Last week, Robert Powell was dutifully unwrapping the artwork of Dean Mitchell in preparation for Portfolio’s latest exhibition Dean Mitchell: Everything’s a Portrait. As he pulled away the packaging from the art, each piece was a surprisingly dramatic contrast to the one that preceded it.
“His pallet is so broad,” said Portfolio Gallery founder Robert Powell. “To me, Dean really has something for everybody.”
The art of Dean Mitchell ranges from undeniably black to ethnically ambiguous. A fuzzy bearded blues man in dark glasses throwing down on the harmonica to a simple portrait of an 18th century door that is reminiscent of New Orleans’ French Quarter.
An excerpt of Mitchell’s prolific catalogue of paintings will be presented and sold at Portfolio Gallery under the moniker of “Everything’s a Portrait” starting next Friday, March 27 through May 31.
“Most of us think we are in the art world, but we’re not really in the art world,” said Portfolio Gallery founder Robert Powell. “Dean is really in the art world.”
Powell spoke of Mitchell in the same manner that a doting father brags on the accomplishments of a son who has successfully perpetuated a family legacy.
The friendship extends past the 20-year mark, and Powell recalled Mitchell’s early experiences in their journey in the art world with pride. Back then, Mitchell was just an infant in the industry – but driven to make a name for himself – in Powell’s hometown of Kansas City.
“He would leave from Kansas City and go across the country driving in a U-Haul,” Powell said.
But after winning the coveted Arts in the Park Award in Connecticut, things picked up for the Florida native at a whirlwind pace, and from then to now the momentum has continued.
Mitchell has been hailed by the New York Times as a “virtual modern-day Vermeer” and named a “Best Bet” for collectors by R. Cosby Kemper Jr. – the founder of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.
‘Look outside your community’
Mitchell admits that in order to find true success as an artist, he had to venture past the realm of the African American arts community and jump headfirst into the mainstream visual art scene.
“Sometimes you have to look outside your community,” Mitchell said. “It doesn’t mean you don’t love your community, and once you get that support it’s important to come back.”
By creating the Louis Armstrong stamp that was part of the U.S. Postal Service’s African-American Heritage series, and working with Wynton Marsalis and Maya Angelou on the book Music, Deep Rivers in My Soul (a collection of poetry, art and music), Mitchell continues to show that he has stayed in touch with his roots.
His upcoming show at Portfolio is yet another way that he extends himself and an opportunity for appreciation and education of visual arts in the African-American community.
“Robert and I have had so many discussions about the lack of support in the African-American community with respect to visual arts,” Mitchell said. “That’s why it is so important for me to come back and talk about the work and how and why I’ve been successful. Robert has never really made any serious money, but he educates people and cultivates an interest in the visual arts in our community.”
According to Mitchell, the work of Powell and other champions of the visual arts in the black community are critical to bridge the cultural gap between not only African Americans and the visual arts, but also mainstream art and African-American artists.
“I really want people to look at these works – which include a lot of images of New Orleans and African-American people – and come away with a sense of dignity,” Mitchell said about his upcoming presentation.
“It’s interesting how one-sided things can be in visual arts. The work that is presented often doesn’t really deal wholistically with who we are in America and does not give the full range of who we are as people.”
Dean Mitchell: Everything’s a Portrait will open at Portfolio Gallery (3514 Delmar) with a special reception on Friday, March 27 from 7-9 p.m. On Saturday, March 28, Mitchell will present a gallery talk that will also feature a screening of an hour-long documentary on his journey as an artist at 4 p.m. For more information, call (314) 533-3323 or e-mail: portfoliogallery@att.net.
