of the Friends of First Colony Branch Library.