Local alumnae of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, a national public service organization for cultural and educational purposes that include highlighting the contributions of black artists to American culture, bought and paid for the renovation and conversion of the former ABC store into an Arts Center.
The Sorority's number one programmatic priority was that the center be equipped with an environmental control system that would allow their organization to fulfill the guidelines of most traveling exhibits from major museums and galleries. The simple design solution was a free standing screen that serves a number of functions: armature for hanging artwork, glass shelving, and signage; reception/gift area; reading area; and low demising partition that separates gallery from entry especially when the gallery functions as a classroom or for performances such as choral or dance. The punched geometry in the free standing screen mirrors the shapes found in the existing windows but of more importance reflects the design philosophy of the late African American artist John Biggers who believed the circle, square, and triangle were the basic building blocks of design and incorporated them in his paintings and murals calling them sacred geometry.
