MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis in May Festival unveiled its 2022 Fine Arts Poster honoring the Republic of Ghana Thursday night in the National Civil Rights Museum's Hyde Hall.
According to a news release, the original work for the poster is acrylic on canvas and was created by Memphis artist Carl Moore.
“This will be Carl’s second work of art honoring Ghana, because the 2020 salute was postponed due to the pandemic,” said James L. Holt, President and CEO of Memphis in May International Festival. “Since we were forced the cancel the planned salute in 2020 due to COVID, we felt a new artwork for the 2022 celebration was appropriate, and Carl graciously created a beautiful new painting for this year’s eagerly anticipated salute to Ghana. There is a high degree of excitement about Ghana and we predict this year’s limited-edition poster will be popular among art enthusiasts and collectors.”
Moore went to the Chicago Art Institute and graduated from the Memphis College of Art with Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Fine Art and Painting and Illustration. He has participated in over 150 solo and group exhibitions and gives back to the community by serving on numerous boards and committees that support and promote the arts.
He also curates exhibitions for several nonprofit and alternative gallery spaces.
Moore describes his art as a form of visual communication using simplicity and depth to express social and ethical issues, and uses color and composition to express mood, situation and ideas, and by placing people and objects in common and uncommon situations.
Moore focused on the Ghana flag in this design.
“The Ghana flag was adopted upon independence of the Dominion on March 6, 1957. It was designed the same year by Theodosia Okoh, a renowned Ghanaian artist,” Moore said. “I continued the design by incorporating the Monument to Gwame Nkrumah in Accra Ghana, First PM and President of Ghana following the country's independence from Britain in 1957. In the bottom of the design the monument is surrounded by just a few of the beautiful and unique flowers that grow in the country of Ghana and also a representative of the culture, colors and the beauty of Ghana’s people.”
The Fine Art Poster is a popular element of the festival salute and is always produced by a local artist and offered as a tribute from Memphis to the honored country.
The 2022 Ghana poster is available for $35, with the limited edition signed and numbered collector's poster for $65 at 1910 Frame Works, the official framer of Memphis in May.
The poster will be available at the Memphis in May office at 56 S. Front St. and online starting May 1.
2022 Festival Dates:
- Beale Street Music Festival: April 29 - May 1
- Honored Country Salute to Ghana: May 1-31
- World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest: May 11-14
- Great American River Run: May 28