Any art collector — whether already having an extensive collection or preparing to make a first purchase — will find useful information at Rooted in Color: A Conference on Collecting African-American Art on Saturday, March 30.

Sponsored by RISE (formerly known as Jazzanooga), this seminar will bring together collectors and art enthusiasts to share advice on building a collection of work by black artists.

"Part of RISE's strategic plan, when rebranding the name, was to be more representative of work in all aspects of the arts and not just focused on music," says James McKissic, event organizer. "We thought focusing on visual arts would be a good way to start out 2019."

Planting day for the Ancestral Roots Community Garden in the Menlo Park Neighborhood of Chattanooga was a phenomenal success. Dozens of community members participated in the planting of fruits and vegetables in this garden at the corner of Shallowford and Gillespie Roads.

Volunteers, including Menlo Park Neighborhood Association President Sean Daniels and 9th District City Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod, helped dig and plant everything from watermelons to Romaine lettuce to muscadine vines. Heirloom irises and other flowers border the garden. And plans to add benches and more walkways are in the works.

A local piece about my painting that was part of Maya Angelou's personal art collection and sold at Swann.

Some Chattanooga residents say they're so interested in seeing black art in local museums they're willing to purchase it themselves.

"There is a powerful connection you can have with artwork, and sometimes it's not even beautiful. Sometimes it's raw," said Ellen Simak, chief curator of the Hunter Museum of American Art.

A recent article about the Carolina Chocolate Drops that features me!

Sometime this summer, there’ll be a family revolution on the lawn of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga.

It’ll be a quiet revolution, however. Silent, in fact.

“Family Revolution” is the name of a 20-foot-tall stainless-steel sculpture that will be placed at the league’s building on M.L. King Boulevard.

One of my new favorite sites on African American art and artists.

A show I was honored to be selected for late last year. GLAAD chose 100 established and emerging artists to participate in this show.

James McKissic of Chattanooga said his mother allowed him and his sister a wall in their Cleveland, Tenn., home as they were growing up for drawing on and posting their artwork.

Today, he uses the creativity that once flourished on that wall as the chief operating officer of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga and as an increasingly successful abstract visual artist.

AVA, the Association for Visual Arts, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) membership-based organization for professional artists, emerging artists, and the community-at-large. We have been the catalyst for establishing and empowering the arts community in Chattanooga for more than 20 years. Today AVA has a membership of more than 600, is run by a staff of seven employees, and receives assistance from more than 200 volunteers each year.

Public Art Chattanooga, housed in the City of Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Department, is dedicated to introducing a wide variety of high quality public art into the community, enhancing the civic environment and enriching the lives of visitors and residents.

The Hunter Museum focuses on American art from the Colonial period to the present day. The museum is located in an historical mansion and a sleek contemporary building on the bluffs overlooking the Tennessee River.

The Chattanooga African-American Museum has a long history of commitment to the Chattanooga community.

Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga is a private, nonprofit united arts fund and arts council, established in 1969. Allied Arts provides a united voice for all cultural organizations and activities in Hamilton County.