Join us for an activation of Gardener by Yashua Klos‍, followed by a conversation with Michael Ealy.

‍

Gardener is an installation of 16 cardboard protest signs. Each sign bears a line from Ross Gay’s poem ‘A Small Needful Fact’ in commemoration to the slain Eric Garner (1970-2014).

For this activation of Gardener, Klos will conduct a collective reading of the signs with the assembled audience. This reading is meant to highlight the communal acts of mourning and protesting, while blurring the boundaries between the two.

‍

The activation will be followed by a conversation with the artist Yashua Klos and actor-art collector Michael Ealy.

‍

This program is in-person at MoAD. Proof of Covid-19 vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of entry is required at the door.

Yashua Klos is a visual artist who employs a unique process of collaging his own woodblock printed textures to engage ideas about Blackness as an adaptive material for survival strategies. Klos’ work has been shown in museums and galleries across the U.S. and abroad, including The Studio Museum of Harlem; What If The World Gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa; Tilton Gallery in New York City; and UTA Artist Space in Los Angeles. Klos’ first solo museum show opened in February, 2022 at the Wellin Museum in Clinton, New York. Klos’ works have been featured in publications such as the New York Times, and he’s been awarded artist residences at Skowhegan, The Vermont Studio Center, and Bemis. He is the recipient of a Joan Mitchell Fellowship and a NYFA Grant. Klos was born and raised on the South-Side of Chicago. He now works and resides in NewYork City, with studios in Brooklyn and the Bronx.

‍

Michael Ealy has established himself as one of Hollywood's leading men seamlessly jumping from TV to film. Known for films like Barbershop, Their Eyes Were Watching God and the Think Like A MAN franchise, Michael also recently starred in the Sony thriller The Intruder opposite Dennis Quaid and Meagan Good and opposite Hilary Swank in the noir thriller Fatale. He recently co-starred opposite Kristen Bell in the dark comedy “The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window” for Netflix and in the Lionsgate film The Devil You Know with Omar Epps, which he also Executive Produced. He also appeared in the Macro Produced film Really Love on Netflix for director Angel Kristi Williams. He had a recent cameo in the HBO MAX "A Black Lady Sketch Show" and the dramatic reimagining of "Bel Air" on Peacock.

Michael and his wife Khatira are relatively new art collectors and Michael currently serves as a Board Member at the Baltimore Museum of Art in his home state of Maryland. Michael Ealy resides with his family in Los Angeles.

‍

This program is presented in conjunction with the current exhibition Elegies: Still Lifes in Contemporary Art, on view through August 18, 2022.