FOREWORD | DR. LESLIE KING HAMMOND

Joyce J. Scott, Mobilia Gallery

Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Water Dancer

Artists, as creative makers in today’s world, find themselves with complex, nuanced challenges to construct and design images of critical relevancy to African American, Black, Diasporic and BIPOC communities, however they define themselves. Whether visual, written or spoken word, dance, performance or music, the artistic intent is weighted with an urgency to be a catalyst for social change, explore narratives that are truth telling, revealing, affirming, and positive, poignant portrayals of Black life in America. This publication is an insightful focus on Larry Poncho Brown as an artist and designer through a conversation, his own evolutionary story and decades of an expansive range of imagery he has created. This has been a project, years in the making, that is a testament to his artistry and commitment to the communities he holds in high regard. It is also a pivotal historical contribution that begins to address the critical void in the recognition of creative makers in the ‘Up South’ Middle American region of Baltimore City. Caught between the rural agricultural South and the industrialized urban North, Baltimore as a crucial contributor to the legacy of an American cultural heritage, has been under represented in the annals of historical documentation. Poncho is Baltimore born and educated as are MacArthur Fellows, mixed media glass sculptor Joyce J. Scott and renown author Ta-Nehisi Coates. They each share different provocative views of Baltimore, and as such represent an intellectually rich - yet, geographically under recognized potency of this locale. This publication is one of many forthcoming initiatives to redress, reveal and elevate the legacy of Baltimore City, its creative artistic makers, designers, artisans, tinkerers, doodlers who believe that the arts are fundamental to the quality of all lives. Larry Poncho Brown has thoughts, a story to tell and a robust proliferation of empowering, positive, beautiful representations of Blackness, that need to be studied for the clarity and agency he instills in his subjects, in this community that is his home.

Leslie King Hammond, PhD

Photo by Kirth Bobb

LPB: Life in Baltimore always felt like one big non-stop family reunion. It was still a community of extended family, all working under the paradigm of it takes a village. I went to school at Eutaw Elementary, Mount Royal Elementary and Liberty Elementary, just to show you how many times my family moved during that period of time. I also attended Garrison Junior High School under the tutelage of David Humphreys. Later to attend Carver Vocational-Technical High School, where I blossomed as an artist under the guidance of Mr. Chenal Alford.

My father, Larry O. Brown, Sr. was a linotype operator, turned printer, turned vocational education instructor in the area of printing. My mother, Diretha Victoria Hall was a stay at home mother, that mostly worked domestic jobs, cleaning houses, even as a parking lot attendant. Both of them were parents at a young age, and my mother really didn’t have many skills. She later worked in food service, as a dietary aid at St. Agnes Hospital where she ultimately was close to retirement before she passed.

LPB: First through my father who was a self-taught artist. I was born into an environment of creativity. I can say that under the tutelage of Chenal Alford, the commercial art instructor at Carver Vocational High School, single-handedly was the person responsible for guiding me down the path of becoming an artist. His lessons, his approach to surviving as a creative were heavily imprinted on me at that period of time. He also instilled the importance of mentorship and how each one of us was responsible for teaching each and every person in our community. One of the things Chenal Alford expected of me from the time I graduated high school to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), was to pay it forward by giving workshops and lectures to his students every year at Carver Vocational-Technical High School until he retired as a teacher. He also transferred that responsibility of help-

Photo by Kirth Bobb

ing other artists, where I think was where I formed my artist advocacy foundation. Influences came directly from entrepreneurship. Most of the people who attended vocational education during that period of time in Baltimore city only had high school educations and were able to start businesses immediately after high school, even if they had no desire to attend college. I was trained and apprenticed with several people who were in that position. I adapted and adopted the way they dealt with their own businesses while formulating my own early on.

LPB: I began to develop my focus on black imagery in high school. I always drew from comic books, but I began to switch from what I had been seeing to utilizing people of color, specifically African American people, in heroic positions. From that I eventually continued to find ways to incorporate people of color in the majority of my works. I wanted our people to see themselves represented. When I first started in the art business, there wasn’t a lot of representation of people of color. And so while it is on trend now, back then we were all longing to see positive representations of ourselves. Some of the catalysts or muses for my creativity was of the woman. I’ve always seen great power in the women around me in the communities I grew up in. No matter how men and women were viewed and their roles were defined, black women always rose to sheroes in our community. And I had hoped that the same energy would be seen in my work. But I also saw the black man being marginalized in our history and in the media. I

felt the need to focus on creating strong black men images, including full-family images. Those were most of the muses, as you can say, of the subject matter of my work, from as early as my high school years.

LPB: My favorite artist on planet earth ever is Charles White. The way he depicted our people and the mediums he used and being such a technician of those mediums intrigued me very early on. To this day, despite the fact that I have seen many master artists’ works, Charles White’s work, most resonates within my spirit. His balance of strength and vulnerability is masterful. I went to see the Charles White’s Retrospective in New York City, and it was the first time I was emotionally overtaken viewing an art exhibition. Some things you just can’t define in words, but his work speaks to my spirit. I also was intrigued by AfriCOBRA because I am attracted to bold color. I saw them using all these badass colors in their works, and their pieces were very Afrocentric. I like to think that it has carried over in some of my work, but those artists, that was probably one of the biggest artistic movements that had an impact on me, and having met several of the artists from that movement were truly an inspiration for me.

LPB: It’s very simple. I was born a lower middle working class child, from a lower middle working class family, in a lower middle working class community. We saw the good and the bad living in that existence. In order for us to survive, we had to work together. That same adage followed me through school and was my basic approach to how I deal with artists and how I dealt with my community. I have often devoted much of my time to middle school, elementary school, high school students of Baltimore City. I have developed programs and curriculums for different art projects, despite the fact that I had no real intention to become a teacher. It’s the backbone of who I am. I came along during a period where artist like Thomas Stockett, Robert Torrance, Ernest Kromah and a slew of other

Photo by Kirth Bobb

famous Baltimore artists, that ran with my Dad. I came up watching them, and I also saw the attitudes that many of them had while doing their work. Many of them had low aspirations for what they thought they could achieve in the arts, and many of them didn’t get a chance to get celebrated until they were much older. I was young enough to experience that, question that, and try to address that as I approached my career as a professional artist.

I think that my Baltimore community awareness and being a steward of my community cannot be removed from the art that I create or my artist advocacy. As a matter of fact, I think the two of those go hand in hand. I am not just an artist for artists’ sake. I am an artist that likes to be an example to other artists of what can be attained by elevating their gifts and communities.

LPB: As an BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People Of Color) citizen, that’s a big sentence. But what I will say that I believe the arts are a departure from the hard realities of life. Art truly beautifies our world and lives. It shows us positive possibilities, while also making us question what is not right with our world. It shows aspirational possibilities. It frames us in a way that the media never could. It projects us in a way that history books have not recorded. I believe that, at the core, visual arts, performance arts, spoken word, dance, once you remove those things, you remove our lifeforce and place us in danger of culturicide. Baltimore is a city of culture, just like any other city in the United States despite all the things we see that seem like generational ancestral curses.

I see these things as being very important. I don’t see it to be any different, even though we’re in a pandemic. The role of social injustice is just as alive today as they were back then. Poverty in our inner cities is just as prevalent today as it was yesterday. Healthcare disparities are even more than they were before. And the criminalization of our people has always been part of how this country continues to keep us at bay and under control. Racism is still at the core of most of the problems we are faced with despite how much we have advanced as a culture…. but we remain BEAUTIFUL.

So, I am very aware of how those things work, and I can’t see, as a young black man, how that wouldn’t impact my imagery. I think there is a certain level of perseverance and strength in my work that is there regardless of whatever subject I’m trying to depict. I think the global scheme of what’s happening is a microcosm of what’s happening in this world, especially in our communities. I am a realist and understand that these problems will exist long after I leave this planet. I just hope that the arts continue to bring these subjects front and center, and I’d like to think that my work is relevant and current and a reflection of all of those things that we feel in our communities. I also hope that as we steadily begin to lose the right to freedom of speech in this country, that censorship does not permeate what topics can be depicted by artists, or that we will have to begin to dumb down our work to appease the many voices that desire to be heard.

LPB: I was diagnosed with cancer four years ago, so my vision and plans have changed. I’ve now had to accelerate the “legacy” aspect of my career. This book is one faction of that circumstance. I do plan, in the next phase of my career, to move completely outside of my comfort zone to working on projects that further bring light to black creatives and creatives of color. I am currently working on a documentary entitled The Golden Age of African-American Art which is an interview of over 35 artist, gallerists, and art dealers that discuss the pivotal period between 1985 and 2005, where African-American art became mainstream under a movement that had never been recognized in our written history. I would like to think that the projects that I do now will continue to elevate and bring attention to not just the artists on the fine art realm, but for all of the commercially-successful artists who have painstakingly driven their intention to have their works represented and supported by their communities through accessibility of their work.

LPB: Divisions in art are beginning to change. Fine art was never intended for mass consumption, or for our community to appreciate Black artists. Artists were viewed in one spectrum, are now beginning to be viewed in other spectrums. Artists from the fine art realm now are bridging a divide between commercially-successful artists. There is a pool of artists that have reached celebrity status like Charly Palmer, Paul Goodnight, Synthia Saint James, Annie Lee, and Charles Bibbs, that our communities readily recognize, where they may not really recognize a Charles White, Elizabeth Catlett or Romare Bearden. It is great that we are beginning to see the success and attention to Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald. One group really has permeated the veil of community, and the other may have a larger challenge of doing so. It is my hope to continue to represent commercially-successful artists and give them the accolades that they deserve for changing the accessibility and perspective of art and creatives in this country.

Developing a readily recognizable aesthetic as a practicing visual artist is very crucial to separate yourself from other artists. This aesthetic will create a demand for an artist’s brand and creativity. The learning process to establish a signature style helps to create an organic customer loyalty and commitment to the artist’s brand. The business of art requires that a visual artist create unique and remarkable compositions and themes.

This book through selective documentation of Poncho’s artistic works exposes the fantastically successful art business of Larry Poncho Brown whose art compositions and themes are saturated with vivid colors. During the past forty years, Larry Poncho Brown has been an artist to watch and his works the ones to collect by collectors because of the energy contained in his innovative artistic creations.

Looking at the creative and multi-faceted art offerings of Poncho, I noted that he offers sculptures, ceramics, glassware, limited edition prints, open edition prints, posters, original works on paper and canvas, clothing, greeting cards, masks, and the classic “Poncho.”

Impressively, he has won numerous awards for his creativity in the highly competitive world of art. Poncho, who by the way, loves the excitement that a challenge offers, has immersed himself, since he was a young lad, into creating unique art objects that then as well as now echo a strong universal urban cultural content.

Notably, Poncho’s artistic beginnings were stimulated by his beginning his professional art career as a sign maker painting stylistic letters on billboards and buildings around the city in Baltimore, Maryland. Poncho’s mastery of sign art made it easy for him to transition as a trail blazing visual artist to watch during the emergence of the digital age and become an effective communicator of his artistic aesthetic and skills to followers of his brand through the use of present-day social media communication vehicles.

As a young emerging artist, Poncho forged forward with strong determination to achieve and expand his “BIG” dream to become a professional artist of influence. To make his dream a reality, Poncho focused daily on establishing an end game strategy that reinforced his surging aspiration to become an

Photo by Kirth Bobb

accomplished artist -- even if he had to make daily modification adjustments. He developed a guiding triangle principle consisting of perseverance, enjoyment, and hope.

The compilation of works contained in this book will spark intrigue as you look at the vivid use of color and the compositions of the body of unique work produced by Poncho. Interestingly, the works presented reveal a special continuity of the ebb and flow of Poncho’s life as he consciously dabbled with radical art concepts. The materials, surfaces, and paints and cutting-edge technology that he used resulted in the output of a high volume of works about jazz, dancers, everyday life, and much more.

As a longtime frontline champion in the business of art, Poncho has been arousing the interests of art collectors with impressive art creations. His work embodies iconography and his artistic contributions warrant investigation of inclusion into the sphere of art creativity by a contemporary class of innovative visual artists.

As you react with inquisitiveness to the unique stylized works presented herein, it will become clear to you that Poncho did not waste any of the years of his study of art. As you note his courage to experiment with his ideas, take notice through this documentation of his earnest attempts to develop a creativeness that is now recognizably his style that causes collectors and institutions to have a high demand for his creations. As a result, Poncho has emerged as an influential modern visual arts master.

Poncho, not afraid to be strong and confident, when asked to describe his creative processes, said, “In my eyes, my creative process is very simplistic. After years of trying to conform to many others’ art philosophy and expectation, I have learned that experience was necessary for me to take a more organic approach. In all of my years of learning the arts, I never heard the word “spirituality” ever being utilized. Over time I realized that the word was crucial to my creative process. It is a very spiritual experience for me and many other artists. Rather than bog myself down with philosophy, I have learned to just get quiet and allow myself to simply “BE” creative. My work vibe is one where I attempt to get out of the way of all philosophical restrictions. I have learned the rules, the regulations, and the ethics. Now I attempt to create an open space for me to empty my brain. Not being concerned about whether things are right or wrong or meet people's expectations, while immersed in whatever projects I am working on. Art is therapy, and for me it is the ultimate brain emptying session. Going into the studio helps me restructure my thoughts and my own philosophies. As a child in art class, we were not bogged down with rules, regulations, or philosophy. We were allowed an empty space to create. I find myself reverting to those early days and desiring that same creative space. It is at that moment that I feel closest to “God.”

Although the details of his creativity might not be obvious, his insight allowed him to integrate his accumulated knowledge of art to sustain a creative flow to bring into existence intended art objects that he worked on. The creation of diverse works of art created in his studio and featured in this book cause excitement, wonder, and a sense of magic for the viewers of Poncho’s artistic expressions.

From the streets of Baltimore to his tragic studio fire of 1995, through adversity and setback, it becomes clear that through the years, Poncho has reinvented himself and his business by performing strategic environmental scans. He consistently uses inventive art ideas and imagery that people of all ages readily connect with, both therapeutically and emotively. Art collector Robin Jackson of Washington, D.C., and owner of artwork by Poncho said, “I was drawn to Poncho Brown’s toe tapping woman in the piece “Natural Rhythm” because it shows her body fully engaged in movement as most of his art reflects. Mr. Brown is also from my hometown of Baltimore and I wanted to support a local artist whose works show a depth of color, rhythm, movement and a reflection of our culture. I later purchased a piece of his wearable art – a poncho. I still chuckle that his name reflects the article of clothing that I wear proudly.” It is critical to pay attention to the colors used, gesturing, movement, layering of materials, compositions, and the inclusion of compelling cultural subject matter that Poncho uses in order to gain insightfulness of Poncho’s versatility as a modern American master artist.

Photo by Kirth Bobb

As you look at the featured works presented herein that Poncho created, note that Poncho harmonized his art education with creativity and became the inventor of the diverse and distinctive artistic style that readily identifies the artwork of Larry “Poncho” Brown.

Poncho leverages cost conflict for his art projects in a meaningful way to bring his ideas to life. Because operating a business can be mystified with uncertainty, Poncho recognizes that human interaction must be genuine and from the heart. In addition, he has learned how to leverage art to fund his pet projects, which offsets cost conflict. He knows that whether seeing a work of art or looking at a work of art -- the difference -- is in the eyes of the viewer.

Now, prepare yourself for a visual treat as you flip the pages again and again of this very special hand-selected compilation of 300 plus diverse works by Larry Poncho Brown that span from the early 1980s to the year 2021. This book provides an enriching broad glimpse of the amazing talent and evolution of a modern 21st century master visual artist.

From this retrospective collection of works by Poncho, be sure to realize and enjoy the ingenuity, wall power, rarity, and innovativeness of works by PONCHO!

Dennis Forbes Sebrof-Forbes Cultural Arts Center

As I approach the legacy aspect of my career as an artist, I would be remiss in not giving honor to my family.

To my mother and father posthumously, Diretha V. Hall and Larry O’Neill Brown, Sr., Thank you for passing your legacy to me. I am forever grateful for you both allowing me to spread my wings and fly. Your undying support was truly the wind beneath my wings. How awesome to have both parents become your biggest cheerleaders! I felt your pride with my every stride, and I still feel your presence today. Congratulations on what has now become three generations of artists in our family. To both of my sisters, Jacqueline Brown, and the late Hilda Neal thank you for tolerating me. I know I was a pain, a nuisance, and a little silly at times, but at least I got a smile or two out of both of you.

Much time and sacrifice were necessary for my journey. All of my many hours of studio isolation, travel, time away from home, and other notoriety demands surely presented many challenges. Fatherhood truly impacted my drive, motivation, determination, and commitment. The universe provided another artist as my partner. Thank you, Isabelle Massey, for always providing an open creative environment for our children. I have an amazingly talented daughter, Fontaine Patterson, and a creatively gifted son, Mandela Brown. Both of you assisted me in expanding and evolving as a better person, as a father, and as a friend. It amazes me to see the genetic creativity passed down to and through us. May all of your creative endeavors manifest in abundance. I am blessed to be completely surrounded by a constant circle of creative expression. God truly has blessed me.

Much respect to my village of great Black men who always had my best interest at heart. The late David Humphries, the late Chenal Alford, my second father; Joseph Ford, my third father, and Lawrence Kirk, my Godfather. You were the true pillars to my success. The lessons you imparted and the wisdom shared with me were invaluable, but the love you shared was immeasurable. Together you made me fearless and focused.

Much respect to my writing contributors Dr. Leslie King Hammond, and Dennis L. Forbes. Each of you were selected because of the impact you have made in different stages of my life and career, and the historic contributions each of you have made on the art world, specifically in the support and advocacy of African American art. I also thank my editing team of Isabelle Massey, Dr. Tuere Anne Marshall, and Elma La Touche for clarifying the array of story lines in my head and made them all make sense.

Larry, Mandela, Poncho Photo by Helen Baskerville

A note of recognition to Jeff Salva of Archival Arts who unknowingly prepared me for undertaking this project by providing professional images scanning services of my art for the past two decades. Giving honor to my design team of Joseph Ford, Donna Gardner, Perry Sweeper and William Maxwell. May we continue on the path of visualizing creative journeys. Many thanks to Eric Diggs and Lamerol Gatewood for all your printing consultations.

To the many gifted artists with whom I have shared creative comradery, fellowship, kinship, and friendship: the late Carl Owens, the late Annie Lee, the late Harry Davis, Charles Bibbs, Synthia SAINT James, Paul Goodnight, Karen Buster, Deborah Shedrick, Sylvia Walker, LaShun Beal, Phyllis Stephens, Grace Kisa, Charly Palmer, Kevin “WAK” Williams, and Leroy Campbell. Thank you for being my extended family. To all my sisters and brothers from another mother. You inspire me, make me feel like family, and challenge me to stay focused. You all make me want to work harder.

A special thank you to each of you that entrusted loaning work to me for redocumentation of lost images that made it possible to fill gaps in my creative timeline from destroyed images due to my studio fire of 1995.

A special thank you to all of our 256+ Kickstarter Backers. Your crowdfunding support allowed us to expand the vision of this project and acted as a testimony for all of my friends, family, followers, collectors, and artist family. Essentially you all have become the publishers of this book. We deeply appreciate the commitment of Joseph Ford, Enyd & Lafeal Scott, Jacqueline Philyaw Hoskins, Fran B. Ngong, Elaine & Charles Bibbs, Kibibi Ajanku, Keith Robertson, Cecil Flamer, Blackman D. Aziz, Lisa & Ron Redd, Beverly & Dan Tutman, Coltrane, Moses, Karlene & Kamau McRae, Cassandra & Damien Carter, Dr. Tuere Anne Marshall, Umoja Fine Arts, Barrie Johnson, Iris Jenkins, Dr. Monica Y. McCall, Lynda V. Browne-Kidd & Family, Karen & Kerwin Mercurius, Joe Hines, Gwendolyn B. Jones, Virgie & Arnold Williams, Cynthia Ham, Deborah A. Shedrick, Christine Lynn Miller, Valerie Cooper, Ernestine Jones Jolivet & Russell Jolivet, William C. Gibson & Linda B. Gibson, Diane Walker, Eric G. Tombs, Sr., Alika Muhammad, Khadija Edith Brandt, Dr. Marcella A. Copes, Mona Wilson Lopez, In Memory of Wilson “PAPA” Williams, Patricia A. Thomas, Antoinette Russell Hamilton, Debra Allen, Paula E. George, Gary A. Dittman, Janice King/Janice King Art, Black Art Today!, LLC, Eather Reynolds, Abe Lavalais, Jacqueline Thompson, Teri L. Bankhead, Phyllis Stephens, Lauren Ishmael, William R. Jones, Patricia Levine, Norma Tate-Perry, Jennifer E. Johnson, Tammy Britton, Yahna Gibson, Spencer Boyer & Prudence Bushnell, Katherine Rogers Mozee’, Kirth Bobb, Michele Galloway, Richard D. Wilson, Jr., Sandra & Timothy Hamp, Roshanda D. Prior, Karole Gray, Angela Lee, Bomani Tyehimba, Elaine & Benjamin Antonetty, Kennie Johnson, Beverly Richards, The Sennaar Family, Donna Gardner, Randa Tukan, Kammeran T. Giggers, Lawrence Kirk, Isabelle Massey, Alma Willis, Corinthia Peoples, Frank Frazier, Keith Golden, Barry Blackman, Jeff Salava, William Brandford, Deborah Peaks Coleman, Cynthia Johnson, Ayanna King, Shades of Color African American Gifts, Jaye Richardson, Greg Scott, Julia Ficklin, Regina E. Lewis, Ellinore King, LaKeisha, Joshua & Jermaine Page, Wendell Supreme Shannon, Kay Minnis Bloodworth, Tia Latrell, Ira Barry, Angela C. Johnson, K. Joy Peters, Viveca Mays, Inge Pelzer, Theo McNair, Jr., Akosua Josephine Robinson-Reed, Sharman Knight, Marlon D. Briscoe, Donna E. Montague, Florence & Bernard Flashman, Geneva Marie Frazier, Dr. Joanne E. Nottingham, Dorothy Chaney, Jennifer Ayana Harrison, Dr. Perry Sweeper, Jessica Bolt, Dondra L. Davenport, Madelyn E. Godfrey, Rozalind Sinnamon-Johnson, Dolores & Patrick McGuire, Dr. Yemonja Smalls, Kinya Kiongozi, Glenna Iona Cush, Tyneir B., Lenda Powell Hill, Linda McShann, Jesse P. Johnson, Carolyn Cheaton, Jolyn GC, Nick Savage, Rona E. Evans, Eugene Lyle Henderson, Linda ClarkeTucker, Linda R. Rosborough, Sharon Duffy, Matt Williams, Kelvin Henderson, Christina McCleary, Annmarie Pancham, Evo Systems, Eugenia A. Turner, Kimberly McDowell, Keith Washington, Tracey & Karen Buster, Andrea M. Davis, Dee Bolton, Ed Towles, Paula Pierce, Lawrence A. Randall, Darcenia McDowell, In Memory of Helen Baskerville, Elaine Thomas-Williams, Jerome T. White, Regina & Rodney Wren, Malaika-Tamu Cooper, Terra Vinson, Dr. Jamila Ajanku-Willie, Preston Frazier, George Johnson, Fay Ashby, Teresa E. Mack, Lisa M. Burch-Harney, LaShun Beal, Victor T. Green, Yvette & Larry Fuller, The Carter Effinger Crichlow Lee Whyte Gantt Clan, Betty J. Bussey, Tanya Montegut, Dana Esposito, Curtis Grayson, III, Vivian Smallwood, April R. Smith, Tanya Snow, James E. Murphy, Jr., Jamaal Barber, Svaace Global, Shawn Livers, Jolyn E. Gardner, Jason Smith, Victor Green, Beverly L. 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Randall, MOXIE Solutions Development, Patrena Booze, Eniola Olowofoyeku, Artlisia Bibbs, Imani Arthur Williams El, Sr., Yeshiyah Israel, Carren Clarke, Glenda Simmons, Eubie Blake Cultural Center, Black Art Depot, Dana Easter, Francena Bean-Waters, Sandra Johnson, Cheryl Frazier, Eric Walker, II, Carmen D. Montgomery, Sareena M. Jones, Partlow Art, Jermaine Davenport, David L. McAdoo, Glenda Simmons Jenkins, Thomas Elias Lockhart, III, Sandy Hinton, Leon Johnson, Tsoi Kin Wa, and The Creative Fund by BackerKit for believing in this project. I truly appreciate you all.