Ralph Beach's large scale portrait of "Obama" is just one of the many contributions of Dorchester-based artists who are represented in a current Black History Month exhibit at the Bunker Hill Community College Art Gallery.

BHCCAG Director Laura Montgomery curated "P A I N T BLACK on CANVAS:Boston African American Painters," a show featuring 11 city artists, more than half of whom have Dorchester roots. Besides Beach, they include Cagen Luce, Cynthia Maria Bogues, Darrell Ann-Gane McCalla, Radiant Jasmin, and Barbara Ward.

The show features both emerging and established talent. The assembled group of artists provide a broad range of work including abstracts, portraits, homages, and the autobiographical in acrylic and oil. The work is as varied as the interests and styles expressed by this intergenerational group of local African American painters.

The participating artists include the seasoned artist veterans Paul Goodnight and Barbara Ward, as well, as the soon-to-graduate art school new comers Destiny Palmer and Cullen Washington. Pam Reynolds' suffuse abstracts, Radiant Jasmin's multi

canvas assemblages, Darrell Anne Gane-McCalla's urban hip-hop scene imagery are on view as part of the BHCC Black History Month events and celebrate the diversity of art making within this community.

The group show runs through February 28, 2009. The public is invited to see the show during regular exhibition hours listed below and/or to attend two related free special events. An Artists' Reception will be held Thursday, February 12th, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Immediately following from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., Living Water Gospel Ensemble will present a free concert featuring selections from their recently released CD "I Give It All LIVE."

The following Thursday, February 19 from 6:00-8:00 pm there will a gallery symposium exploring "New Perspectives: African-American Identities in Art, Poetry, Film and Fiction."

Bunker Hill Community College Art Gallery, 250 New Rutherford Avenue, is free and open to the public. It is located at the Community College stop on the MBTA Orange Line. Gallery hours: MWF: 10 am-5pm, T,TH: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sat: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more info call: 617-228-2093.

Black History celebrated on canvas