The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas (ASC) invites the public to a reception of its new exhibition “Self-Awareness: An Introduction to Labor” by Matthew Fields from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, March 2, at ASC’s home building, 701 S. Main St. in Pine Bluff.

The exhibition consists of a series of paintings, and assemblages created from found objects and crafted materials. The mixed-media works explore labor and the Black experience through both a visual representation of the artist’s and the parallel experience of his Black community and culture throughout history.

Fields, a St. Louis native, makes work predominantly about the African-American experience. Fields is an assistant professor of art at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 2019. He earned his Master in Fine Arts degree from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia in 2021.

The reception is sponsored by ASC volunteer group Art Krewe and M.K. Distributors. The exhibition is sponsored by Relyance Bank and will run through May 6, 2023.