2022 Celebrating The Black Experience Exhibition by Kentucky Center for African American Heritage

THE KENTUCKY CENTER FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE PRESENTS

CELEBRATING THE BLACK EXPERIENCE EXHIBITION APRIL 8 – JUNE 19, 2022

THE KENTUCKY CENTER FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE PRESENTS

CELEBRATING THE BLACK EXPERIENCE ART EXHIBIT April 8 - June 19, 2022

Celebrating the Black Experience Art Exhibition celebrates the diversity of African descendants through the visual arts. The artwork in this exhibition reflect the diverse environments and traditions that contribute to the fabric of the Black experience. Imagery expressing rejoice, sorrow, love, creativity, and truth-telling are all represented within the Black aesthetic, contributing to a counter-narrative that provides alternate perspectives that are missing or underrepresented. This exhibition celebrates the legacy of black artists’ rich contributions and achievements and the impact Black art has made in transforming our struggle against oppression and racism. The 2022 Celebrating the Black Experience Art Exhibition was curated by: Elmer Lucille Allen C.J. Fletcher Gwendolyn Kelly Nathaniel Spencer Support for this program provided in part by: Brown-Forman National Endowment for the Arts National Endowment for the Humanities Kentucky Arts Council Kentucky Humanities Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Metro Louisville

Artwork on Cover: Ms. America, oil on canvas, 47” x 38” by Tramel Fain

ABOUT THE KENTUCKY CENTER FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE From the 1920s to the 1950s, Old Walnut Street in downtown Louisville was a center for African American culture and business in the region. Black-owned businesses thrived, and the musical venues and theatres brought people of all cultures to the area. Urban renewal in the ‘50s ended much of this, but we haven’t forgotten our past. In 1994, the African American Heritage Foundation (AAHF) began with the initial goal of preserving African American sites, communities, and culture. This started with the preservation of historic structures in the African American community in Louisville, as well as the use of historic markers to recognize important sites. The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage is the next step in this process of preservation, with the added goal of acting as a source of revitalization and education for the Kentucky African American community and beyond. An evolution of the Louisville and Jefferson County African American Heritage Committee, the Heritage Center is a place for African American spoken word, visual and performing artists, to collaborate and give the rich heritage of African Americans the voice and platform they deserve. The Heritage Center’s campus sits on the historic Louisville Street Railway Complex, a centerpiece for the fight for transportation equality in 1876. Since the renovation of the 55,000 sq. foot campus, we’ve worked to raise public awareness about the history, heritage, and cultural contributions of African Americans in Kentucky and in the African Diaspora. The Heritage Center is also a vital, contemporary institution, providing space for exhibitions and performances of all types. Located at 18th and Muhammad Ali Boulevard, the Heritage Center overlooks the area that once was Old Walnut Street. This area holds special significance for Kentuckiana’s African American community. Through the efforts of the Heritage Center, with help from the community, we hope to make it a place of cultural significance once more. The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage is dedicated to the sole purpose of showcasing our community’s triumphs. Here, African American history has the platform to share its monumental achievements with the community in which they took place.

OUR MISSION KCAAH’s goals are to enhance the public’s knowledge about the history, heritage and cultural contributions of African Americans in Kentucky, and in the African Diaspora. In addition to its commitment to preserving the traditions and accomplishments of the past, the Center is a vital, contemporary institution, providing space for exhibitions and performances of all types.

INDEX 1............................................... Andrea Hughes 3.............................................. André Seagraves & Angie Reed Garner 5.............................................. Aukram Burton 7.............................................. Buddy Ray 8.............................................. Carlos Jones 9.............................................. Darnell Mathias-Harewood 11............................................. Darryl Tucker 13............................................ Denise Brown 14............................................ Edward White 15............................................ Dr. JaBani Bennett 16............................................ Jamie Philbert 17............................................ Keith Anderson 18............................................ Malliccaaii Green 19............................................ Nzingha B. Sweeney-Sheppard 20........................................... Rae Freville 21............................................ Shauntrice Martin 23........................................... Sheila Fox 25........................................... Stephen Wiggins 26........................................... Sydney Howleit 27........................................... Tramel Fain 29........................................... Walda Waithe 30.......................................... Julia Youngblood, Exhibition Coordinator

ANDREA HUGHES Andrea Hughes, a self-taught career artist, is currently curator and director of the 14th Street Artist Community and president of the Zuka Art Guild. A resident of the Old North St. Louis Community, she has traveled extensively, and recent visits to India and Ghana have made a significant impact on her current works. In 2007, Andrea was one of sixteen people selected to join the Community Arts Training program. She connected with other creators with a shared passion for enriching communities with art. The group painted neighborhood doors, fences, and businesses in the “Doors of Old North St. Louis” project, a collection conveying messages of peace and unity. Another mural, “We Are The Flowers Of One Garden,” was a visual cornerstone of the area’s revitalization efforts. In addition, she facilitates and instructs virtual art classes for seniors with Peace Weaving Wholeness. Works by Zuka Art Guild members have been recognized by the city and displayed in the Civil Courts Building. Andrea’s artworks are also displayed in residential and commercial buildings across the area. In addition, she was chosen “Community Impact Artist of 2022” by the St. Louis Visionary Awards. This organization celebrates the contributions and achievements of women who support the arts in our region.

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I like to represent the female subjects of my paintings as beautiful people of color and celestial beings in positions of power, elegance and deserved importance. My effort is to expand social media’s concept of beauty to include all skin tones, especially the very dark.

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— Andrea Hughes

ANDREA L. HUGHES

Josephine Mixed Media Assemblage 24” x 20” $1500

Black Girl Magic Acrylic & Mixed Media Assemblage 20” x 16” $1200

ANDREA L. HUGHES Womanist Mixed Media 38” x 26” $2500

ANDRÉ SEAGRAVES AND ANGIE REED GARNER COLLABORATIVE WORKS André Seagraves is from Louisville, Kentucky—Limerick area and Shelby Park neighborhoods. He attended Meyzeek Middle and Eastern High Schools. He attends Bible Believers on 5th & Garland is my church home. André is the father of twin sons Amir & Amiel and a lovely daughter Aliza. He started painting at four years old and has become a huge fanatic of the fine arts. He is inspired by the works of artists such as Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Jean Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Shepard Fairey, KAWS, Yeezy, Norman Rockwell, Ed Hamilton, and Elmer Lucille Allen. Angie Reed Garner was born in Lexington and has been painting full-time since 1995. She is a second-generation painter (daughter of Joyce Garner). Angie operates two art galleries (garner narrative, garner LARGE).

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The elegance of fine china inspires me—Beatmachine green, moneyrelated. I relate music & art together. I want all of it to relate to abundance. Painting the environment of living in overflow.

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— André Seagraves

ANDRÉ SEAGRAVES & ANGIE REED GARNER Moonset Digital and Oil Painting on Canvas 16” x 16” $300

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André and I have worked together for a couple of years now. Our collaboration has led us on a path to a bigger world. Our collaborative works, Moonset and Astoria, began from André’s digital paintings.

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— Angie Reed Garner

ANDRÉ SEAGRAVES & ANGIE REED GARNER Astoria Digital and Oil Painting on Canvas 16” x 16” $300

AUKRAM BURTON Aukram Burton is an educator, media artist, media producer, and Executive Director of the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage. His educational background includes New England School of Photography, a B.A. in art, an M.Ed. in instructional design from the University of Massachusetts, and a research fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Advanced Visual Studies. Aukram’s work focuses on Africa and the African Diaspora, illuminating a common origin and experiences of the descendants of Africa. His work affirms and reaffirms cultural identity, common practices, and shared experiences in music, dance, visual arts, regalia, ritual, and cuisine documented in Africa and the African diaspora in Barbados, Benin, Brazil, Columbia, Cuba, Ghana, Haiti, Jamaica, Nigeria, Panama, Senegal, South Africa, and the United States. Aukram has received numerous awards, including the 2002 Brown-Forman Award during the 11th Annual African American Art Exhibition at Actors Theatre. In 2020, he received the Great Meadows Foundation Artist Professional Development Grant to travel to the Republic of Benin to research one of the most significant regions in West Africa during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

AUKRAM BURTON Ganvié Marketplace on the Water #1 Photography 20” x 30” $350

AUKRAM BURTON Ganvié Church Photography 20” x 30” $350

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These photographs depict my observations of everyday life during my visit to Ganvié in Benin, West Africa. Ganvié, often called the “Venice of Africa,” is a fishing village on Lake Nokoué, the largest community known to live on the water on the African continent. — Aukram Burton

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BUDDY RAY Buddy Ray is a native Louisvillian who left the city after high school to attend college and work in the Washington Metropolitan area. He is a father, brother, great-great uncle, writer, webmaster, and photographer skilled in special events, sports, evidence, and outdoor photography. Buddy has three solo and twelve group photo exhibitions to his credit. The late Monte Zucker, Master Photographer, once said, “The value of photography is not based on quantity, but instead, on feelings and emotions left with viewers long after the viewing has ended.”

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I strive to produce creative compositions to provide viewers with a meaningful and memorable viewing experience. — Buddy Ray

BUDDY RAY Lilly Pads at Chickasaw Park Pond Black & White Photography 23” x 19” $400

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CARLOS JONES Carlos Jones, the owner of Cjones Designs, is a self-taught artist who is a native of Louisville, Kentucky, currently residing in Atlanta, Ga. Carlos’ passion for art began five years ago as he used his art form as a therapy to help him get through tough times in his life. Carlos specializes in custom abstract art pieces. Carlos focuses his creative style around digital art mixed with acrylic epoxy mediums. Carlos is constantly pushing the envelope regarding his creative style and looks to take on new challenges to grow his brand and business.

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Live your life full of purpose and passion. Use your gifts to inspire and uplift. — Carlos Jones

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CARLOS L. JONES Auntie Gina Acrylic, Oil, Gold Metallic on Wood 24” x 17” $550

DARNELL MATHIAS-HAREWOOD Darnell Mathias-Harewood was born and raised in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. He is a student at Cipriani College of Labour and Co-operative Studies pursuing a degree in Project Management. Ever since Darnell was a child, he loved using his hands, and through this, art emerged. For Darnell, drawing and painting began as a hobby. Then in 2012, Darnell was grateful to place first in his first art competition hosted by the University of the West Indies Family Development and Children’s Research Centre, collaborating with the World Forum on Early Care and Education and the Clinton Global Initiative. The National Poster and Art competition theme was “Reconnecting the World’s Children to Nature.” Darnell has always found it difficult to use words to describe his thoughts, emotions, and the way he perceives life, so being creative is the best way to express himself and be completely silent and at peace. Creating art has a way of calming him, and he tends to create work that is even shocking to himself, which provides him with contentment. However, in the past years, Darnell lost the motivation to create artwork but was missing something; his true self. It is clear that no matter how far he tries to run from his artistic skills, it will only haunt him as it is already written in stone. Art is his passion. Art is his life.

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A showcase of strength and resilience among the black community. Perseverance throughout all aspects of life no matter what challenges are encountered.

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— Darnell Mathias-Harewood

DARNELL MATHIAS-HAREWOOD Legacy Acrylic 16” x 12” $1100

DARNELL MATHIAS-HAREWOOD Melancholy Mixed Media, Acrylic & Egg Shells 18” x 13.5” $870

DARRYL TUCKER Darryl Tucker was born in 1976 in Louisville, Kentucky. Darryl enjoyed drawing through Grade School, but playing football was his main focus. Darryl attended the University of Louisville, where he walked on the football team and majored in art. The art program taught him to use different mediums such as compressed charcoal, which brought out a new passion for art. Two years into college, Darryl got married to Jennifer Adams, and they had four children Sydney, Darryl Jr., Danyelle, and Dommy. The last three children have autism. College Football ended, and Darryl began working to support his family. Darryl picked up charcoal, and whenever he wasn’t working, he drew commissioned charcoal portraits. Darryl created Charcoal Creations and got his name out in the community. When he attended a paint and sip class, he realized he had a talent for painting. He later started a paint and sip “Painting with Tuck” for his community and his employer’s associates. Darryl found a passion for blending colors and bringing out the boldness and strength of his paintings. He later changed his business name from Charcoal Creations to Artuckstic Creation. His latest discovered passion is finger painting.

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The passion behind my art is what I see, what I feel inside, and how other artists and the community inspires me. I love to pull the boldness of the colors or shadows out of the figures I’m painting or drawing. My favorite mediums are charcoal and acrylic. — Darryl Tucker

DARRYL TUCKER Mama’s Little Queen Acrylic 36” x 48” $2000

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DARRYL TUCKER It was all a Dream Acrylic 36” x 48” $1900

DENISE ESTELLE BROWN Denise Estelle Brown is an artist, poet, and novelist. In 2019 her literary work was featured as part of Bluegrass Community and Technical College’s Peace and Conflict course curriculum. In 2018 Brown was a Juried artist for the Kentucky Arts Council’s Governor’s Derby Celebration and exhibited her work at the Loudon House Art Gallery. In 2018 she self-published “A Peculiar Dilemma,” a collection of short stories, and “Day Falls, Night Dawns, a poetry collection. In 2017 and 2018, she was a juried artist for Art House Kentucky’s Elevate and Holiday Art Shows. Brown painted an interior mural for Lexington’s Black and Williams Community Center and has created portraiture for Charles Young Community Center. In 2013 she had her first solo show at the historic Kentucky Theater in Lexington. Her art was featured in the Lexington Herald-Leader. She was featured on Renee Shaw’s KET program, Connections, to discuss artwork and literature. Brown self-published her debut novel “The Golden Angle.” Her work appeared in an outdoor exhibit for LexTran’s first Art in Motion project in 2010. I have added to my collection of work by utilizing a range of mediums—oil, acrylic, chalk pastel, and pencil. In addition, I have produced portraits on commission and taught painting classes within the community. My work continues to evolve in dynamic ways to embrace community, diversity, equity, and social justice conversations. Different mediums allow an artist to manipulate form, color, and texture to impact the viewer. I hope to create a provocative experience that transcends the visual.

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— Denise Estelle Brown

DENISE BROWN IncarcerNation Acrylic on Canvas 36” x 40” $15,000

EDWARD R. WHITE

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Growing up in a family with five boys, our energies were channeled to physical activities. Touch, shapes, and colors influenced my learning style. This tactical brain connection fed my mind with morning, noon, and night images. However, living in a physical world, there were few opportunities to release these images. To get away from the sports mentality fed to many African American males of my generation, I would venture into the Arts and Crafts room at the Boy’s Club only to get pulled back by sports before finishing what I started. Studying Commercial Photography at Jefferson Community College started me on my artistic journey and gave me a medium to express the images harbored deep in the crevices of my mind. Paul Schulz Companies, my place of employment, strengthened my foundation and honed my photographic eye. Empowered by this medium, I use my camera to capture the images that come into my mind. Art is an avenue for releasing images for the world to enjoy.

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— Edward R. White

EDWARD R. WHITE African Artist Photograph 30” x 20” $300

DR. JABANI BENNETT Dr. JaBani Bennett is committed to increased visibility for underrepresented creative professionals in the American Midwest. Dr. Bennett is a detailed-oriented artist-researcher and strategist with a research focus on cultural equity. She co-creates meaningful projects that support collective healing through the arts. Dr. Bennett’s career as an award-winning arts educator with over 10+ years of effective teaching practice informs her current projects in arts & culture. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the Russell neighborhood, Dr. Bennett believes in the power of asset-based approaches in community development for systemic change in the arts. Her latest project is leading the Center for Health Equity CREATE photo book directory project - a citywide initiative for underserved arts professionals. Dr. Bennett’s favorite quote by renowned poet Langston Hughes is, “Folks, I’m telling you, birthing is hard, and dying is mean – so get yourself a little loving in between.” It connects her art-making to the theme of grief. Grief can bring forth new beginnings that upend long-held assumptions about living or lead others to dig their fundamental roots of understanding deeper into familiar grounds. Grief represents the madness, discomfort, and uncertainty of it all. The subject of grief frames her daily reflections and her exploration in art.

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Is there beauty in grieving? Can I sit flat on my AfroBlues as a viable subject matter to nurture healing for myself, others, and possibly joy? Through impasto paint strokes, torn paper, needles, and thread, I invest in this inquiry with the utmost curiosity about the colors of humanity.

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— Dr. JaBani Bennett

DR. JABANI BENNETT Mood Mixed-media collage with paper, thread, oil pastels, acrylic paint 20” x 16” $800

JAMIE PHILBERT Jamie Philbert, Interdisciplinary Artist, Martial Artist, Cultural Researcher, Curator, and Educator, is a native of Trinidad and Tobago, brought up in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn. She is a dance graduate of Fiorello H. La Guardia High School for Music, Art, and the Performing Arts. She curated her first visual art, performance, and panel exhibition featuring artist Sarah Burrows in a conversation on the condition of women in Trinidad and Tobago and the effects of gender-based violence. In addition, Jamie directs films focused on fashion and dance. In 2018 Jamie received the Best Caribbean Fashion Film award from Caribbean Fashion Arts and Feature Festival for her film SANKOFA. In 2022 Jamie co-curated an installation for the High Commission of Canada in Trinidad and Tobago. Jamie founded Art On Purpose, a multifaceted lifestyle brand promoting social awareness and cultural responsibility through dance performance, education, fashion, and creative arts education. She is the founder of Philbert-Kalinda Technique for dance and performance, co-created with a master martial artist, Rondel Benjamin, and transitioned Kalinda elder and warrior, King David Matthew Brown. Jamie believes in the power of African diaspora artistic technologies and their ability to heal and create dynamic change. She dedicates all her magic to the legacy of her transitioned parents, Dennis and Veronica Philbert.

JAMIE PHILBERT Metamorphingsis Digital Photograph on Canvas 18” x 31” $1200

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I borrow the minkisi of creativity to heal. With the prevailing power of spirit, I fill my cup. My cup runs over rainbows to share the future of my imagination. I am an evolving spiral of a woman. Within the evolution of my spiraling, I repeatedly birth centuries of myself. — Jamie Philbert

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KEITH ANDERSON Keith Anderson became interested in art at the age of 9. His older brother Harold was a very talented artist and introduced him to various paints. While attending Valley High School, Keith concentrated more on his art skills, where he has worked with multiple mediums. He was able to sell his artwork to help pay for his college tuition at Murray State in Kentucky. After leaving school, he worked many hours in his studio producing art for various art shows so that his art could be seen throughout the city and around the world. Keith’s big opportunity to get his name out there came when he was asked to design the Woodford Reserve Derby Bottle, not once but two years in a row. Keith was the 1st African American to accomplish that. Now Keith’s art can be seen at the Frazier History Museum or downtown Louisville where he created a mural across the street from Against The Grain restaurant.

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I’m excited to be a part of this wonderful event! — Keith Anderson

KEITH ANDERSON African Fields Acrylic 20” x 16” $700

MALLICCAAII GREEN Malliccaaii Green’s art abilities were recognized when he became a student of the week for a tribal mask he created as a third-grader at Thomas Jefferson Elementary. At River Valley Middle, he continued to excel in drawing and painting and gained attention from his art instructor. As a result, he was accepted into the Louisville Children’s Free Art Classes Program at UofL. Green entered and won numerous art contests, including 1st place in the NAACP Martin Luther King art contest several years in a row and first place in the Krylon Art Contest two consecutive years. He received a gold medal in New York City at the Carnegie Hall for a painting entered in the Scholastic Art and Writing Contest. Green honed his skills on the Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and Indiana University Southeast (IUS) campuses, where he studied graphic design and visual communications. While at IUS, he felt a call to community service and struck out on a new journey as a police officer in Louisville, KY, for eight years. Throughout his time on the police force, he has volunteered at the Louisville Science Center and the Big Brother Big Sister Program. In 2020, Green began teaching art classes at NOCO Art Center In Jeffersonville, IN. Green engages community youth through arts instruction while serving on the police force.

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I enjoy criticism the public gives as they engage my work. I love using vibrant colors to capture my audience’s attention! My goal is to grab my viewer’s attention through color, hidden messages, and emotions. — Malliccaaii Green

MALLICCAAII GREEN

My Brothers Keeper Mixed Media 24” x 18” $8500

Speechless Mixed Media 36” x 36” $3900

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NZINGHA B. SWEENEY-SHEPPARD Nzingha B. Sweeney-Sheppard has lived in New York City and upstate New York and traveled throughout Europe and Africa. She currently lives in Louisville, which is home. She is an artist, an advocate for women’s and minority rights, and a champion for young women and girls. Her resume illustrates fashion for a dress house in NYC and jobs manuals and posters for General Motors, Rochester, NY. She recently illustrated an African American Heritage Family Activity book for Bridge Kids International. In addition, she has served on the board of the Kentucky Foundation for Women and the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage. Nzingha and her husband own Nzingha Creations Gallery/Studio in the West End of Louisville. Nzingha enjoys working with young people and adults, exploring their creativity.

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— Nzingha B. Sweeney-Sheppard

NZINGHA B. SWEENEY-SHEPPARD Protest in Da’Ville Oil 22” x 27” $1000

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Protest in Da’Ville reflects what I was feeling during the pandemic and the protests in Louisville, and it gave me the chance to experiment with oil paint.

RAE FREVILLE Rae Freville is a Chicago-born artist, photographer, and writer based in Louisville, KY. She is studying Arts Administration, Business Administration, Art, and Art History at Bellarmine University. In addition, Freville’s painting and photography depict scenes of raw emotion infused within images of family, friends, cityscapes, and nature. Inspired by her background in the art forms of music and theatre, she captures dramatic scenes of expression and empathy that emerge viewers into sequences of love, loss, hardship, and friendship. Along with creating art, she has a background in art education and research from the Swedish American Museum of Chicago (SAMAC) and Louisville’s Speed Art Museum. In 2020, she co-founded Folx Gallery, a Louisville-based virtual exhibition platform. She works as co-director and curator and has participated in the completion of seven exhibitions thus far. In 2017, Freville was awarded the Fifth Star Rising Star Award by the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs. The award recognizes high-school-aged individuals who made significant contributions in arts and culture, specifically for her artistic work spreading awareness for sexual assault survivors. In 2021, Freville exhibited photography in London, UK’s Boomer Gallery, and in 2022 will be published in Bellarmine University’s Ariel Literary magazine.

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As a white woman, I grew up with the privilege of my race, something I am extremely well aware of, especially in witnessing the systematic oppression within Chicago. However, in moving to Louisville, I met amazing women of color who taught me the true strength and joy of community and friendship. — Rae Freville

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RAE FREVILLE Taleah Smiles Digital Photography 11” x 8.5” $65

SHAUNTRICE MARTIN Shauntrice Martin is a mother, abolitionist, and artist. Her bold work explores identity, antiquity, and joy. She was born and raised in Louisville, KY, and currently serves as a lobbyist. Her work is a reflection of a tumultuous yet triumphant trajectory. The use of acrylics, textile, sculpture, and photography blend in her pieces to create sometimes haunting images of the lives Black and Indigenous people could have lived if white supremacy never existed. She created Chahta Noir, a resource for artists to network and develop their skills. Her work has been featured at the Speed Art Museum, Roots 101 African American Museum, Kennedy Center, and Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture & History. Upcoming exhibitions include the Carnegie Center for Art & History and the 1619 Gathering Place.

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‘Baptized in the Bok Chitto’ and ‘Smattering’ describe complicated allegories. One illustrates the tragedy of lost legacies, while the other pushes resilience to the forefront. The symbols on the sculpture are distinct, surrounded by melanin, while the paintings are abstract and offset by a white background reminiscent of colonization. The Bok Chitto River separated a plantation from sovereign Indigenous land in Mississippi. If enslaved people crossed, they would be free. The image of a Black woman reaching up to be saved by a Choctaw woman represents our hope for a radical imagination of collective resistance. Instead, infinite strains of genetic variants are woven into our DNA. The smattering of gold represents the lost legacies of our ancestors. Generations worth of brilliance stored in our recessive and dominant genes were washed away as our enslaved ancestors jumped overboard, swung from trees, or had our existence criminalized to the point of no return. This piece is a tribute to our beloved fictive kinship.

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— Shauntrice L. Martin

SHAUNTRICE L. MARTIN Smattering Acrylic Two 36” x 12” panels $999

SHAUNTRICE L. MARTIN Baptized in the Bok Chitto Sculpture 36” x 36” x 24” $5000

SHELIA FOX Sheila Fox, originally from Chicago, is an African American mixed-media artist in Louisville, KY. Signing her work under the artist name GodivaGoddess, she’s motivated by Simply being a Black Woman. She focused most of her life on working and supporting her family. However, Sheila has always known she wanted to be an artist at a soul level. Her work is unique and makes a statement that you cannot miss. She specializes in mixed media and focuses on capturing the timeless essence of black women. Her themes tackle the beauty within history, race, power, and repression. Sheila has been drawing for over twenty years and painting for the past six years. She wanted to attend art school but was not financially able to, which leas her to be her teacher. She became skilled in using different mediums, paints, brushes, and canvases. Moreover, these skills brought her artistic expressions to life. She’s a full-time welder/fabricator, wife, and proud mother of four beautiful, intelligent, loving children. Art is a true passion for Sheila. It reminds her of her children. It’s just something she can’t live without.

SHEILA FOX Monarch Acrylic 30” x 30” $1850

SHEILA FOX Growth & Love Acrylic 40” x 36” $1650

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I’m highly inspired by vintage fashion, the black culture, makeup and hairstyles from all eras printed fabrics, and jewelry. I genuinely want the observer to be lifted by my vibrant colors. I hope that most of the viewers feel enriched, beautiful, and classy while admiring my artwork. I want them to recognize themselves within my art and embrace the ultimate radiance of timeless and modern fashion. — Sheila Fox

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STEPHEN WIGGINS Stephen Wiggins was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. He has a BA in Art Studio from the University of Kentucky and an AAS in Graphic Design from Bluegrass Community and Technical College. Stephen has been a practicing printmaker since 2003. He has focused on linocut and silkscreen printmaking since 2007. Stephen has shown his work nationally and internationally and has taught printmaking since 2013. In addition, he was the president of the Bluegrass Printmakers’ Cooperative from 2015-to 2018. Stephen applied to be a Speedball Demo Artist in 2019 and was accepted into the program. He has done demos in Missouri and Kentucky, showing printmaking to the masses at events, art fairs, workshops, and classes. In 2021 Stephen was accepted into the Kentucky Crafted Program, an adjudicated marketing, and art business program specifically for Kentucky Artists. Currently, he is printing at home using legos and found objects. Stephen Wiggins is a fine arts printmaker who focuses on linocut and silkscreen printing techniques. The themes of his work are wordplay, empowerment, and redeeming images with a sense of humor and a detailed but broad approach to mark-making. Plus, he likes to have fun with his prints and make jokes with absurdist humor and comments on food and culture. His inspirations are Kara Walker, Steve Prince, Elizabeth Catlett, Robert Blackburn, and Dox Thrash.

STEPHEN WIGGINS Pick Your Afro Screen Print, Edition of 20 20” x 16” $300

SYDNEY HOWLEIT Sydney Howleit is an artist based in Louisville, Kentucky. She draws inspiration from Japanese animation and comics, translating their graphic style into stylized portraits with acrylic paints. She is working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Art, emphasizing Painting and Design, Arts, & Technology at Bellarmine University. Post-graduation, she aims to become an illustrator while dabbling in the animation industry as a character designer. Her work explores color, movement, and the female body, placing them in everyday situations.

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My artwork reflects my life-long appreciation of animation, comics, and the casual. I depict women of different races, creeds, and gender identities in the form of paintings and drawings, romanticizing day-today life with a colorful, graphic style to make the work stand out against the rest. — Sydney Howleit

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SYDNEY HOWLEIT Sky High (Girls no.1) Acrylic on Canvas 40” x 30” $900

SYDNEY HOWLEIT Neon Acrylic on Canvas 24” x 18” $400

TRAMEL FAIN Tramel Fain was born and raised in East Tennessee. He relocated to the Louisville area years ago and has resided there since. Tramel is a self-taught painter who began drawing as a child, using the comics out of the newspaper as his inspiration. As he grew and developed into an accomplished artist, he was influenced by classical artists like Rembrandt and modern artists such as Ernie Barnes and Kadir Nelson. He has created works using all mediums, including digital media, and has been commissioned to create both public and private pieces. His paintings have been featured in the 26th Annual African American Art Exhibition at Actors Theatre and the 1st Annual Louisville Mural Festival in 2019.

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I create works to capture strength, grace, and love of life as an artist. I gain inspiration from music, people, and natural scenic beauty, a passion felt my entire life. I use oil paints to create something that will bring forth those values, from which I gain inspiration. I create pieces that show strong, confident figures and I strive for my art to project peace, love of nature, and an overall spirit of respect and love that can be cherished and shared for many years. — Tramel Fain

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TRAMEL FAIN Ms. America Oil 47” x 38” $770

TRAMEL FAIN Mr. Douglass Oil 16” x 19” $560

TRAMEL FAIN Ms. Jackie Joyner-Kersee Oil 27” x 51” $770

WANDA WAITHE Wanda Waithe is always a lover of art and artistic expression. That aspect of Wanda’s life has been portrayed mostly through presentations of costumes for Trinidad and Tobago carnival and pageant ensembles at Easter bonnet parades over the past 15 years. Since 2018, Wanda has made a concerted effort to seek out a path that leads to her artistic expressions. This renewed journey took flight in 2019 when she exhibited a wire sculpture, “In-Humanity,” at the National Academy of the Performing Arts foyer for Carifesta. Her creative spirit has blossomed during the COVID-19 pandemic with the completion of several pieces in various materials, particularly wire and crochet threads. In September 2021, she had a solo exhibition featuring her work in textile, wire, and works representing 14 years of creating art. In November 2021, she exhibited her work in the Rhythmic Vibrations exhibition at the Rotunda Gallery. Her work was also recently featured in an exhibition held during the Trinidad and Tobago carnival.

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I have now come happily home to my creative side, even reshaping my business to focus on my artistic and creative abilities. I intend to have my art recount a story, ask a question, generate a discussion as the intertwined pieces are deciphered, and you give it meaning. My preferred materials to work with are threads, cords, wires, and paper to achieve textured finishes and 3D effects.

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— Wanda Waithe

WALDA WAITHE Ancestry: Like Tapestry It’s Woven Cotton Thread 28” x 17” $650

ABOUT EXHIBITION COORDINATOR

Celebrating the Black Experience Exhibition Coordinator, Julia Youngblood Julia Youngblood, of Youngblood Harmonizing Arts, is a nationally recognized KET and Corporation for Public Broadcasting American Graduate Champion; a recipient of the UofL African American Theater Department Lift Every Voice Award; an InSightFull Business Accelerator 2022-2024 Equity in Arts Cohort intrapreneur; and 2022 Indiana Arts Commission On-Ramp fellowship recipient. Youngblood has a BA from Bennington College and MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. She is an arts educator, photographer, Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner, and exhibiting multidisciplinary artist with solo and group shows in Kentucky, Vermont, New Mexico, and California. Her most recent solo exhibition of paintings and printed textiles, Held in the Sway, is at Lodgic Everyday Community Loft Gallery April 1-30, 2022. Julia directed ArtsReach, a community arts engagement program at Kentucky Performing Arts, for sixteen years. She has served on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, The Kentucky Arts Council, LexArts, and currently serves as a KPAN advisor on cultural equity. Youngblood facilitates arts engagement with the community and provides Jin Shin Jyutsu sessions. She is passionate about individual and community healing, the transformative power of art, and living our best lives through harmonizing mind, body, and spirit.