Black business hosting its first art gallery on the West Side of Chicago

	By Sabrina Hart, Reporter, The Real Chi

Demetrice Rollins, the owner of Colour Me Bad Artistry, hosted her very first art gallery on the West Side of Chicago on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020 at 4105 West North Avenue. Rollins called her art exhibit "The Art of Perseverance" to congratulate herself for never giving up after receiving help from God and her friends when her life took a turn for the worst. In addition to the art on display, there was a live painting session led by Demetrice Rollins. Poets Toni Garrett and Crystal Massey recited their spoken word pieces, and dancer Mocha Mocha performed a contemporary dance. For Rollins, this was a day of achievement when she saw her vision come to life. This photo essay will provide insight into four artists of African descent who captured the theme of perseverance through different forms of art.

Demetrice Rollins, the Colour Me Bad Artistry owner, hosts an art gallery event the day of her birthday entitled “The Art of Perseverance.” The photo was taken by Sabrina Hart.

"When I looked up the definition of perseverance, it just means you get through something, and no matter what, you never let it get to you. I chose this theme because from last year to now, I was going through a lot of stuff last year with my kids and my living situation,” Rollins said. “If I go into detail on what happened, it'll probably amaze you that I am still standing here with a smile on my face." 

Rollins ended with, "Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races, one after another!"

Demetrice Rollins paints a lady with an afro at her art gallery event, and this is the finished result. Rollins held a live painting session.  The photo was taken by Sabrina Hart.

“So the color choice that I picked was purple, black, and blue and those are normally the colors that describe people going through depression and it symbolizes a dark side,” said Rollins. “I have the racing track going through the hair and through the clouds because the theme of my event was perseverance.”

Toni Garrett presents a free verse poem entitled "From Darkness to the Light" at the Colour Me Bad Artistry art gallery. The photo was taken by Sabrina Hart.

“I'm presenting [the poem] because I'm a God-fearing woman, I believe, and I'm also about mental health. The poem is to show how I came from a dark place and found some type of light in this life," she said. "I will be giving out my book, which is about codependency because I'm all about kind of battling the demons within yourself to figure out this walk that we are walking.”

A professional dancer, who prefers to be called by her stage name Mocha Mocha, performs a contemporary piece entitled “Be Free” at the Colour Me Bad Artistry art gallery. The photo was taken by Sabrina Hart.

“The dance piece that I presented today was about a woman who was at first very unsure about her body,” Mocha said. “She just gained confidence throughout the dance to just live her truth and be who she is, unapologetically.”

Crystal Massey, the Poet, recites a free verse poem entitled "Trust" at the Colour Me Bad Artistry art gallery. The photo was taken by Sabrina Hart.

"The artist [Demetrice Rollins] asked us [The poets for the art gallery] to write about a poem, where we thought God was gonna give up, and he came through for us." She emphasizes that, "This poetry is life-changing. It's about life, so all my poetry about life, my struggles, where I've been where I'm going. Everything that I've accomplished, everything that I'm trying to accomplish.”

The attendees stop and gaze at the paintings for sale at the back of the room. The artwork in the photo was painted by Demetrice Rollins, the owner of Colour Me Bad Artistry. The photo was taken by Sabrina Hart.

“Last year, on my birthday, I felt like I wanted to give up because of all the stuff I was going through, and I never really celebrated my birthday before,” Demetrice Rollins said. “So, as a gift to myself, I wanted one of the many visions that I had to come to life, and because everybody that attended and supported my vision came to life, and I was so happy. It felt like the best birthday I ever had.”