Sapphire and Crystals


Sapphire and Crystals is a collective of women artists of African descent based in Chicago, IL and founded in 1987 by ceramicist and teacher Marva Lee Pitchford-Jolly and visual artist Felicia Grant Preston. The still active collective has held group exhibitions in several galleries and community spaces across Chicago with a changing line-up of members throughout their over-30-year history. The mission of the group was to create a network of support for black women artists and provide opportunities for them to exhibit their work. Outside of the collective, each member of Sapphire and Crystals holds an independent practice in a wide array of mediums.

History

Sapphire and Crystals emerged during a period of many other feminist groups and artist collectives in Chicago during the 1970s and 1980s. The early planning for Sapphire and Crystals began with conversations between Marva Lee Pitchford-Jolly and Felicia Grant Preston in 1986 as response to the dissolution of the artists' former collective, Mud People's Black Women's Resource Sharing Workshop. The name of the collective was inspired by the strength and beauty of the sapphire gemstone, as well as the negative "Sapphire" stereotype used against strong-willed black women, and the spiritual and healing properties crystals.

List of members

There have been over 40 members throughout Sapphire and Crystal's history, with some participating continually since the beginning and others only showing with the collective for one exhibition.
These members include:
  • Joyce Owens Anderson
  • Mary Ann Abella
  • Leticia Appleberry
  • Stephanie Bird
  • Rose Blouin
  • Venus Blue
  • Cheryl Boone
  • Simone Bouyer
  • Patricia Bohannon
  • Rhonda Bristol
  • L’Tanya Cason
  • Dorothy Carter
  • Glendia Cooper
  • Faith Davis
  • Evelyn Davis Frazier
  • Kay Dawson
  • Debra Dillworth
  • Jackie Duncan
  • Jan Spivey Gilcrhrist
  • Felicia Grant Preston
  • Juarez Hawkins
  • Carol James
  • Linda James
  • Renee Williams Jefferson
  • Marva Lee Pitchford-Jolly
  • Sheryl Jones
  • Makeba Kedem-DuBose
  • Annie Lee
  • Lillian Morgan-Lewis
  • Kathy O’Kelley
  • Marva Lee Pitchford-Jolly
  • Monica Plott Ratcliff
  • JoAnne Scott
  • Patricia J. Stewart
  • Shirley Sullivan
  • Dorian Sylvain
  • Pearlie Taylor
  • Renee Townsend
  • Arlene Turner-Crawford
  • Anna Tyler
  • Beverly Warner
  • Shahar Caren Weaver
  • Rhonda Wheatley
  • Shyvette Williams

Exhibitions

The collective had its first exhibition, An Exhibition of Black Female Artists Working in the Chicago Area, at the South Side Community Art Center from June 28 to July 19, 1987. Their second exhibition, Sapphire and Crystals Too, was hosted at Nicole Gallery at 230 W Huron St., Chicago, IL from February 2–29, 1988.