Works by Khara Woods
April 4-May 24, 2025
An in-house curated show displaying the creative, innovative and thought-provoking works of a contemporary artist in the southeast.
https://www.westobou.org/upcoming-exhibitions
Memphis-based artist and designer Khara Woods presents A Flash of Sun, an installation of sun-drenched shades, dazzling patterns, and geometric sculptures. Woods incorporates her signature tile-like shapes and hypnotic motifs, reminiscent of houndstooth and other textile patterns, with swirling rays. Inspired by Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem, Summer in the South (1903), with its vivid, lyrical descriptions – “Then a flash of sun on a waiting hill / The sky smiles down...”– the installation captures summer’s vibrancy and joy.
Two modular wooden sculptures crowned with translucent cast acrylic honor Wheeler Williams’s Spring and Summer (1961), which once stood on the plaza’s pedestals. As the sun moves, light filters through the acrylic, casting colors across the museum’s facade. Woods’s interest in poetry and the sound of jazz, which is often played in her studio, instills the designs with a spirited rhythm. This Summer Art Garden warmly invites visitors to relax and soak in the sun.
Plaza drenched in “A Flash of Sun.”
All exhibitions at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art are underwritten by the MBMA Exhibition Fund. Major annual support is provided by Kay Clark, the Doris S. and Hubert Kiersky Charitable Remainder Trust, and Maggie and Milton Lovell, with generous annual funding from Anonymous, Gloria and Kenneth Boyland, Holly and Paul T. Combs, Deborah and Bob Craddock, Eleanor and William Halliday, Debi and Galen Havner, Sally Hergenrader, Jay and Kristen Keegan, the Doris S. and Hubert Kiersky Charitable Remainder Trust, Carl and Valerie Person, and Bill Townsend.
Plaza III, Laser Cut Plywood, Aerosol Paint, 6x6”, 2025
Looking forward to giving my artist talk at Westobou, Friday, May 2nd. Join us if you’re in town.
Memphis-based artist, Khara Woods gives a talk at 5 pm followed by a reception from 6-8 pm.
"Square Biz" reimagines the square, traditionally seen as rigid and uncool, as a vibrant and dynamic form. Inspired by Teena Marie’s song, the exhibition uses op-art, geometric abstract, and hard-edge paintings to explore how squares can pulse with energy and movement. Each piece transforms intersecting lines and grids into kinetic shapes, challenging perceptions and celebrating the unconventional beauty within structure. Square Biz invites viewers to see the square anew, embracing its unique potential to be bold and exciting.
Works on display until November 2024.
Opening Reception
Red 225 Gallery
507 Hagan Street, Suite B, Nashville, TN 37203
Saturday, October 5th, 2024
5 pm - 8 pm
“Time-X”, 24x24 inches, spray paint on plywood.
It's a Fine Line // Stephanie Howard // Khara Woods // 06.2024
Sheet Cake Gallery
405 Monroe Avenue
Memphis,Tennessee
Open to the public
Thursday - Friday from 10 AM - 5 PM
Saturday from 11 AM - 5 PM
COSA NOSTRA - OPENING FEB 3
Cosa Nostra is an art exhibition founded on inclusivity, as reflected by the diversity of both its artists and aesthetics-a portrayal of the rich art community that has been thriving in Nashville and throughout the South for many years. This body of work is inspired by the power of healing through art, healing that also creates unity and community amongst us all.
Cosa Nostra will be on view at Red 225, Rock Wall, and Lorenzo Swinton galleries from February 3-March 30 2024, with an opening reception held from 6:00-9:00 p.m. at all gallery locations.
As part of Black History Month, the Grizzlies will be featuring local artists in our 2024 Visual Art Exhibit: the theme of Legacy Lives Here references the past, highlights the present, and looks towards the future within Memphis. Art is a part of this legacy. Our goal for BHM is to educate the public and fans about the contributions of past and present Memphis history toward Black History; Inspire excellence, innovation and creativity within all industries; Empower greater collaborations and shared purpose that uplifts the Black community.
Artists on Display
· Jamond Bullock- Artist & Grizzlies BHM Art Exhibit Curator · Siphne Sylve- Featured Artist· Frank D. Robinson- Featured Artist · Khara Woods- Featured Artist· Richard Echols- Featured Artist Join us for the grand opening and first exhibition for Sheet Cake! Welcome In features 14 artists based in and connected to the South, all of whom are participating in shows over the next year with the gallery. Come get a taste for what Sheet Cake is all about.
12.01.2023
from 6 - 8PM
405 Monroe Ave
Special thanks to our opening event sponsors: Memphis Medical District Collaborative, Downtown Memphis Commission, and Rootstock Wine Merchants.
@joeltparsons @claretorina @rogerallancleaves @altheamurphyprice @pyealexis @byaridannielle @brittney.boyd.bullock @anthonysonnenberg @renatacassiano @lemissadunn @kingsnakeart @khara0ke_studio @kongweepang @erinjoyharmon
Hobby Kickstart: Creating a Hard-Edge Using Acrylics and Tape with Khara Woods
Explore with me my method of creating an abstract-inspired hard-edge painting, using tape to lay out a composition and create crisp edges by masking.
November session is Free.
Come celebrate the opening of the Downtown Mobility Center with us on Thursday, August 3 from 4-6PM! 🎉🚙✨ Gather at the corner of Beale & Main for a short program, followed by self-guided tours of the facility, including the Bike Hub and murals!
The Downtown Mobility Center is a multi-modal hub for cars, bikes, and public transit! The center will add retail opportunities and create parking and mobility options for many Downtown activities and attractions - including Tom Lee Park, the Orpheum, FedExForum, and Beale Street! —Downtown Memphis Commission
“Edgewise: Exploring Pattern and Rhythm with Line” by Khara Woods presents a collection of paintings, sculpture and creative devices developed since 2016. The works examine the creation of movement and texture focusing on a restricted set of grids, bold colors and shapes inspired by basic geometry. Within these confines, there are arrangements that intertwine, shift and vibrate across canvas and wood.
Forward sculpture being constructed in woodshop at Crosstown’s Shared Art workspace.
My “Forward” sculpture will be installed in the courtyard area of the Communication and Fine Arts building at the University of Memphis. See map below.
Map courtesy of UrbanArt Commisssion
Image from Mableoriginals.com
I am super excited to announce my collaboration with respected interior architecture and design firm Murphy Maude on a set of abstract geometric wallpapers, wall murals and patterns for their Mable Originals collection.
About Mable Originals
“Mable is a love letter to the spaces where we spend our lives. Each inspired artwork and textile has been thoughtfully designed to spark joy and indulge comfort wherever you may dwell.
From carefully placed brushstrokes to one-of-a-kind patterns, Mable offers everyone the opportunity to create a rich, elevated lifestyle. Through Mable, interior designers and discerning clients may choose from a myriad of products derived from original artwork – wallpapers, bedding, pillows, and beyond.
Khara Woods uses materials, pattern, and abstraction to great effect in her studio practice. Her gridded hard-edge compositions incorporate warm wood grain with a bold, personable palette of saturated colors. The intensity of the color and tightly packed lines in this exhibition create a visual effect in each work of art whereby the bold colors and uniform patterns may cause a patient viewer to perceive vibrations and pulses across the face of each painting.—Hilliard Art Museum, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
2021 Projects is a temporary art space that aims to increase awareness for, appreciation of, and involvement in, the visual arts in Memphis and the surrounding region. 2021 Projects will present and promote the work of a selected group of local artists currently not represented by a gallery.
Khara Woods’ grandfather, Yancy, worked as a lumberer at E.L. Bruce Company, once the largest manufacturer of hardwood flooring in the world. His grandfather was a carpenter. Since the pandemic, the artist has researched her family tree and is discovering her use of wood as a primary medium in her work is less an arbitrary choice and more by design.
Art is legacy for Woods. Her greatest influence comes from her mother, who is an accomplished artist. The two collaborated on and painted Wood’s first mural in 2015. Since then, she has worked on several public art projects city-wide and completed her first data visualization mural, Basin Portraits, in October 2019, produced through the Art + Environment Initiative, a program launched by the UrbanArt Commission and funded by Mural Arts Philadelphia.
Artist’s Statement: I rented a studio almost four years ago to dedicate myself to my art practice in a more intentional way. I decided wood would be a good medium to work with—it’s easy to find, utilitarian. I started by repurposing discarded home improvement pieces I found along the street in my neighborhood. I would use spray paint to embellish the pieces in simple striped patterns, playing with the balance of negative and positive space, and using tape to create a hard edge.
This year, through an ancestry search, I found out that my grandfathers were woodworkers, one being a well-known and prolific carpenter. Since this discovery, my work is becoming more about finding a deeper connection to my past, honoring the legacy of craftspeople in my family, and less about finding a piece to decorate.
NOTE: Due to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, viewings are available to the public by appointment only. Please contact Scott Carter, Gallery Coordinator, at scarte20@cbu.edu to make an appointment.
