Bajo El Sol Gallery will kick off the 2023-2024 season with a book signing for renowned St. John artist Theodora Moorehead on Friday, Oct. 6, to celebrate the release of her book, “When the Spirit Tells Me to Stop.” Guests can purchase a signed copy between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm,and meet the artist.
“When the Spirit Tells Me to Stop” is a collection of artwork produced by Theodora Moorehead from the 1990s to the late 2010s. Several of the works in the book were part of her first exhibition at Bajo El Sol Gallery in 2019. The book also features a forward written by Hadiya Sewer, Ph.D., entitled, “Bridges and Portals of Ink, Theodora E. Moorehead’s Life and Art.” The book is sponsored by the Virgin Islands Council of the Arts, and by the Gri Gri Project, which also served as the publisher of the book.
Theodora Moorehead is the daughter of Genevieve Hendricks Moorehead and Theovald “Mooie” Moorehead. Her academic journey stretched from St. John to Puerto Rico, to New York and Virginia. Her journey as an artist originated with doodles made in black pen. What began as an act she did to pass the time became an emotional investment through the encouragement of friends and family. She entered a prolific period of production after returning to St. John full-time in the mid-1990s.
During that time her process evolved from partly representational but surreal drawing to more purely abstract work with black pen and marker. Within her artistic process, she prioritizes artistic freedom and enjoyment. Her method has an intuitive nature to it; as she often closes her eyes while making initial shapes on the page, “until the spirit tells [her] to stop.”
More information about the book signing and about future events can be found by contacting the gallery at 693-7070 or bajoelsolgallery@gmail.com.
Priscilla Hintz Rivera Knight and David Knight Jr., Bajo El Sol Gallery & Art Bar owners since 2016, are proud of the gallery’s more than 25-year legacy of support and engagement with the arts community of St. John and the greater Virgin Islands. The gallery is home to thought-provoking monthly exhibitions, readings by award-winning V.I. writers and poets, documentary screenings on some of the Caribbean’s most respected thinkers, as well as talks by local academics and visiting curators.
Bajo El Sol Gallery is also home to the Gri Gri Project, a non-profit organization. The Gri Gri Project’s mission is the creation of interpretive exhibitions, critical writing, publications, events and archives related to the cultural patrimony of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the broader Caribbean region.
