The Black Library at the 108
The Black Library takes over the 108 on Main St, to host a Hip-Hop centered cultural and historical immersive experience. Through the use of music and art carefully curated by founders Douglas Shindler and Michael Davis, this project will highlight and detail the path and trajectory of the genre as well as the profound impact it has had on countless individuals around the world today. “Come dance, laugh, sing, and celebrate with us as we approach the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop.” The Black Library is Sullivan County’s most exciting new arts organization, with a mission to promote greater understanding of Black history and culture, advocate for racial justice in Sullivan County and beyond, and to act as an incubator for the next generation of local artists.
The Black Library
Douglas Shindler
Douglas Shindler is a painter and photographer based in Sullivan County, New York. Shindler’s work addresses themes of violence, street life, sport, and community. His images center the underrepresented and the overlooked. His gestural impasto paintings with expressive and rich tones are narrative driven and focus on figures, their actions, and their stories, but also on dumpsters, cars, clothes, hydrants, and bikes. They take inspiration from hip hop lyrics and sayings from Black culture. Shindler’s large format photographic prints celebrate underrepresented people in rural places. The visual field becomes a home for those left out. Shindler has been a practicing artist since 2013.
Michael Davis
Mike Davis is a Guyanese-American photographer based in Monticello, New York. Davis’ photographs capture moments of aggression, honesty, vulnerability, and strength. Imbuing subjects with a sense of heroism and overt power, he draws inspiration from old family photographs and new fashion trends to create colorful compositions of future yesteryears. Davis aims for energetic and immortal imagery that can preserve his culture and community for future generations. He has been a practicing artist since 2009.