| Barnabee
Art Gallery
The Barnabee Art Gallery was established in the 1984 by Walden Baskerville,
a Kalamazoo sculptor and psychologist, as a way to highlight the artistic
talents of Kalamazoo school children and local artists. Today that tradition
continues with several exhibits each year featuring the work of local artists
of all ages.
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Joe Mockbee
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Biography
My name is Joe Mockbee. I was born 1953 and have lived in
Kalamazoo all of my life. Since 1977, I have been a mental
health consumer with
Kalamazoo Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
(KCMHSAS). In 2003, I helped form The Challenged Artist’s
and Poets’ Society (CAPS), now (ARTWORKS) and have been a member
ever since. I have displayed my art at several Kalamazoo Art
Hops in the past few years. My art has been part of an exhibit
done by persons with mental illness at the 2004 State of
Michigan Conference for the National Alliance for the Mentally
Ill (NAMI)
and several other mental health conferences in Michigan. In
December 2006, my artwork was shown at The Smart Shop in
Kalamazoo. In March 2007, I had my first one man show at
Parkview Hill's clubhouse. Ongoing, my art is at the KCMHSAS
galleries at 3299 Gull Road and 418 W.Kalamazoo Ave. My art is
also displayed as part of the Interact Agency’s Art Gallery on
Cedar Street in Kalamazoo. I enjoy advocating for persons
diagnosed with mental illness. I have been a member of The
POWER Group – (Peers for Wellness and Recovery) and formerly sat
on the board for
Mckercher Rehabilitation Center (MRC). I am currently
working as a Peer Support Specialist with Kalamazoo Community
Health and Substance Abuse Services (KCMHSAS) helping consumers
explore Self-Determination.
Artist Statement
I’m drawn to whimsical subjects where animals are important and
sometimes even smarter than the people they encounter. The
animation of the 1920’s and1930’s interests me and I enjoy the
cartoons of the New Yorker magazine. The characters in my
cartoon drawings remain silent rather than speak into a balloon
and my medium usually consists of a combination of watercolor
and ink. Art remains a meditative escape for me, a form of
therapy. I’ve enjoyed sketching and painting off and on
through the years but didn’t really get serious about art until
2003 when I joined The Challenged Artist’s and Poet’s Society
(CAPS) now (ARTWORKS). While I gain inspiration from my fellow
artists, I am self-taught using books and experimental methods.
In the future, I hope to explore cartoon as a design form, as
well as study abstract cartooning. |
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