EXHIBIT: My View From Seven Feet: Paintings by Joe Barry Carroll

Chokwe Mask

Joe Barry Carroll began painting in his home studio several years ago. In that time he has quickly amassed a series of work that explore his roots and perspective. Carroll uses paintings to tell stories. These stories have explored the people who have guided him, the places he has encountered, his experience growing up in the American south, and his travels in during his professional career in the NBA. Artist Statement: My View From Seven Feet is my musing on the mythical qualities some are want to assign to a person standing seven feet tall. The “view” refers to the collage and accumulation of my observations, thoughts, and feelings. They are presented in the form of narratives and paintings, combined to tell a story. I have been drawn to the art of storytelling from the time that I was child being entertained by my father as we sat near one of those old open-faced gas heaters in the winter and on the front porch during the summer months. In a perfect world my work would be the result of extensive formal training and tutoring, but what actually happened is that I have just jumped in the deep end of creating, with very little deference to rules and convention. What flows from my pen and brush feels natural to me. I am never sure if the images create words, or the words move me to images. I am unable to tell precisely what determines my composition of colors, shapes and themes. Perhaps everything is forming at the same time, resulting in a complete story. Platinum Sponsor: Arconic Gold Sponsors: Purdue University Black Cultural Center and Holder Law Office