WESTFIELD, Mass.—The artwork of Imo Nse Imeh, Ph.D., Westfield State University associate professor of art and art history, has been added to the prominent Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African-American Art.
The New Jersey-based foundation purchased Imeh’s most recent painting, Feeding the Veins of the Earth (Grounded Angel), which is part of his Benediction series. This group of paintings envisions angels sent to Earth to be bonded to the skins of Black men and boys to bear witness to their traumas, triumphs, and lived experiences.
Completed in 2020, Feeding the Veins was created using oil paint, India ink, acrylic ink, and charcoal on unstretched canvas, measuring 100 x 84 inches.
“As stewards of African American art, we look for work that is technically skillful, intellectually engaging, and deeply moving,” said Claudia Volpe, director of the Petrucci Family Foundation. “Dr. Imo Nse Imeh ticks every box in his practice. His Benediction series, in particular, caught our eye. We were struck by Imo’s decision to depict Black men as angels and as God’s direct witnesses to the gravity of living as a Black man in America during a time when it feels as though the struggles that Black Americans face are willfully ignored. Feeding the Veins of the Earth (Grounded Angel) elegantly captures the crushing weight of bearing witness to tragedy, as well as the critical need for these national wounds to be seen and recognized. It is our distinct privilege to include this remarkable piece in the PFF Collection.”