“Healing Waters-Olukun’s Middle Passage,” by Keita Whitten Foster Submitted photo

An art opening with Keita Whitten Foster for “Community, Healing: An Older Women’s Journey Through the Arts.  Water ~ Life ~Flow” will be held from 5-7 pm. on Saturday, Aug. 24, at the Denmark Arts Center. An artist interview is set for 6 p.m. with time for questions and answer period and discussion of her artwork.

Keita Annie Whitten Foster, a New England-based artist, creates vibrant, textured mixed media work whose form is drawn from the robust physical and spiritual experience of life navigating indigenous North American, African Heritage, and Caribbean emergence within a collection of cultural and experiential influences. She is an intuitive artist who taps into her rich ancestral legacy of artisans. Growing up, she was described as a highly imaginative child who was innovative and curious. Her mother described her as an infant who spoke to beings’ unseen by others. In the year of her birth, her father captured this essence in a painting he entitled “Keita’s Fairyland.”

Whitten Foster’s work tells a story only she can tell. An emotional virtuosity and a distinctive set of composite and sculptural techniques have afforded her a unique and unpretentious voice in an ever-corporatizing craft. In the future, she hopes to create a range of access to her pieces, producing a body of work that achieves the inclusivity and equity that has inspired her work in many other fields.

The art opening is free and open to the public. Complimentary beverages and food will be available.

The Denmark Arts Center is an award-winning 501(c)3 cultural organization founded in 1994 in the rural community of Denmark. Housed in the town’s historic 1883 Odd Fellows Hall, the DAC offers year-round events and workshops in contemporary dance, theater, music and visual art to community members young and old. DAC is at 50 West Main St., Denmark. For more information, visit denmarkarts.org.