The 10th Annual Community Gala will celebrate the opening of the exhibition Women of a New Tribe. The evening will feature a lecture by Jerry Taliaferro.

• Exclusive preview of the exhibition prior to the public opening 
• Strolling Dinner
• Live Music
• Cash Bar
• Cocktail Attire
• Complimentary valet parking

The Women of a New Tribe exhibition presents the spiritual and physical beauty of 50 African American women in the Flint community. Part of a larger project that has travelled to a number of cities in the United States, including Indiana, Pennsylvania, Florida, and North Carolina, this exhibition contains photographic portraits by artist Jerry Taliaferro done in a style reminiscent of the high glamour photography of 1930s and 40s Hollywood. The subjects come from all walks and stages of life: they are mothers and daughters, artists, professionals, and community activists. For the exhibition in Flint, the Flint Institute of Arts asked the community for nominations in January 2016 during its annual Community Gala.

The criteria for the nomination process, established by the Community Gala Committee, stated that nominees could be family, friends, volunteers, or professionals, who: 1) have a positive impact on individuals; 2) help those around them in the neighborhood; or 3) create positive change or further important issues in the community. During the 4-week nominating period, the FIA received 110 nominations. On February 27th, during the Community Dialogue, 50 names and 5 alternates were drawn. In July and August, Mr. Taliaferro traveled to Flint to photograph the nominated women.

Featured Artist: Jerry Taliaferro was born in the small southern town of Brownsville, Tennessee. After graduating high school in May 1972, he joined the Army. His real interest in photography began when he was posted to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for Special Forces training in 1981. While serving in Germany, his interest in photography continued to grow and in 1985 he was published for the first time when a Munich magazine purchased the rights to one of his images.

Proceeds benefit FIA programs and exhibitions.