Harlem Fine Arts Show Chicago 2017 Magazine

CHICAGO

THE HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE

FOURTH ISSUE NOVEMBER 2017

Celebrating Medical Professionals and THE HEALING POWER OF ART ARTIST WOODROW NASH A world view that elevates a people S. EPATHA MERKERSON Collector and Chicago Med Star MALCOLM X’S DAUGHTER Ilyasah Shabazz shares her message of self-love and activism

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HFASM

HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW Magazine

CONTENTS SHABAZZ pg 13 Ilyasah Shabazz shares message of selflove, activism.

JWD ENTERPRISES, INC PUBLISHER

Dion Clarke CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Chris Roberts VICE PRESIDENTS OF SALES AND MARKETING

James Tucker Debra Wallace ACCOUNT MANAGERS

13

Kerri Clarke Curtis Cooper Reginald Denson Dedra Tate PROJECT MANAGER

Porcia Gardner ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

Shakesha Coleman Lindsey Michael

EDITORIAL

20

Patricia Andrews-Keenan WRITERS

ART AND PRODUCTION CREATIVE DIRECTION

onyxart@mac.com

28

PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR

ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION

Sandy Lawrence

WEBSITE Christine Seuss

!"#$%&'(

HEALING POWER OF ART pg 24 Research shows that a variety of creative arts can positively impact emotions and beliefs contributing to greater health.

24

LEGACY pg 32 Black Chicago’s grand dame of art and culture encouraged others to teach, share, create and live!

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CONGRESSMAN DANNY DAVIS pg 39 “Activism requires that people know things do not have to be the way they are.”

Madison Burger

WEB ADMINISTRATOR

ART APPRAISER DIANE CARR pg 20 For collectors of American fine art, works

by African American artists offer a rich and multilayered landscape for investment.

17

SCULPTOR WOODROW NASH pg 28 Sculptor’s pieces’ spark dialogue about beauty, Blackness and the impact of being a colonized people.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Patricia Andrews-Keenan Deborah Crable Cheryl Grant Taylor Michael

S. EPATHA MERKERSON pg 17 Chicago Med Star talks art, collecting and what she looks for at the HFAS.

39

MICHELLE HOSKINS pg 45 Entrepreneur channels spirt of slave ancestor to create business success.

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Printed in the United States of America

COVER ART - Sculpture by Woodrow Nash.

Clay fired to stoneware consistency, 37’’ x 22’’ x 11’’.

The image is of Thema, a woman from the fictional African country Opar, one of the lost colonies of Atlantis. Mr. Nash’s work evokes the nobility of the human form as it is adorned in African cultures to shape their presentation of self to the world.

PUBLISHER’S PAGE

CELEBRATING ART AND UNSUNG MEDICAL HEROES <C(#"+'C"%"+(2+)0+2C0%'&*"+01+%".0*)('(0)+10%+&'C#"'"2+&)-+."#"$%('("2+()+0N%+.N#'N%"O+A"+LN2'+ &#20+%".0*)(K"+'C"+&..0LD#(2CL")'2+01+0N%+2P(##"-+&)-+.&%()*+L"-(.&#+D%01"22(0)&#2E

l Considering the current climate of unrest here and abroad, entities like The Harlem Fine Arts Show (HFAS) are needed now more than ever. Reaching within our creative souls can have a positive effect on not only who we are as people, but also how we interact with each other.

While exploring the relationship between health and creative expression is in part a scientific endeavor, we can also relish in the pure aesthetics of art and how it makes us feel. We have a long standing saying at the HFAS that the show promotes and provides “cultural nutrition,” but we have also seen how art has the power to heal.

It is fitting then, that for the first time, the HFAS will be celebrating the outstanding contributions of AfricanAmerican medical professionals. Our Salute to African Americans in Medicine (AAIM) opening Gala reception on November 16 in Chicago, highlights the excellence and contributions, of twenty exceptional individuals from top medical institutions across the Chicagoland area. This is particularly important because, while celebrities and athletes are elevated in our culture; doctors, nurses and other medical professionals often work in obscurity. Through this special recognition, HFAS hopes to cast a spotlight on those who are making significant contributions to our society with little to no fanfare. To help in carrying out this vision we have partnered with the Cooks County Physicians Association (CCPA).

Some of those unsung heroes will include: Dr. Terry Mason, chief of staff of the Cook County Department of Health, who approaches healthcare from a holistic point of view; Dr. Michael Davenport, chief medical officer at Mercy Hospital, who has been tasked with helping to lead the hospital’s clinical strategy; Dr. Howard Strassner, chairman

of obstetrics and gynecology at Rush University Medical Center a maternal-fetal specialist; Dr. Perpetua Goodall, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at The University of Chicago, who specializes in low-risk obstetric care, uterine fibroids, endometriosis and menopause; and Dr. Akua Afriyie-Gray, medical director, women’s health Loyola Medicine. Please join us to meet all of these outstanding practitioners.

While putting together our fourth anniversary event in Chicago, HFAS was careful to ensure that talent and creativity remain in the forefront. As such, we continue to showcase visual artists whose works represents the broad spectrum of imagery from across the African diaspora. This is one of our core values at the Harlem Fine Art Show, and we continue to embrace that.

Finally, after a three-year run in Chicago at both the Merchandise Mart and Life Creative, HFAS has found a new home at the state-of-the-art Malcolm X College. It is a perfect location, as it channels the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance and reinforces the cultural impact of Malcolm X. Both promoted literature, the arts and intellect as important aspects of African American cultural identity.

Join us this year for the Harlem Fine Arts Show in Chicago, a unique experience that will touch your heart and fill your soul. It is a true celebration of Chicago’s artistic heritage, the African diasporic art movement and the health and healing power of art.

Best Always,

!"#$%&'()*+% Founder Harlem Fine Arts Show

HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 07

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EDITOR’S PAGE

CHICAGO STILL MAKES ART HISTORY Q6%'+2C0N#-+'&P"+('2+D#&."+&2+0)"+01+'C"+)"."22('("2+01+#(1"O+#(P"+100-O+ .#0'C()*+&)-+2C"#'"%ER+S Charles White

l The city of Chicago has many

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER

sobriquets. “The city of big shoulders.”

A city where “we make no small plans.” It can also be said that African American art history continues to be made in Chicago.

The list of barrier-breaking artists who make, or have made, Chicago home numbers in the hundreds. Eldzier Cortor, Elizabeth Catlett, Charles White, Gordon Parks, Richard Hunt and William Walker are just a few of the names that come to mind of artists who have been shaped by their time here, and went on to shape artistic history across the globe.

From the founding of the South Side Community Arts Center in the 1930’s under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Act (WPA); to the hosting of the American Negro Exhibition of 1940; to the )!*+,#--+&"+.*$/*01+#1+23'4+51'**1+#64+7#6(-*8+9:*6;*<+=#$+#+>?@"&&1@A8@B?@"&&1+ “Wall of Respect” in the 60’s; the AfroCobra =&'C+&"+#'1<+0&D/-*1*4+9;(%+>2<+EFBG% movement of the 70’s; to today’s international art celebrities like Theaster Gates, Kerry established artists, and at just over 75 years old is being James Marshall and Nick Cave; the arts in Chicago continue considered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation for to evolve in ways that celebrate our heritage and culture, the designation of “National Treasure.” Black gallery owners, but also carry social and political messages. curators, and even collectors continue to present thought Chicago’s African American artistic history is much like the provoking exhibits that make us examine today’s city itself – bold, brash and unapologetically Black. Marshall’s political realities. Earlier this year NYCH Gallery presentart celebrates his south side neighborhood; Gates’ installaed “Farewell 44,” an artistic tribute to President Barack tions were designed to reclaim his community from blight H. Obama, and attorney Stanley Stallworth curated the and decline; Cave’s performance pieces include both everyday “American Justice: She Ain’t Blind,” examining the racial ineqBlack Chicagoans and those from well-known city institutions.

Chicago is a welcoming place for African American artists, uities of the criminal justice system. Both exhibits received and they continue to flourish here, and spread their talent across the world. The South Side Community Art Center continues in its mission to nurture up and coming, and

extensive media coverage. Tempestt Hazel, Janice Bond and Naomi Beckwith are among the leading curators and arts

tastemakers in the city.

HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 09

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expression in the city today, and will be a featured artist in this year’s show.

2017 also marks the 100th birthday of Dr. Margaret Taylor Goss Burroughs, who was the grand dame of the city’s arts and culture movement. She was the youngest member of the board of the South Side Community Arts Center, founder, along with her husband, of the DuSable Museum of African American History, which Dr. Lonnie Bunch, founding director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture calls ‘the mother of us all;” founder of the Lake Meadows Arts Fair; and was a definitive voice for Black arts, culture, and yes, politics, in the city throughout her lifetime. Dr.

This issue of the Harlem Fine Arts Show Magazine is about celebrating Chicago’s African American artistic excellence. This is the fourth year of the HFAS in Chicago, and when the show opens at the state-of-the-art Malcolm X College more than 60 artists from across the world will present the finest in African American art and artifacts. We are particularly excited to have Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X joining us for this year’s show.

This year’s magazine, the second about the Chicago arts scene, comes as the City celebrates “The Year of Public Art.” One of the milestones being recognized is the 50th Anniversary of the “Wall of Respect.” The Wall of Respect, conceived

by William Walker, was the first outdoor mural done for the community, and celebrated the right of people to use art publicly to portray themselves and to assert pride in their heritage. “This Wall,” stated its inscription, “was created to Honor our Black Heroes, and to Beautify our Community.”

The Wall of Respect spawned a public arts movement that spread from Chicago throughout the country, and throughout the world. Wall of Respect artist, Eugene ‘Edaw’ Wade, also painted the iconic doors at the original Malcolm X College. His daughter, Martha, continues to influence artistic

PAGE 10 HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE

Burroughs spoke decisively about the rise of Black male incarceration, and how the criminal justice system was implicit in that proliferation. She taught art in the prison system as a form of rehabilitation. Speaking of the healing power of art at this year’s show, the HFAS will recognize 22 of the state’s premier medical practitioners. “African Americans in Medicine” is a new feature of the HFAS that began in February of this year in New York. There is a decided connection between art and healing, and you’ll learn more about that as you peruse this magazine.

Read about Antonio Davis who, after being shot and becoming a paraplegic, went on to become a nationally celebrated landscape painter and peer group mentor. His is just one story of the regenerative power of art.

This year’s Harlem Fine Arts Show Chicago salutes the barrier-breaking African American arts movement in Chicago — a movement that continues unabated, and remains unapologetic in its celebration of Black life and culture. We hope you’ll join us for this year’s show, November 16 – 19 at Malcolm X College.

Sincerely,

Editor, Harlem Fine Arts Show Magazine

PHOTO OF THE MALCOLM X COLLEGE: COURTESY OF MALCOLM X COLLEGE

The African American arts movement in Chicago remains unapologetic in celebrating Black life and culture.

Rush is an academic health system whose mission is to improve the health of the patients and the diverse communities it serves with nationally recognized health care, education and research, as well as a commitment to community partnerships.

www.rush.edu

Ilyasah’s Message of Love to the Children Ilyasah Shabazz joins HFAS in Chicago to share message of education, self-love and activism. By Taylor Michael

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ILYASSAH SHABAZ

l Ilyasah Shabazz’s goal is clear: to help people, particularly young black people, understand who they are and help them develop self-love. This core message drives her career as an author, activist, educator, and motivational speaker. Shabazz will join the Harlem Fine Arts Show Chicago at the state-of-the-art Malcolm X College.

The third daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz, Ilyasah grew up in Mount Vernon, NY with her mother and five sisters. At an early age, Dr. Shabazz taught her daughters to have pride in being black, to serve others, and to love and fear Allah. “My mother focused on making sure her girls developed a value system, and that we took pride in who we were,” Shabazz said.

Home was where the Shabazz women first learned

Shabazz reads to children in New York from her illustrated children’s books, “Malcolm Little, The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X.”

about the contributions of black people in Africa and the United States. Ilyasah was taught from an early age that the education system in this country did not tell the whole story when it came to black people and remembers confronting the ways her teachers portrayed African American history in class.

The tools and values from her upbringing influenced how she saw the world and her purpose in it. Armed with these learnings, Shabazz tutored youth in group homes while in high school, and while attending SUNY New Paltz, she worked with youth in detention facilities. She wanted to help HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 13

ILYASAH’S MESSAGE

Ilyasah Shabazz, as an infant, with her mother, Betty Shabazz and three other siblings.

Ilyasah, as an infant, in the arms of her father Malcolm X, her mother Betty can be seen in the car’s backseat. The Shabazz sisters. Ilyasah with three sisters and her mother.

Ilyasah sitting on Muhammad Ali’s knee while her sisters sit with her Dad.+

other children recognize, as she had, their power and beauty.

Today Shabazz’s passion continues to burn brightly. She created The Wake-Up Tour: X-tra Credit Program, an exclusive youth empowerment program, and continues to mentor at-risk youth, and support programs to empower inner city high school dropouts. She is also an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.

In addition to her work as an educator and activist, Shabazz is the author of a memoir, a novel, and children’s book about her father. She is also in the process of writing a fourth book, geared towards middle schoolers, about her mother. “I want children to be able to see themselves in a positive light, which requires incorporating powerful, uplifting themes in my stories,” Shabazz said. “And at the same time, I want to tell the truth about Malcolm and Betty instead of letting someone else write that story.”

PAGE 14 HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE

Shabazz not only thinks a lot about how to tell the stories of her parents, but also how their legacy lives today.

Reflecting on ‘Black Lives Matter’, and the protests about President Trump’s Muslim ban she offers, “I am so happy we are no longer sleeping.” She feels youth today recognize the injustices present in our society more so than Americans did in the 1960s. This moment of political unrest and protest is exhilarating for Shabazz. She notes that Malcolm X’s emphasis on education and unlearning the falsities taught in school are better understood now than when he was alive. She feels the internet has helped black people find the knowledge they need to understand where they came from, and how they can love themselves.

Shabazz will participate in the 2017 Harlem Fine Arts Show in Chicago November 16 -18, where she will be signing copies of her books.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ILYASSAH SHABAZZ

“I want children to be able to see themselves in a positive light”

Congratulations Mercy Hospital & Medical Center congratulates the following physicians for being recognized by the Harlem Fine Arts Show honoring African Americans in Medicine.

• Billie Wright Adams, MD Emeritus Staff Retired • Michael Davenport, MD • Paul Jones, MD

mercy-chicago.org

CHICAGO STAR TALKS ART AND HISTORY Actor Merkerson talks about how a trip to the flea market sparked her lifelong interest in African American art and how she expanded her collection. By Patricia Andrews-Keenan

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF EPATHA MERKERSON

l S. Epatha Merkerson, a native of Detroit, Michigan, has won critical acclaim for her work in theatre, television, and film. An Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG Award and multiple NAACP Image Awards winner, Merkerson is best known for her 17-year tenure portraying Lieutenant Anita Van Buren on NBC’s Law and Order and currently plays hospital administrator, Sharon Goodwin, on the NBC series Chicago Med, and can be seen in the independent film Year

By The Sea with Karen Allen.

Merkerson, who has residences in New York and Chicago, is an avid art collector. She frequents the Harlem Fine Arts Show as it travels the country, as well as the long running African Festival of the Arts in Chicago. Here she discusses how she began collecting and some of her favorite pieces.

Was there a pivotal moment that encouraged you to collect?

In the late 70’s I worked with a young woman whose mother didn’t buy anything new except food. Mrs. Baker had a discerning eye in finding quality and bargains in flea markets. I learned a lot from her, not only knowledge of the merchandise but how to bargain for it as well.

What kinds of things did you purchase?

I started with sheet music that depicted African Americans. Part of me was pissed off by some of the negative portrayals, and my first thought was I’m going to buy everything I see just to get it off the market. Finally, I began

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to accept these images as part of our history. In my early days of collecting, I had a lot of black memorabilia, !"##$%"!&'()*'+,-'#$.-/' What was your first foray into fine art?

It was probably about 10 years later. I met a gallery owner,

HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 17

CHICAGO STAR TALKS ART AND HISTORY

!&%0#"+\J&%-+“Runaways: The Family”

I own eight of Geoffrey’s paintings. When I got to Chicago I knew I wanted to have one of his pieces here because he was so special to me. There is a prominent space in my apartment for the painting Untitled: The Dancers 1977.

You attend the Harlem Fine Arts Show regularly?

Yes, I started going from the beginning, and one of my initial purchases was a piece by April Harrison, and I also love the small paintings by Ted Ellis.

Tell me about some of your favorite pieces?

Well, I thought if I’m going to be living in Chicago I should own pieces by Chicago artists. I have two watercolors on paper by William McBride, who I understand was very influential in the Chicago art scene in the 60’s. I am a big fan of sculptor Woodrow Nash; I have a piece from his Almitra

Peggy Alston and was invited to a showing. There was this one painting in charcoal and earth by Carol Bayard entitled Runaways: The Family. I found it to be compelling, frightening, strong, and the parents so fearful yet protective of their young. I’d walk the gallery looking at other paintings but would always end up in front of this painting… it haunted me. Peggy finally came over to me and said, “You’re drawn to this painting let’s talk.” I told her I couldn’t afford it but she asked me what could I afford and I told her about $100 per month. I bought my first original painting on layaway! I’ll never forget that…she let me pay for it monthly and I can’t tell you how proud I was the day I finally brought it home. Carole Bayard passed away last year and I purchased two charcoal drawings of hers and they are in my Chicago apartment.

What pieces caught your attention after that?

My best friend Rockell Metcalf introduced me to Geoffrey Holder and his wife, the amazing Carmen de Lavallade. Of course, I knew of Geoffrey and Carmen from their work as performers but I had no idea what a prolific and extraordinary painter Geoffrey was. We spent hours in his home talking about art and theatre and music and dance and the world. I will cherish those moments, lifetime opportunities.

PAGE 18 HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE

series in my NYC apartment, and another bust in my Chicago apartment. In 2016, I purchased a verdite bust of an old man at the African Festival of the Arts here in Chicago that I love. I collect Hunt Slonem who is world renowned for his paintings of bunnies and exotic birds.

How do you incorporate art into your décor?

In NYC, I’ve always lived in pre-war buildings. Here in Chicago I have a square contemporary apartment, that I purposefully designed in an all-white color palette so that the art is the focal point. The art then adds color to the space.

How has travel influenced your collecting?

When I travel I always visit the local museums to see the art and learn local history. I want to learn as much as I can about the history of the art. I recently took my 90-year-old mother to West Africa, Cotonou Benin. I think I was too overwhelmed actually to think of purchasing. I wanted to just experience my first trip to Africa. I did meet some of the local artists, but I think I was more focused on watching my mother experience the culture; a culture that honors its elders. So what I’ve carried from that experience are great photos of my mother Anna.

Any final thoughts?

Yeah, in my next life I want to be a musician or a visual artist!

PHOTO COURTESY OF EPATHA MERKERSON

When I travel I always visit the local museums to see the art and learn local history. I want to learn as much as I can about the history of the art.

Loyola Medicine congratulates Akua Afriyie-Gray, MD for being recognized by the Harlem Fine Arts Show honoring African Americans in Medicine.

We also treat the human spirit.ÂŽ loyolamedicine.org #BodyAndSoul

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The True Value of

Black An appraiser on a mission to have the art world embrace Black art as “indispensable” and “undeniable.” By Deborah Crable l Diane Dinkins-Carr, a second-generation community arts advocate/activist, is now in high demand as a member of America’s elite group of powerful art appraisers. She is among a dozen African-Americans who determine the value and high culture ranking of art. It is a role she “fell into” when she couldn’t find an African American appraiser to evaluate the personal collection she’d built with her husband, BET executive, Louis Carr.

Their insurance company accepted an appraisal done by independent gallery owner and artist Samuel Akainyah.

Intrigued by the extensive research process required for an accurate appraisal, and recognizing the scarcity of Blacks in the industry, she decided to fill the void. “Business is booming,” says Carr who commands upwards of $250 an hour to appraise personal or museum donated collections for insurance or replacement value.

CARR’S COLLECTING TIPS

PHOTO: MADISON BURGER

“Art investment is like investing in the stock market. Buy low with the expectation of a long-term high return.”

1. Buy what you like 2. Seek aff affordable ff mid-career emerging promising artists 3. Consider a collection genre or theme, i.e., watercolor, photography, women

HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 21

THE VALUE OF BLACK ART

Diane Carr stands in front of an original work by Samuel Akainyah.

commanded the highest price at nearly $27,000.

After receiving Fine and Decorative Art Appraising certiÿcates from Northwestern University and the American Society of Appraisers, Carr was immediately hired to appraise both modest and robust collections across the country.

“I was awestruck appraising a collection of over 500 pieces of African art that took four months to complete. It was then that I understood the power and importance of my work, and knew that all Black art should be documented just as you would with works by Monet or Van Gogh.”

Current Black art investment trends are encouraging, but Carr says issues of exclusion still exist. She experienced this ÿrsthand over 10 years ago in her certiÿcation class on 19th century art, where the instructors failed to include Black artists.

“I asked why the great Black masters, Robert Duncanson, Edmonia Lewis, Edward Bannister, and Henry Ossawa Tanner, were not included. After all, African-American art is considered American art, and these artists made incredible contributions.” By the next class, they were included.

Today, major art galleries and museums seek Black artists to diversify their collections, according to Carr. The high international proÿle of both established and emerging Black American artists is a strong indicator of how the American Black aesthetic is valued globally.

Carr is excited that Black art, in all its forms, is internationally accepted by “high-art” institutions, from the socialpractice installation work by Theaster Gates, to comic-book

Carr assumes this coveted role as an appraiser, at a time when investment in Black art is reaching unprecedented levels. In February 2007, Swann Galleries held the nation’s ÿrst auction devoted entirely to African-American ÿne art, a benchmark event at the time. According to published reports, the sale yielded over $2.3 million, and 17 record prices were achieved for works by signiÿcant African-American artists. Swann was closely followed by Chicago’s Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, which held its inaugural auction of African American art in 2012. The event was a “white glove sale,” meaning all the pieces sold, and Robert Scott Duncanson’s The Appenines, Italy,

PAGE 22 HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE

styled images from emerging artist Hebru Brantley, to the stylized interpretations of Black life by MacArthur Fellow, and Black arts activist Kerry James Marshall.

To date, the inclusion remains an anomaly stated Carr, who concurs with and supports Kerry James Marshall’s movement to have the art world embrace and institutionalize Black art as “indispensable” and “undeniable.”

“The majority of those who determine what’s “in” are White, and it is a subjective decision,” says Carr. “Economics keeps Blacks out of the game because it is too costly be an agent.

Blacks are not on the boards of large art institutions nor can we a° ord to network and socialize at the required lev-

PHOTO OF DIANE DINKINS-CARR: MADISON BURGER

“ Carr is excited that Black art is internationally

els to gain access to the in˜uenc ers and decision makers.”

In Chicago, the Leadership Advisory Committee (LAC) was formed at the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC), with the mission of supporting the museum in all matters relating to the engagement and advancement of African Americans in the life of the AIC. It is through their e° orts that artists like Marshall and Eldzier Cortor (who was a member of the board of Chicago’s South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC)), now hang in the museum. A recent New York Times article also explored the issue of the glass ceiling at elite cultural organizations in the city, and how it is beginning to crack.

“Many Black artists are opting to drop their Black identity and be considered an “artist” without the race qualiÿer,” said Carr. “They prefer to be identiÿed based on the quality of their chosen genre, not their race.”

Who buys and collects an artists’ work can immediately impact the value of the art and enhance the artist’s name recognition. Celebrities, like music industry power couple, Jay-Z and Beyonce, are art collectors, and people want to know who is in their collection. Brantley boasts collectors including entrepreneur Matthew Pritzker and Jay-Z, who purchased a Brantley for $20,000 in 2012. His work now sells for over $100,000.

“Celebrity attachment works!” says Carr. “And the millennial voice matters. That demo is not buying art at a high volume, but their opinion can make a di° erence.”

Carr’s move into the upper echelons of the art world allows her to advance her self-described “God-given mission to nurture emerging artists, and to promote the value of Black art.” The young artists she works with at the SSCAC fuel her passion to serve artists, and champion Black art causes.

The SSCAC, opened in 1941 to provide artists a place to create and showcase their work. The center, established as a Work Project Administration (WPA) center, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, has experienced high and low periods over the years, but it thrived under Carr’s engagement and leadership as board president (1998-2011).

“I begged for money to keep the doors open just like my predecessor, Margaret Burroughs, whose ‘begging’ on the radio irritated me as a child.”

Growing up, Diane attended the center, and learned

accepted.”

TOP BLACK ARTISTS THE CARR RATING While the Midwest is not considered an epicenter for art, three of Carr’s four leading collectible Black artists hail from Chicago: THEASTER GATES is a social practice installation artist.

A native Chicagoan who deals with issues of urban planning, religious space, and craft. He is committed to the revitalization of poor neighborhoods through combining urban planning and art practices.

KERRY JAMES MARSHALL The Chicago-based contemporary artist is most known for his large-scale paintings that depict African-American life and history.

“He is committed to make the presence of Black art and culture in the art world ‘indispensable’ and ‘undeniable’.”

HEBRU BRANTLEY, is a 6’ 8” tall street gra˝ti artist turned internationally-collected popular culture artist.

His comic book-styled compositions address his African-American urban life experiences.

HANK WILLIS THOMAS is a New York conceptual visual artist, photographer and arts educator whose primary interests are race, advertising and popular culture.

the art business from her parents, who were active in the Chicago arts community. Her father, Fitzhugh Dinkins, is recognized in the Smithsonian Museum as a leading Black graphic designer, and her mother, Tina, received a degree from the Art Institute of Chicago in fashion design. Being an art community insider since birth had its advantages.

“They taught me all of the tricks of the trade. I can spot a fake based on the artist’s signature or the smell of the canvas.” An educator at heart, Carr believes “knowledge is power.” She readily shares all that she has learned from school, and the life lessons learned from her parents, with her students and next generation of art purveyors.

“The community needs to see Black art, and the kids need to experience the history of not only the early masters, but also the struggles that artists have to get their art shown.” Her message is simple and clear: Celebrate, document, revere, and BUY Black art.

HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 23

THE HEALING l Hippocrates, known

LUCID DREAMER, painting by artist Martha Wade

PAGE 24 HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE

as the father of medicine, is credited with creating the oath that doctors take upon beginning their careers. One of the well-known tenets of that oath is “First, do no harm.” Lesser known is his exhortation to “remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug.”

Research shows that a variety of creative engagements (the arts) can positively impact emotions, attitudes and beliefs contributing to greater health and wellness for the individual. Studies have shown that participating in various art programs—painting, drawing and music—create measurable improvement in those suffering from cancers and dementia; contributes to patient’s compliance in taking medication; and lowers hospital re-admission rates.

During our 2017 multi-city tour, the Harlem Fine Arts Show (HFAS) is celebrating “the healing power of art.” Our artists have embraced the theme both

POWER OF ART

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ANTONIO DAVIS

Art and Medicine converge, let the healing begin! literally and figuratively, and will be showcasing a body of work that embodies the warmth and sympathy that Hippocrates extoled.

As part of our focus on the healing power of art, we are celebrating outstanding African American medical practitioners with our â&#x20AC;&#x153;Salute to African Americans in Medicine (AAIM).â&#x20AC;?

Partnering with HFAS in this effort is the Cook County Physicians Association (CCPA), the Chicago affiliate of the National Medical Association (NMA). Our Chicago event will open with a Gala Reception recognizing 23 outstanding medical practitioners, representing some of the most prestigious medical institutions in the seven-county region. They will be recognized for their outstanding careers and philanthropic work. Additionally, Congressman Danny K. Davis will be recognized for his long-standing advocacy for health issues impacting African Americans nationally.

The next day, HFAS will host Youth Empowerment Day, with Chicago Public Schools middle and high school students, at MXC, where they will participate in workshops with African Americans in medicine, the arts and educa-

By P. Andrews-Keenan

tion to encourage their interest in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math). As the organizers of the HFAS, it is humbling to witness the selflessness that these professionals exhibit in their careers and their philanthropic work.

On our tour, we are extremely proud to have Antonio Davis, a professional visual-mouth painting artist, motivational speaker, peer mentor, and trailblazer in the disabled community.

Davis learned to paint with his mouth after being paralyzed in a shooting in Chicago. After time spent in occupational therapy at what is now the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, he turned a potentially life-ending situation into a positive. Today he is sought after across the country, and the world, for his beautiful still-life and landscape paintings.

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HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 25

OUR MODERN HFAS Salutes Chicago’s Outstanding Medical Practitioners

Dr. Akua Afriyie-Gray

Dr. Tonja Austin

Dr. Michael Davenport

Dr. Paul Jones

Dr. Terry Mason

Dr. Monica Peek

Dr. Derek Robinson

DR. AKUA AFRIYIE˜GRAY Loyola University Medical Center Medical Director, Outpatient Center for Women’s Health, Assistant,

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital Cook County Hospital and Owner of Health & Renewal Plastic Surgery

DR. TONJA AUSTIN Franciscan Health Olympia Fields/Chicago Heights Medical Sta˜ President and Family Medicine Attending,

DR. KALISHA HILL Presence St. Mary’s Hospital, Kankakee Chief Medical O°c er

DR. MICHAEL DAVENPORT Mercy Hospital Chief Medical O°c er

Dr. Billie Wright-Adams

PAGE 26 HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE

Dr. Clyde Yancy

DR. MARK GREVIOUS Stroger Hospital and Health & Renewal Plastic Surgery Chairman of the Division of

Dr. Mark A. Grevious

DR. NORMAN JAMES University of Chicago FORMER Associate Clinical Professor and attending Physician, Department of Medicine at University of llinois at Chicago Hospital

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SUBJECTS

DAY HEALERS

Dr. Kalisha Hill

Dr. Norman James

Dr. Ebony Johnson

Dr. Anngell Jones

Dr. Selwyn Rogers

Dr. Howard Strassner

Debra Wesley, President

Dr. Robert Winn

DR. EBONY N. JOHNSON Little Company of Mary Medical Group Family Physician

DR. MONICA PEEK The University of Chicago Associate Professor of Medicine, Section of General Internal Medicine Associate Director, Chicago Center for Diabetes Translation Research Director of Research, MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics Executive Medical Director, Community Health Innovation

DR. SELWYN ROGERS Community Health Engagement at the University of Chicago Medicine. Chief of Trauma and Acute 060 Care Surgery and Executive Vice President

University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine

DR. DEREK J. ROBINSON Enterprise Quality and Accrediation Vice President Enterprise Quality and Accreditation

DEBRA G. WESLEY, Sinai Health Systems, President of Sinai Health Systems

DR. ANNGELL JONES Sinai Health System Associate Chief Medical O˜c er and Division Chief of General Surgery DR. PAUL A. JONES Mercy Hospital Director of Cardiovascular Services DR. TERRY MASON Cook County Department of Public Health Chief Operating O˜c er of the Cook County Department of Public Health

DR. HOWARD T. STRASSNER Rush University Medical Center MD, Chairman, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

DR. ROBERT A. WINN Associate Vice Chancellor, Director U of I Cancer Center,

DR. BILLIE WRIGHT˜ADAMS Mercy Hospital FORMER Assistant Program Director of Mercy Hospital & Medical Center’s Department of Pediatrics DR. CLYDE W. YANCY Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine Chief of Cardiology, Vice Dean of Diversity & Inclusion, Professor of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 27

WOODROW NASH Noted sculptor creates the world he visualizes for people of African descent

Art that

By Taylor Michael and P. Andrews-Keenan

Left: Nash’s The Children of Whitney sculptures represent the Whitney Plantation’s former slaves as they were at the time of emancipation. Above: Artist Woodrow Nash among some of his creations.

l Sculptor Woodrow Nash has created a world populated by people of African lineage who are regal, proud, accomplished, and seemingly deÿant in the face of any societal norms that would work to hinder their progress. His world is literally forged in ÿre, with ceramic statues, busts and torsos that integrate expression, symbolism and a sophisticated aesthetic that is clearly aimed at changing the way Black people see themselves.

Nash has been an artist for nearly 40 years, beginning as a freelance artist, illustrator, graphic designer, and later becoming a sculptor. His hometown of Akron, OH., like many other cities in the Rust Belt, lost jobs, money and population as factory jobs were mechanized or outsourced overseas.

For a time, he abandoned Akron for New York where he became a fashion illustrator and later designed record albums for jazz labels. He also received a degree in commercial art from the Pels School of Art in New York. He returned to Ohio for HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 29

Nash’s works, which ranges from small to life-sized, start with a concept—one he contemplates oftentimes while just driving through his community. Even after he’s worked through how to execute a piece, experience has shown him that ultimately the clay will ‘reveal what it may’. For Nash, his work is a dialogue between him and the clay.

In the end, this artistic struggle between art and artist ends in compromise, resulting in pieces that are both unique and consistent with his other work. They all have the rigid posture and hollowed eyes that are Nash’s signature.

These Africans are proud and stand up straight under the weight of 400 years of slavery and oppression. The pieces are all uniquely styled with custom adornments—beading and ornaments traditionally used in African cultures—that mimic the contours of the body.

Nash employs neighborhood artisans, many of them once promising artists themselves, to create the adornments and style the pieces. “ The people in Nash’s universe Nash’s pieces are done in a style he dubbed “African Nouveau,” a are beautiful in ways that African Americans have been combination of 18th century French Nouveau, known for organic asymmetrical lines, and 15th century Benin art. conditioned to repress. And just as unique as the sculptures themselves are the names he gives them. Names like a time working as a technical illustrator for Goodyear AeroRaziya, Council of Truth or Fenuku, Thoughts on the Philosospace, followed by a stint at American Greetings Corporation. In the 90s, he moved to Madison, WI where he worked phy of Faith. These names encourage spirited dialogue that as a graphic artist, but the pull of home and his community flies in the face of how the society chooses to brand African Americans. The names, he says, have no ceremonial signifiwas strong.

Nash opened his Rage Gallery in Akron in 2002 where he cance, but rather should provoke thought.

One of Nash’s most iconic commissions is for the life-sized creates fired pieces from stoneware, earthenware, terrasculptures of children on the Whitney Plantation Museum, cotta, and porcelain. His sculptures are not just decorative; located less than an hour from New Orleans in Wallace, LA. they transmit, in his words, “human delicacies and inner harmony.” Certainly, they are conversation starters that spark The property, is on the National Register of Historic Places dialogue about beauty, blackness and the impact of being a and is a genuine landmark built by African slaves and their descendants. colonized people.

Nash’s The Children of Whitney sculptures represent “(In) this place, you would never see someone walking the plantation’s former slaves as they were at the time of down the street with his pants down to his knees,” Nash ofemancipation. Nash’s work literally breathes life into the fers referring to the sculptural world he has created. “You’re uplifted by the sense of what’s around you, and your appre- plantation. “This world that I’ve created is a different place of beauty,” he says. ciation for who you are.” Nash works to create pieces that When asked to posit on his legacy, Nash sniffs, “That’s for embrace an African esthetic of beauty, versus the European somebody else to say, I’m not concerned about.” He does standard promulgated during his time in art school. think his work will ultimately end up in museums, but he’s His pieces, in a style he has dubbed “African Nouveau,” not knocking on their doors, remembering when the estabare a combination of 18th century French Nouveau, known lished art critics in New York saw his work as too contemfor organic asymmetrical lines, and 15th century Benin art, porary to be considered fine art. “If curators are interested, known for the ornamentation and ceremonial value of the sculptures. The style is neither tribal nor primitive; rather Nash they will find me, but if you’re a conscious person in the US, Brazil, Africa, and you want to surround yourself with imaguses the term to describe his place in the Diaspora and how he’s able to sculpt uniquely African-American life experiences. es that reflect who you are, then my work is for you.”

PAGE 30 HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE

PHOTO: COURTESY OF WOODROW NASH

WOODROW NASH

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Dr. Margaret Taylor Goss Burroughs was an institution builder who was involved in the arts and championed social justice her entire life.

Her question to each of us, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What will your legacy be?â&#x20AC;?

L

THE EGACY TORCH BEARERS Granddame of Chicago African American arts movement imbued generations of South Siders with a sense of excellence in artistic creation. By Deborah Crable

PHOTO OF DR. BURROUGHS: COURTESY OF THE SSCAC ARCHIVES

PHOTO OF WOODCUT: MADISON BURGER

l The woman’s emotion-filled eyes compelled Maséqua Myers, executive director of the South Side Community Arts Center (SSCAC), to rise from our conversation and greet her with a warm comforting embrace.

“Dr. Burroughs was like a surrogate mother to me growing up,” said the middle-aged woman visiting the oldest African American art center in the country. “This is beautiful!

Thank you for keeping the vision alive.”

The torchbearers of the three Chicago institutions Dr. Margaret Taylor Goss Burroughs founded, or co-founded, are and have been, advanced through the profound leadership of dynamic Black women like Myers. They all appreciate the deep, moving and lasting impact of her legacy as expressed by the SSCAC visitor. All are arts and culture titans who share Burroughs’ commitment to the elevation of Black people through the preservation and expansion of Black heritage and the Black aesthetic.

A theater arts enthusiast, involved with church and school productions, Burroughs identified Myers at age 15 as “an excellent SSCAC candidate.” As a SSCAC student, she was exposed to and learned from key figures and shapers of the 60s Black consciousness and arts movement.

Val Gray Ward held rehearsals for Kuumba Theater productions on the second floor and African dance classes were taught by Darlene Blackburn, who acquired an international dance education at Burroughs’ insistence.

Myers’ creative muse was informed by poets Haki Madhubuti and Gwendolyn Brooks, who would recite their

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work during regular center gatherings.

“I had a chance to feel love, motivation, inspiration, and learn that being an artist can really make a positive difference.” Decades later, she returned to lead the institution that is considered one of the most historic and important art centers in Chicago and the United States.

“I came here because we are losing so many of our Black institutions, and the SSCAC is one of the few totally independent Black institutions that is still standing, and I wanted to be a part of its longevity.” Myers says the center does a “good job” presenting people of African descent in a

HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 33

THE LEGACY TORCH BEARERS

Sculpture by artist Marion Perkins; (Right) The Bauhaus home of the SSCAC is on the National Register of Historic Places.

positive light and instilling a sense of Black pride and high self-esteem in Black youth, as it did for her.

Burroughs, a staunch socialist according her grandson, Eric Toller, believed “capitalism was designed to destroy Black people.” Similarly, Myers is concerned that as a society we are becoming more intergenerationally disconnected, where the acquisition of things is valued more than teaching and nurturing our youth.

“I have dedicated my life to the education of individuals through art and culture.” Like Burroughs, she believes art heals and creates pathways for understanding others that lead to respect, and ultimately, having a sense of responsibility for others.

Myers sought out the position at SSCAC at the behest of Dr. Carol Adams whose charismatic leadership attracted

“…art heals and creates pathways for understanding others that lead to respect unprecedented numbers to another Black Chicago institution co-founded by Burroughs and her husband, Charles: the DuSable Museum for African American History.

First named the Ebony Museum of Negro History and Art in 1941, the museum was housed in Burrough’s historic landmark Bronzeville mansion across the street from the SSCAC. In 1973, it was moved to its current Bronzeville location and renamed after Chicago’s founder, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable.

PAGE 34 HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE

The DuSable Museum’s leadership succession has been passed among brilliant women institution builders since its inception. Committed visionaries inspired

by Burroughs include Amina Dickerson, Antoinette D. Wright and Adams. Perri L. Irmer, the museum’s current president and CEO, is on track to complete the museum’s expansion making it the oldest and largest African-American history museum in the country. An institution Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, calls the “mother of us all.”

“Decades ago, Dr. Burroughs began proving to the world that women are capable of doing anything that a man can do. From her role as an institution builder came - the South Side Community Arts Center, Lake Meadows Art Fair, and of course, the DuSable Museum of African American History.

Margaret was a great example that women had not only arrived, but broken through that infamous glass ceiling and taken their rightful place in leadership,” said Irmer.

In June, the Lake Meadows Art Fair (Continued on page 37)

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PHOTOS: MADISON BURGER

C()MN-(&C4"0)@& OP",-$38"&Q30",$60&& 6#&$*"&E6-$*&E3="& F677-13$4&;0$)& F"1$"0&I."#$KH&L"."1& 2")$&169&68"0)"")& $*"&!(G"&C"(=69)& ;0$&R(30&I$6/&03>*$KH&& D-)$&6#&L(003"$&& ?-<7(1&<4&),-./$60& Ed Dwight at the DuSable Museum.

“Black Art Renaissance” under the leadership of educator and respected art framer Helen West. West remembers how her “kindred spirit” banged on the window of her Nelah Art Gallery in the Lake Meadows Shopping Center until she let her in.

“Dr. Burroughs marveled at the fact that an art gallery was opening in Bronzeville.” in 2005, under Burroughs’ tutelage and support, West revitalized the Lake Meadows Art Fair. Burroughs founded the Lake Meadows Art Fair in 1957 to provide an outlet for artists of every ilk to get exposure and sell their work. During the peak of its 20-year run, according to Chicago Defender archives, 60,000 people reportedly attended the Father’s Day weekend event. Low attendance forced its closure in the 70s. Today, at-tracting large crowds remains a challenge, but West believes outdoor art fairs are on the comeback.

“There are more galleries and opportunities for artists to get into both Black and mainstream galleries today, and the out-of-state market remains strong for artists desiring

a Midwest presence.”

Success is never a solo effort and West is grateful to receive pledged assistance from Patrick Woodtor whose annual African Festival of the Arts arguably includes one of the country’s largest outdoor exhibitions.

Proud that women are the primary torchbearers of Burroughs’ legacy, West beamed, “Well you know, Women ROCK!” Acknowledging that while Burroughs remains adored by men and women alike, “Women relate to her as a strong powerful female role model to emulate.”

Toller admired his grandmother’s boundless energy and remembers her prevailing message: We, as African Americans in this country, must have had the toughest ancestors alive for them to have survived the Middle Passage voyage and, from day one, made contributions to this country.

Be proud, learn, travel, teach, share, create and live!

Dr. Margaret Burroughs Centennial Celebration Events http://www.dusablemuseum.org/events/

HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 37

congratulations Sinai Health System congratulates Debra Wesley, Founder and President of Sinai Community Institute and Dr. Anngell Jones, Associate Chief Medical Officer and Division Chief of General Surgery, Sinai Health System for their recognition as outstanding medical professionals in the Chicagoland area from The Harlem Fine Arts Show (HFAS) Chicago!

Debra Wesley Founder and President of Sinai Community Institute

Dr. Anngell Jones Associate Chief Medical Officer and Division Chief of General Surgery Sinai Health System

THE “PROGRESSIVE” PUBLIC SERVANT FOR LIFE The impact of losing two generations of family members in one year, fuels Congressman’s mission to advance preventive health care legislation to close the health care disparity gap.

PHOTOS: MADISON BURGER

l In the midst of high voltage political chaos and shenanigans that eclipsed the early work of the115th Congress, Congressman Danny K. Davis, beamed with pride that he successfully passed two bills. Both bills impact two direct threats to the health and well-being of his primary constituent base in Illinois’ 7th congressional district - African Americans.

Following the tragic death of his grandson, Javon Wilson, in 2016 to the senseless epidemic of urban gun violence, Congress passed the “Second Chance Re-Authorization Act of 2017”. The bill, introduced by Cong. Davis, sustains funding for programs that improve coordination of reentry services and policies at the state and local levels.

Describing America as “one of the most imprisoned nations in the world.” Congressman Davis believes prison rehabilitation works, and that the “Second Chance Act” stabilizes lives, families and communities.

“Considering the cost of incarceration (as much as $40,000 per year per person) and all the social and economic costs of crime to the community, it’s just common sense to act to help ex-offenders successfully reenter our communities and reduce recidivism,” the Congressman says.

The 7th Congressional District includes twenty-one hospitals, dozens of clinics, world class research institutions, and medical schools. Even with this abundance of health care options, his district also includes some of the most medically underserved communities in America. A population that also disproportionately suffers from a high percentage of life threatening chronic health issues.

Those same health issues may have contributed to the sudden death of the Congressman’s 47-year-old son, Stacey Wilson who last year, grief struck over his son Javon’s murder, was found dead in his home. Davis said his son “suffered from kidney problems, diabetes and “extremely high” blood pressure.

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The impact of losing two generations of family members in one year, drives Davis’ mission to advance preventive health care legislation to close the health care disparity gap. “Disparities are managed primarily by reducing costs and ensuring access to preventive care.” His “Sickle Cell Bill” impacts over 100,000 people living with the painfully debilitating disease, most of whom are African American.

The bill allows for more research, greater public access to care, and improved prevention awareness strategies. He continues to champion health issues for children, and has legislation pending in the U.S. House of Representatives to address childhood trauma.

HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 39

THE “PROGRESSIVE” !"#$%&''()#*+),-'*'.)#/'*-#*0%"#.*"0*)*(1%)2*"0*'2)-#* T..3163)&D.(,G&5(1$*"0&."(="0&R0"=&L(7/$61:

so much is at stake. He acknowledges that people today are intimidated and dissuaded from engaging in electoral politics because many feel big money is required to win office, but such trepidation is nothing new. Davis launched his political career going against the muscle of Chicago’s infamously powerful “political machine.”

While big money makes a difference, Davis reminds us it is the ballot count that determines the ultimate outcome.

“Numbers at the ballot box mean more, that’s what activism is all about. Activists stir up the pot, and let people know that the little bit done with others can become much more,” says Davis. “Activism requires that people know things do not have to be the way they are, and if you struggle then you are motivated and know you can bring about change as

However, this seasoned senior statesman, serving in Congress since 1996 with no intention of retiring, is gravely concerned about the intent of the current administration’s agenda to reverse a half century of legislative gains.

“If the Trump agenda moves forward, gains of the past 50-60 years will be swept away. Civil rights, affirmative action, serious support for health care, educational parity are gains this administration appears to be trying hard to wipe out,” said Cong. Davis. “The only remedy is for people to rise up and say enough is enough!”

Davis likens our current political climate to that of the late 1800’s, following the Civil War. He points to the politically motivated and abrupt end of the Reconstruction Era that thwarted the progress of Blacks. At that time, the newly freed slaves were charting unprecedented accomplishments in all areas of social, political and economic engagement.

“The hotly contested election of 1876 capped it off, when the Republican candidate promised to remove troops from the south to secure the election. It was a compromise deal that essentially gave southerners their homeland back, and almost brought back slavery,” said Davis. “People felt a need to take action. It led to the formation of the NAACP, Black fraternities and sororities organized and citizen groups knew they had to protect themselves against roll-backs to opportunity.”

People need to rise up and protect their interests now as they did at the turn of the 20th century says Davis, because PAGE 40 HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE

a collective force.”

Davis admonishes the disengaged to identify what is important to preserve and advance their understanding of “equality” and get involved, as was the case with both the Women’s Movement and the Civil Rights Movement.

Appreciating one does not live by politics alone, Davis, is an avid arts patron, with a particular fondness for poets and poetry. He believes the arts “make life interesting and rich.”

He and his wife Vera have a robust collection of works in their home by the late arts and community activist Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs and he joins congressional colleagues in sponsoring an annual high school arts competition.

The “Artistic Discovery Contest” is an opportunity to recognize, and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in our Congressional district.” The winner’s submission is displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year.

When asked what keeps him going, Congressman Davis reflected on the Black Panther Party that significantly informed his early political activism. He still lives by the Black Panther mantra - “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.’”

“I believe you should do all the good you can, for as many people as you can, for as long as you can.” Humbled by the power of people, Davis said, “People can either make or break any public person. I feel good when constituents say, ‘we like what you’re doing, keep on representing’. Right On!’”

PHOTOS: MADISON BURGER

“People need to rise up and protect their interests”

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PORTALS l The doors for the stairwells of the original Malcolm X College were painted in 1971 by one of the principal artists of Chicago’s Wall of Respect, Eugene “Eda” Wade. The monumental doors are a landmark of the Black Arts Movement in Chicago, and were most recently on display at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Sidney R. Yates Gallery, as part of the city’s yearlong celebration of public art. The Exhibition included portable artwork from the MXC collection, as well as documentation that shed light on a period in Chicago history that was both important and turbulent.

When the City Colleges of Chicago announced plans in 2012 to replace the 41-year-old home of Malcolm X College at 1900 W. Van Buren it was through the efforts of Michelle Perkins, a member of the Malcolm X art faculty, and others, that the doors were saved.

In early 1971, Wade, fellow co-founder of the Chicago Mural Group, William Walker, and two other artists, took part in in an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago titled “Murals for the People.” Malcolm X campus projects coordinator Rosa Moore approached him and Walker during the show’s run about painting murals on the 10-by-4-foot steel fire doors that led to four interior stairways in the renamed college’s then-new building.

Walker declined to take part, so Wade took on the project.

Painting it,” he said, “I had students, constant traffic back and forth, and sometimes I would have to close off a section, so the students wouldn’t knock over my paint.” Wade painted the same composition on both sides of each door, so that

PAGE 42 HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE

OF THE it could be seen regardless of whether the door was closed or open. He applied the paint in thick coats and then added two or three coats of varnish to protect it.

The door murals depict subject matter from African and African American history and culture. The artist sought to relate the imagery of each painting to the subjects being taught in that part of the building. For the doors near the music department, for example, he included images of John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Besides Egyptian and West African influences

PEOPLE

32 door murals by Eugene “Eda” Wade went on display at the Chicago Cultural Center as part of the ‘Year of Public Art.’

By P. Andrews-Keenan

the murals reflect modernist themes in 20th-century art, especially the flattened imagery of famed African American painter Jacob Lawrence, one of Wade’s professors at Howard University. Among other influences, he cites Michelangelo, Picasso and Mexican muralists like Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

Wade was a member of the core group of activist artists who painted the Wall of Respect and Wall of Truth murals in Chicago at 43rd Street and Langley Avenue in the 1960’s. With this creative collaboration, spearheaded by

artist William Walker and the Organization of Black American Culture (OBAC), the mural movement in Chicago was launched. An early member of the Chicago Mural Group, Wade worked along with William Walker, John Weber, and Mark Rogovin to produce socially relevant and public art.

Wade has always been committed to making the “people’s art”, and has participated in exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Southern University A&M College, Kennedy King College, Malcolm X College, Olive-Harvey College, and the DuSable Museum.

HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 43

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HONORING ANCESTORS AND CREATING WEALTH Syrup entrepreneur maintains an insatiable appetite for the “sweetness of life”.

By Deborah Crable

l Don the golden handcuffs of career prestige and financial security or, in the words of television mogul Steve Harvey, “Just jump!” into your vision of self-fulfillment as an entrepreneur The day of reckoning came when a response to that question was demanded from Michelle Hoskins, the number one sales representative for Fashion Fair cosmetics.

Her answer radically changed her life and legacy.

Tears salted with fear, anxiety, excitement and anticipation rolled down her cheeks as she frantically called her immediate boss from a phone booth to inform him that she opted to “jump”.

Fueled by the spirit of her great, great grandmother America Washington, she turned down an “accept or leave” career offer from the “the most influential Black man in America,” Mr. John H. Johnson. founder of the Johnson Publishing Company empire! Two years later the business titan extended his congratulations to his former protege, when Michele Hoskins was honored as Entrepreneur of the Year by Black Enterprise Magazine. She reciprocated with expressions of gratitude for the business acumen acquired during her tenure with O1$0"/0"1"-0&C3,*"."&L6)G31)&<-3.$&<-)31"))&)-,,"))&61&*"0& his company.

Z0"($&Z0"($&Z0(1=76$*"0+)&U[B\4"(0\6.=&)40-/&0",3/": The divorced mother with three young daughters suites and as CEO’s of their own companies during the put everything she owned at risk to launch a compa80s “decade of the woman” movement, Michele believed ny selling the 150 year-old maple syrup recipe created by America Washington, a freed slave who earned a living as a a company selling her great great grandmother’s syrup would work. It did work for the former school teacher with cook following the Emancipation in 1863. unparalleled stamina and will-power to achieve. Now 33 To ensure the ingredients and measurements remained years later, Michele Foods, Inc., is firmly positioned to a “secret” the recipe could only be given to the third produce dividends for generations to come. daughter of each generation. Desiring to honor and “It wasn’t about making money. I wanted to be more advance America’s legacy, Michele decided to make the recipe, inherited by her daughter, mean more to the family. than a school teacher. I wanted to be CEO of my own comInspired by the rapid ascension of women into corporate pany and be part of America’s legacy by creating something

HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 45

HONORING ANCESTORS

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Sharing the narrative also informs Black consumer consciousness and impacts how Blacks might move to leverage their one-trillion dollar spending prowess. Michele adamantly believes consumer education is important for African Americans to be equitably represented in the marketplace and to get a fair share of the economic pie.

Dismayed that after three decades in business people still do not know she offers ff a Black owned and manufacffers tured alternative to Aunt Jemima syrup put Michele on a mission to educate Black consumers through lectures, articles and public appearances.

“Blacks spend a huge amount on money on food consumption and we must demand to have our products on store shelves where we shop. Black dollars matter!”

Michele is committed to training the next generation of entrepreneurs through a partnership with the Gary Comer Youth Center in Chicago. Young people learn her business from the ground-up through hands-on experience in marketing, recipe development, inventory management and shipping. She has helped over 150 emerging entre-

“Blacks spend a huge amount of money on food consumption and we must demand to have our products on store shelves where we shop ” Passion generates wealth and leads to legacy”.

Michele Foods Inc, is a multimillion-dollar business with products sold in more than 10,000 stores nationwide. She expanded the premier product Honey Creme Syrup to in clude Butter Pecan Syrup and Maple Creme Syrup. indicative of her compassionate spirit, what concerns Michele more than bottom line growth is the”mind set” of many African Americans who don’t believe it’s possible to have the success and amass the wealth she has created in the highly competitive $500 billion dollar-a-day food retail industry.

“It is important for entrepreneurs that survive the test to tell their stories. We must share the lesson of how regular people can overcome obstacles and challenges to build substantial wealth” says Hoskins whose story arcs from welfare to riches. “My example is you can take three ingredients and build a successful business”.

PAGE 46 HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE

preneurs launch products through “Michele’s Mentoring Program”. A key lesson for both groups, entrepreneurship is not easy. Ninety-nine percent of success comes from hard work, not the gift of a special recipe, a great singing voice, or extraordinary athletic ability”.

Michele’s foundation for entrepreneurial success center around the three “P’s”. PASSION: Your gift, the one thing you love to do without getting paid. PERSEVERANCE: The diligent practice of success behaviors everyday. PATIENCE: The ability to be patient with yourself and the journey.

“Life keeps me going. It’s my love of life. There is so much more to want, to live, to explore, to experience and to share.”

A breast cancer survivor, Michele saviors and maintains an insatiable appetite for the “sweetness of life”. She fills every moment celebrating the life God has given her “to be a blessing to others”.

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View the work of these inspiring artists at the HFAS.

KEVIN WILLIAMS Kevin A. Williams is an artist on a mission, but his is no solo trip. He wants to take you on the journey, too. His destination is a place where more African Americans will appreciate, own and even create art that honors their rich heritage and hopeÿlled destiny. So far, tens of thousands of people have willingly followed Williams to that vista, including talk-show host Oprah Winfrey. From celebrity homes to small businesses and corporate o°c es, Williams’ original and lithograph artwork hangs from coast to coast.

As the best-selling artist in the African-American print market, Williams, a Chicago native, is a popular personality at national art shows, conferences of African American groups and major international events, including the Essence Music Festival. His art has been featured on television’s “Law & Order” (NBC) and “Soul Food” (Showtime). With no formal training, Williams’ success has been achieved in what some consider non-traditional methods.

HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 49

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Austen Brantley is a self-taught 21-year-old American ceramic sculptor from Detroit, Michigan. He initially had no knowledge of his artistic abilities until he reached his junior year at Berkley High School in 2011. There he was inspired by his BHS ceramics teacher who saw his potential to succeed in things he thought werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t possible. As a result, in 2013 after a mere two years of sculpting, Brantley began receiving local and statewide recognition for his creations. This has resulted in over 13 solo exhibits, the completion of over 500 sculptures, and multiple requests for future shows. His work has been displayed at the Grand Rapids City Hall, the Charles H. Wright Museum, as well as the Detroit Institute of Arts.

PAGE 50 HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE

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