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N. Carlos Jefferson (aka N. Carlos J) is a Georgia-based visual artist, designer and curator who employs painting, illustration and drawing elements within his works. With a degree in Fine Arts and a background in mural painting, his works range from small figurative pieces collected by individuals to large scale murals in the public places. He graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York.
N. Carlos J delves into the intricacies of emotional responses, exploring the nuances of contemporary forms of bondage, the quiet turmoil of the soul, and the evolution of language from tainted thoughts. Additionally, he seeks to revive the innocence of our childhood selves. His work illuminates the subconscious dialogues we engage in behind our societal facades. By disconnecting the painted image from conventional perceptions, he invites viewers to embark on fresh journeys of interpretation and experience. Blurring the boundaries between traditional art forms like painting, illustration, and drawing, N. Carlos J challenges preconceived notions of artistic hierarchy.
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O'Neil Scott is a Pennsylvania based representational oil painter. Captivated by portraiture and its capacity to impart complexities that comprise the human condition his work is designed to give a voice to marginalized communities. His paintings convey contemporary subject matter and look to give the viewer a way to understand and relate across social boundaries. He had his third solo show in 2022 and has been in numerous publications including Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, American Art Collector Magazine, and Artist Magazine. His work is in private collections across the United States and Internationally. He currently has a solo exhibition planed for Villanova University in 2023 and a Solo Museum Exhibition at the Zillman Art Museum in 2025.
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Papa Tall is a fine artist whose work fuses the past with the future and the traditional with the contemporary. His art is characterized by intense colors, keen graphic sensibility, and a balance of symmetrical and transformative elements. Inspired by his studies in Senegal, Tall incorporates aspects of the past to look forward in his art. His work centers around the symbolism of masks, representing serenity, initiation, protection, and connection to nature. Papa Tall aims to convey the stories told by the masks to the viewer. His art is about creating balance, spirituality, and elevation, drawing inspiration from nature. Through meditation and prayer, he strives to stay connected to the world and bring happiness to those who view his work. The colors he uses represent the spirit and the essence of life.
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Patrick Alston, born and raised in the Bronx, New York, channels his energetic creativity into works of art that delve into thoughtprovoking and reflective topics, including socio-politics, identity, language, and the psychology of color. Alston's re-contextualized subjects, rich palettes, and complex compositions exude exhilarating energies, expressed through mark-making that embodies an unwritten aesthetic reflective of the urban landscape. Within his work, the artist explores the correlation between imagery and language. The selection of titles plays a pivotal role in Alston's process, likening abstraction to Black English vernacular as a means of grappling with the complexities of language. Alston's images cultivate harmonious tension and challenge viewers to carefully observe the world around them, uncovering beauty in unconventional places. He attended Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where he studied Art and Psychology. Since then, he has split his time between New Haven, Connecticut, and New York City. Alston has held numerous solo exhibitions across the USA and internationally, including in Germany, the UK, and notably in his hometown borough of the Bronx, NY, USA. His artwork is featured online on Artsy and the Financial Times.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
hicago, Illinois on December 31, y, Massachusetts and New London, Connecticut. After serving in the Vietnam War, Goodnight returned to Boston and pursued a career as an artist. He received his B.F.A. and an honorary M.F.A. from the Massachusetts College of Art. Paul's learning continued under the tutelage of Paul Rahilly, John Biggers, Chuck Stigliano. Goodnight's work has also been featured in films such as Ghost, The Preachers Wife, and Gone Baby Gone, among others, and on many television programs including Seinfeld and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, which collectively propelled his work into the mainstream market. But equally important, Paul's work has been used to raise in excess of $75,000 for the Andre Agassi Foundation and Charter School. Bishop Desmond Tutu, Lionel Richie, Maya Angelou, Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, Morgan Freeman, Ed Gordon, Steve Harvey, Illyassa Shabazz, daughter of the late Malcolm X are a few of his notable collectors. His work has been published in Upscale Magazine, Ebony, Architectural Digest, Essence, People, Miami Design, Decor and 100 Boston Painters. Shop The Gallery
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PHILIP A. ROBINSON JR. is an award-winning multi-media sculptor, conceptual artist and educator, who uses wood to symbolize temporality within natural cycles of time and geography to amplify the narrative of identity within popular and marginalized cultures. Through thoughtful selection of materials and the science of dendrochronology - as a protocol for historic markers for environmental changes through time - his work accentuates aesthetic and historic patterns between self and the world, with socio-political undertones. These undertones are shaped by influences from a Cherokee and African American mother and a Trinidadian and British father against the backdrop of the 1980s neo-conceptual art and installation practices and a climate of laissez-faire capitalism and technological advances. Robinson’s ongoing exploration of identity raises questions: Who controls culture? How does history shape the importance of culture? How does historic culture become appropriated into popular culture? How is culture sustained and influenced by ‘others’? How does the relationship between hegemonic and marginalized cultures influence value? Do these distinct values create a schism in subjective and objective definitions of self? Robinson’s work affirms the vital connection between the foundation of one ’ s identity and the necessity for corrective historical discourse to avoid becoming extinct. Robinson is a bi-coastal artist who received his BFA in Studio Art from Skidmore College and his MFA in Sculpture from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon.Shop The Gallery
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P ught artist, draws inspiration fr ity to create his own style to he especially those within m werful. His artistic vision is d ng in highly detailed and finely finished pieces. Renowned for his signature watercolor paintings, titled 'Lifescapes,' Smallwood portrays subjects within their natural environments, forging a profound emotional connection between the viewer and the depicted individuals. His work focuses on ordinary individuals and their stories. Smallwood explains, “I find viewers making diverse connections to my subjects as they reflect on their own life journeys. I take pleasure in portraying emotions that capture the innocence of youth and the wisdom of the elderly, often centering my attention on these age demographics for this very reason. ” Through meticulous attention to detail and compelling composition, Smallwood's paintings breathe life into their surroundings, transporting viewers to unfamiliar yet deeply meaningful places. Influenced by his older brother, Smallwood's artistic journey has spanned the country and overseas, endowing overlooked subjects with dignity and grace. His skillful use of watercolor has earned accolades from prestigious art societies and organizations worldwide, capturing the hopes, desires, and dilemmas of humanity through his masterful brushstrokes. His paintings have been featured in numerous venues, including the Carol Craven Gallery in Martha’s Vineyard, the Bryant Gallery in New Orleans, and the Carolina Gallery in Charleston, among many others. Alongside his many artistic achievements, Philip Smallwood continues to work towards greater African American representation in the art world. He seeks to provide avenues through which African-American artists can have greater access and opportunities when pursuing a career in art.
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ville, Kentucky, where at an early age, nd form, having an intuitive feeling ail became the legacy and abiding thread that connects the continuum of his art and that especially distinguishes his art of today. The dignity of the human spirit reigns within the people of Carter’s compositions, uplifted by the virtuosity of his hand and his understanding of universals of the human condition.
Carter earned his Master of Fine Arts Degree at the prestigious Pratt Institute of Fine Arts in New York. His paintings, drawings and illustrations are consistently in demand by collectors throughout the United States. As an artist/illustrator, his work is in the permanent collections of museums and private collectors throughout the United States, including the Denver Art Museum (Colorado), the African American Museum of Nassau County (New York), the APEX Museum (Georgia), the Heckscher Museum of Art, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, the Long Island Museum, and Yale Law School. His work has also been published in numerous art books and other related publications, and he has been a contract illustrator for major New York publishers. Robert was a distinguished adjunct professor of art at Nassau Community College, The State University of New York, where he taught figure drawing. He was a sought-after lecturer and demonstrator in numerous public schools, universities and private art organizations.
Two retrospectives are currently being planned for 2027 – one at The Heckscher Museum and the other at the Speed Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, his hometown.
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Robin Holder has developed innovative approaches to layering forms and colors, as stated by Agnus Gund, President Emerita and Life Trustee of the Museum of Modern Art. In 2021, Robin’s work was presented in a solo exhibition at the Lagrange Museum. She has also had her work presented in solo shows at the Mobile Museum of Art, Spelman College Museum, The David Driskell Center, The American Labor Museum and The North Carolina Central University Art Museum. Robin’s visual language is rooted in layering, painting, printmaking, digital image manipulation, and drawing. She usually initiates a collection of works with a specific theme and uses a distinct combination of techniques for each series.
Robin Holder was awarded an Individual Visual Artist Grant by The Brooklyn Arts Council and was interviewed for the HatchBillops Artist and Influences Archives. She was selected for a Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation Artist as Catalyst grant and has completed several site-specific public art commissions. Her work is in significant collections, including the Library of Congress, Con Edison, Xerox Corporation, Yale University, United Parcel Service, The Washington State Arts Commission, and The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
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f-taught artist, whose compelling work combines relief, reflective overtones, and mixed media to create vibrant acrylic sculptures on canvas. His art has been described as bold and contemporary, with a folk-like flair. His goal is to challenge the viewer to see life from more than one perspective while enjoying the beauty and complexity of the painting. Over the years, the self-taught artists’ works have evolved from acrylic paint on flat surfaces, to multi-dimensional mix-medium acrylic, stucco sculptured on canvas. This technique was discovered or inspired by chance or inspiration when his father slowly lost his sight. Ronald’s father, William Ritzie, who was born and raised in Harlem, NY, was instrumental to Ronald discovering his passion for art. He encouraged and nurtured Ronald’s talent, however, with the threat of losing his sight, Ronald feared he’d never be able to share his art with his father again. Not wanting to lose the bond, Ronald began to raise his images off the canvas using the relief technique. He began sculpting his paintings, adding texture, depth and mix medium. Through this new technique, Ronald was able to guide his father’s hands gently across the canvas, while describing to him the art he was now “seeing” through his hands. This technique has grown through the years, allowing Ronald to create large, oversized, life-like pieces intended to delight the senses
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ol was born into a multig s and craftsmen. She studied drawing and painting at Herron School of Art and Design, Indiana / Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN; received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA; and a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Care, and a Master of Arts in Education from Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, OK. She presently lives in the northeastern United States.
I am a mixed-media painter and a papermaker. I have been a working artist for over four decades, adding papermaking to my process in the early 2000s. Not long afterward, I started embedding antique lace and textiles into handmade paper, which became the basis of my mixed-media collages and paintings.
Integrating repurposed materials into my work was a natural progression because I grew up in a family who did all kinds of handwork, including carpentry, masonry, woodworking, ceramics, sculpture, crochet, knitting, and embroidery. What stands out most in my mind is my maternal grandmother showing me how to recycle textiles for new uses by deconstructing garments down to their threads. My family’s legacy serves, in part, to support my conscious practice of respecting the earth’s limited resources, which are now reflected in many of my works.
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old before she picked up a pencil and attempted to draw anything. Her extensive travels, along with family heritage have also been influential in her works. Her travels to Spain, Morocco, South America, Belize, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Europe and the Caribbean have inspired love of exotic foods and colorful art. The artistic spirit was already inside her just waiting for a catalyst when she was handed her first piece of charcoal and encouraged to ”just try it”. Suddenly family and friends were seeing another Sandra, with an amazing hidden talent and infinite potential. “You’re never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” - C.S. Lewis. She developed a passion for portraiture and landscapes. She grew from drawing stick figures at the Met to wrapping her head around tone, values, and hues, creating impressive charcoal portraits. As she gained confidence, she grew curious about color and how she could use pastels and acrylic to express her creativity. Sandra has studied at The Art Students League, Salmagundi Galleries, and Monmouth County Arts Alliance.
Sandra’s impressive collection includes charcoal, pastels and acrylic paintings. Her work hovers somewhere between pure abstraction and realistic landscape, merging the literal and symbolic. Her portraits speak to the viewer as expressions of humanity and emotion splash across the paper. Looking at the world now through an artist’s eyes, Sandra is inspired by nature’s beauty and the human spirit. Her abstract painting series, “The Community Garden'', is inspired by her love for urban gardens, wildflowers, stones, and pathways. This year, Sandra’s pop-art portrait series is featured with vibrant colors and shapes in each portrait.
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ographer based in the New olio primarily comprises ments, focusing on portraits and rated on projects with lege School of Pharmacy, and Adelphi University School itially self-taught in urther education by completing tography at the School of Visual Arts. He was honored with a Mahogany Exhibit Award from Generations/Northern Manhattan Health Network for his contributions to art displayed at Harlem Hospital. In 2015, Stanley was also recognized as a Create Change Fellow by the Laundromat Project. Stanley views his art as a form of communication, expression, and solace, intertwined with his activism and identity. He uses his talents to convey messages, effect change, and deliver educational lessons. Purposefully crafting images that evoke remembrance, inquiry, pride, and connection, Stanley's work reflects the significance of his cultural heritage during his formative years. He believes in the inherent perfection of the natural world and feels honored to interpret the surrounding world through his artistic gifts.
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S f-taught artist interested in a 0s. Those elements, along with dance and old-school music, influence the way she paints. Even as subjects perform mundane activities like grocery shopping or jumping rope, Susan wants the viewer to feel the beat. Her paintings deliberately use a kaleidoscope of bright colors to center Black joy and exhilaration. In each painting, patterns, shapes and colors mix to display warmth, rhythm and whimsicality. Susan shared “the funk and soul cannot be contained, so bodies and hair explode with exuberant energy. [My] work of art should always emit light and a zest for life.” Susan has had a 30-year career creating and selling art largely outside of the conventional art circuits. Her artwork has made its mark through exclusive showcases and enthusiastic recommendations, earning a permanent place in the esteemed collections of prominent art enthusiasts across the United States. Her art also has an enduring presence on ABC’s ‘The View’, in the collections of professional athletes, and esteemed universities like George Washington and Temple.
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painter, and arts educator. Her w power of language as it relates to t all Diasporas. Her art has always explored the human condition. As an African American Female, she has a distinct point of view of the world. There are so many layers; in learning about herself, as a Being, as a woman, and as a descendant of Africa in America, she sees the world through so many lenses. The things her works question is how we connect the past to the future, and how the citizens of this world connect with each other. It is a very open ended curiosity, because she allows the questions of relationships, interactions, vibes, emotions, the physical, and the spiritual. She is always looking for the synchronicity. In her works, there is also a great wonder about the way people are in their culture. How are we able to create the natural ebb and flow that is necessary to support and nurture each other? This is the language that connects us. Her work shows this merge of cultures, personalties, connections, and vibes in the human condition. During the pandemic, the events that played across the globe reached a different volume. The scope of the collections grew too in size and depth to include new themes and conversions. In connecting with the community at large, she is always looking for ways to assist others in finding their creative voices. Though thoughts, sketches and collaging, she helps others find the hidden artist in us all.
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-founder Taiwo DuVall, author er, educator and folklorist, and musician, was born in Washington, D.C. A self-taught artist, he started painting at only 4 years old. As a young man, he left D.C. for Harlem, attended many schools, including CCNY, and eventually graduated from New York’s Pan American School of Art. His gift from God turned into lifelong work that culminated in graphicsrelated managing positions in the corporate world and receiving a citation from Governor William Donald Schaefer. Taiwo was cited for his “high integrity and artistic ability.” Taiwo’s personal life influences his work, so some art represents his childhood and neighborhood. It shows versatility because he works in many mediums and paints scenes that are “representational portrayals” of those experiences transferred onto canvas, paper, or wood.
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of Heath Gallery in New York. merican culture is rich in color, ses his paintbrush “to represent ecall. It’s [his] way to resist Black lives being forgotten, rewritten or marginalized.” Heath has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in the Tri-State area and Virginia. His work is in the permanent collection of the Downing Gross Cultural Center in Newport News, VA and private collections internationally. In 2020, Heath was one of eight artists commissioned to create Harlem New York’s Black Lives Matter mural. The mural is featured in the documentary shorts, Harlem Parade and American Street Mural in Harlem. The mural was also licensed by the Public Theater for the 2021 Shakespeare in the Park production, Merry Wives. Additional public art commissions include an award-winning collaboration with the architectural firm Brandt-Haferd. Media credits include PBS, Bravo, WPIX 11 and NY1. Publications include, “The Long Rode Home” by Crystal Britton, Newsweek Magazine and the New York Times.
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erican painter and art educator in New York City. Born in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, Tolu earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art Education from Obafemi Awolowo University, formerly the University of Ife in Nigeria. He also earned a Master’s degree from the City University of New York. Striving for movement and rhythm in his paintings, Tolu’s works are often motivated by scenes of nature from his travel experiences, and an insatiable interest in visual interpretations of history and folklore. In addition to working on paper, canvas and mixed-media, Tolu has explored and successfully incorporated “bold painting knife technique” to achieve texture and other effects. His paintings are adorned with intricate use of color theory, especially in his depictions of historical accounts, which is evident in his many personalized projects commissioned in his colorful abstract style. Tolu recently participated in the Sixteenth Harlem Fine Art Show at the Glass House in New York. He currently lives in Queens, New York, and is employed as a Visual Arts Instructor for the City of New York public school system.
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Wilhelmina Grant-Cooper is a self-taught artist who repurposes found objects to create assemblage art. Her works of art have been showcased in solo exhibitions in New York, Texas and Alaska, and she has participated in group exhibitions throughout the east coast. As a teaching artist, she uses the arts to nurture the creativity of cancer patients, their families and staff in a healthcare setting. She also guides elder participants through art projects at senior centers. Her first book,
A Feeling of Fullness: Insights of a Divinely
Guided Journey
Beyond Breast Cancer chronicles her nearly-missed breast cancer diagnosis in 1994 through her present-day life as an artist/author/health awareness advocate. Some collectors of her artwork include: Alice Walker, President Bill Clinton, Heath Gallery, and Hamilton Landmark Gallery. Eleven of her artworks appear in numerous episodes of Tracy Oliver’s Amazon Prime Series HARLEM as set dressing. Her website is https://sistaah.org:
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Will Porter has been described as a phenomenon. He is a writer, poet, author, portraitist and agitprop artist – an art form which combines agitation and propaganda – who hails from Flint, MI, and now calls Harlem, New York home. Much in the style of icons and such as Kerry James Marshall and Emory Douglas, as well as the late Jean Michele Basquiat and Salvador Dali, Will’s art uses vibrant colors to infuse energy while depicting subjects which give “context to political and social happenings as they relate to indigenous people.” He advocates for personifying “isms” – i.e., colonialism and capitalism – on canvas and then ridiculing them, restoring confidence in the oppressed and instigating oftenuncomfortable dialogue.
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William graduated from SUNY Empire State College, earning his B.A. in Visual Arts/Curatorial Studies and earned his Ph.D. in Art Theory, Philosophy, & Aesthetics from the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts. William is a multidisciplinary artist who works primarily in textile. His art quilts and accessories feature traditional quilt blocking and paper piecing techniques and occasionally incorporate nontraditional components. His inspiration derives from urban art practice that confront contemporary issues. He often integrates modern archetypes with historical, societal, or spiritual topics. From 2014 to the present, he has received numerous awards including both the 2019 Male Quilt Artist of the Year Award from the National African American Quilt Convention, and the Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed by the African American Quilt Museum.
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Willie Torbert was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1959. He studied art at the Pratt Institute, City College of New York, and Medgar Evers College. Before becoming a full-time artist, Torbert taught art in the New York Public School system for ten years. Torbert has spent his life exploring African American culture through creative and complex collage art. He produces highly stylized representations of a wide variety of mostly Afro-Centric themes from musicians and heroic warriors to everyday people. By building up layers of various mediums including collage, watercolor, printmaking and pencil techniques, he has masterfully created his repertoire of textures and patterns to depict composite scenes of African American life