By Jamannie Morgan
AFRO Intern
jmorgan@afro.com
An April 3 opening reception at SBM Gallery will soon celebrate the solo exhibition of Baltimore-based artist Paula Phillips.
The exhibit, titled “Power,” will offer a look at Phillip’s decades-long career, consisting of pieces created between 1998 and 2025.
The breadth of Phillips’ work in the exhibit highlights her evolution over time. The mixed-media offerings will be on view until April 24 at SBM Gallery, located at 422 S. Highland Ave. in Baltimore. The opening reception on April 3 will take place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. It will be followed by an “Artist in Conversation” session at SBM Gallery on Saturday, April 4 at 6 p.m.
Phillips, a retired professor from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), said her work is rooted in her connection to Charm City.
“My art is based on how I have interacted with people in the communities of Baltimore City,” Phillips said. “I want to tell the truth about the beauty, the collaboration and the care that communities and people have for one another.”
Phillips uses her work to navigate themes of identity, spirituality and human experience. The care, collaboration and trials of people have long served as an inspiration.
“The community has been my muse,” she said. “They are the ones who have given me my artistic visions. For about 30 years, I have loved my people.”
Phillips’ journey as an artist began in her childhood on a farm in Texas.
“The first time I remember what we now call ‘art’ was when I was four,” she told the AFRO. “I didn’t have coloring books but I did have dirt, and I did have a stick. The earth became my palette and the stick became my paintbrush. I did not have any art lessons until I was 45, so I am self taught.”
A retired professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Phillips has worked across multiple disciplines throughout her career. She earned degrees from Huston-Tillotson University, Texas Wesleyan University and MICA, where she also spent nearly 28 years as an educator.
Phillips believes that teaching shaped her perspective, emphasizing that “teachers don’t have all the answers.” Over her time at MICA, Phillips developed a reflective approach to her work, rooted in observation and collaboration.
“First it’s just being quiet and listening–seeing for myself, and not necessarily accepting the word of other outliers,” she said.
The exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see the journey of Phillips career in one setting.
“It’s the first time I can think of where such a wide breadth of her work over a time span is visible,” said Sarah McCann, curator of the exhibition. “Visitors can really see her journey as an artist and community practitioner.
McCann says the audience will be in awe of Phillips’ “use of color and the power of her portraits.”
The exhibition is supported in part by the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation and the Spector Family Foundation. SBM Gallery is open Wednesday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.