PHOTO GALLERY: "Kin Killing Kin" reception

Growing up in a housing project in Cleveland, artist James Pate says he witnessed his fair share of violence and heartbreak as a result of the area's violence and gang culture.

"I think of us all as kinfolk," he says. "And to see kin killing kin was heartbreaking. As an artist, I felt a sense of responsibility. There had to be something I could do."

His latest series, "Kin Killing Kin," is a collection of charcoal drawings, which he created over the course of approximately 10 years in an effort to address the issue of black-on-black violence. The provocative drawings contrast historical imagery with modern gang culture and include metaphorical references to the Ku Klux Klan, a nod to the adage that black-on-black violence is putting the Klan out of of businesses, Pate says.

"Some people say this is extreme," says Pate, of his work. "To me, the problem of kin killing kin is extreme, and I wanted to do whatever I could to bring more attention to it. I set out to throw a fit with this series."

Pate joined Sarasota County Commissioner Carolyn Mason in a Q&A session Tuesday, Jan. 28, as part of an opening reception at the North Sarasota Library, where the series is currently on display.