20 | <strong>01945</strong> Silver screen meets the art scene By Allysha Dunnigan Lynn artist Silvia VIA Leary, left, has partnered with Kat Black, creative director of the Beacon Restaurant Group and general manager of Warwick Cinemas, to bring her "1 Paint" series to Warwick as part of the "Women of Color in the Arts" series. Photo: Spenser Hasak It's not all big-screen magic on Pleasant Street — Warwick Entertainment, in association with The Beacon Restaurant Group, is hosting an ongoing series of exhibits in the Women of Color in the Arts Series (WOCA), featuring many art forms and mediums. The series is produced by Urban Artists with the intent to celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion. Johnny Ray, owner of The Beacon Restaurant and Bar at <strong>12</strong>3 Pleasant St., created the WOCA Series at Warwick Place theater with Creative Director Kat Black, saying WOCA is a project that is near and dear to his heart. "As the father of mixed children with a very talented and exceptionally bright daughter, the fact that the opportunities to showcase her talents might be limited by her background was something that always concerned me," Ray said. This series kicked off in September with Lynn native Silvia Leary, also known as VIA, who presented her "1 Paint" series during a Friday night event at Warwick Place. 1 Paint consists of paintings representing the past year from the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests to the COVID-19 pandemic. "I wanted to really highlight, through art, that there's really no such thing as a Black or white human, and I was able to do that through my paintings," VIA said. Some of her paintings are of historical figures who fought for civil rights, including Muhammed Ali, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcom X. VIA said this series addresses a variety of issues in the past year, including people being stuck inside, politics, the BLM movement, and COVID-19. "We need to all take a step back and realize we are one," VIA said. "I figured if I could paint a series — that's why it's called the 1 Paint series — then people could come out and see this event and realize 'why are we fighting?'" One of the main paintings in her series is of a heart containing the No. 1 in the middle, painted with different colors representing different skin colors. "This is to really highlight the (idea) around: why we are fighting with each other if we're all really the same (on the inside), just different colors," VIA said. Ray said when he first met VIAas a guest at the restaurant, she expressed her desire to have a gallery show there. "That was the genesis and the inspiration to feature an entire series of artists," Ray said. He and Black then discussed ideas for what the name of the series could be and, once they decided on the Women of Color in the Arts Series, they acquired the rights to the domain to establish a presence on the web. After getting to know VIA personally and professionally, Ray and Black decided that, given the artist's roots on the North Shore, she would be an excellent choice to be the person to represent WOCA Boston. Every year, VIA works on a new series and paints a different piece every couple of months, hosting an event when the series is completed. Her event at The Warwick consisted of a silent auction, which included a signed photo of Devin and Jason McCourty from the New England Patriots, a baseball signed by Boston Red Sox players, a New England Revolution Soccer shirt signed by Carles Gil, and a shirt signed by former Celtics player Antoine Walker. Walker also attended the event for a meet and greet and to support VIA 's cause, as they are good friends. The funds raised at this event were donated to girls’ varsity sports in Lynn, many of whose team members attended the event. "I played basketball and soccer at Classical, and I feel like the girls' teams don't get enough attention," VIA said. "Every year, I try to find somewhere to give back to." The event had a cash bar at The Beacon Restaurant and Bar — which is attached to the cinema — appetizers, dance performers, and art. Ray said he and Black are going to continue meeting with VIA to discuss plans moving forward for the WOCA Boston series and to find more artists to feature. "We are all very excited about the far-reaching implications both locally and globally for this project," Ray said. Ray plans to continue hosting female artists of color at the Warwick indefinitely, as they are currently renovating the space between the Beacon and the Warwick to better fit an art gallery. To learn more about the WOCA series, visit wocaboston.com or thebeaconmarblehead.com/women-of-color-art-series. 45
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