The Cornell College Peter Paul Luce Gallery will present “Tales of Mundane Black Joy: Who Gets to Rest?” by artist and Kent State University Professor Dadisi Curtis Jr. from Oct. 23 to Dec. 6.
In this multidisciplinary exhibition, Curtis uses sculpture, printmaking, and digital media to explore implicit bias and the promotion of Black joy. In his prints, Curtis depicts moments of play and delight experienced by Black men navigating familiar but hostile environments. The figures are visually loud; they wear playful masks and are rendered with fluorescent ink. In framing the scenes in this way, Curtis plays on the audience’s implicit bias, challenging them to recognize their own negative interpretations of these individuals despite their mundane actions. As he explains, “every artistic decision is meant to guide the viewer towards an incorrect cursory assumption that ultimately unfolds into an homage of Black joy.”
In the show, Curtis uses black light or ultraviolet light to illuminate his prints and sculptures. By using black light instead of the more common white light, the artist emphasizes the perspective shift he asks his viewers to make: seeing something outside the dominant visual spectrum.
Curtis was born and raised in Canton, Ohio. He received his B.F.A. from Kent State University and his M.A. and M.F.A. in Printmaking from the University of Iowa in 2022. Curtis has been awarded residencies at The Wassaic Project (2026), Arrowmont Pentaculum (2024), and Curated Storefront (2025, 2026). Curtis has shown his work at the Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair (2026) and the Screen Print Biennial (2018, 2019, 2024). He has received best in show at Goggle Works 18th Annual Juried Exhibition (2026), 1st place (2025), and 3rd place at DayGlo Exhibit at Waterloo Arts Gallery. He is currently an assistant professor of print media and photography at Kent State University.
Curtis will discuss his work at an artist lecture on Friday, Oct. 23, at 3:30 p.m. in McWethy Hall’s Lecture Hall, Room 222. Following the lecture, a reception for “Tales of Mundane Black Joy: Who Gets to Rest?” will take place in the Luce Gallery from 4 to 6 p.m. Both the lecture and reception are free and open to the public.
Gallery hours are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m., and Sunday, 2–4 p.m. Luce Gallery is located in McWethy Hall on the Cornell College campus. For additional information, contact Luce Gallery Coordinator Brooks Cashbaugh (bcashbaugh@cornellcollege.edu).