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NUBIAN WOMEN’S ART CIRCLE ARTIST AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS
The Nubian Women’s Art Circle (NuWAC), held their 8th annual Circle of Art Awards and Reception at the art gallery of Harlem’s Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building, honoring 3 leading individuals that are keeping art alive and well. The
honorees were acclaimed photographer, Chester Higgins, Jr., multi-media artist and creator of “The Black Cameo”, Coreen Simpson and Laurie Cumbo, founder and executive director of MoCADA (Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts).
NuWAC also presented the recipients of the NuWAC Scholarship Awards which were added last year, to assist high school students who have shown extraordinary artistic achievement.
This year’s student achievers were Angel Cordero and Sabrina Whyte, both of Brooklyn High School of the Arts. A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to the scholarship fund.
 Philippa Karteron of NuWAC, presented Cumbo with her award, stating: “This highly talented and committed entrepreneur and a native of Brooklyn, is the Executive Director and founder of the Museum of Contemporary
African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA). A long-time supporter of the arts, Ms. Cumbo’s ultimate goal is to create the first multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art museum, in the borough of Brooklyn, dedicated towards giving contemporary artists of African descent the opportunity
to exhibit their work in an academic setting. She set her goal into motion in March 2000 by opening the Museum Planning Headuarters for MoCADA in a building owned by the historical Bridge Street AWME. In a short five-year period, success of the organization has been covered
in the New York Time, the Daily news, Essence Magazine, Mademoiselle Magazine, NBC and numerous other media.”
Higgins, the globe trotting New York Times photographer, is one of the “most significant photographers of his generation. “With his photographs, he attempt to re-define the aesthetic as it relates to people of African descent, and those on the margins of society, by
articulating, visually, their decency, dignity and virtuous character,” says NuWAC secretary Carolyn Jackson Colley as she presented his award. “His photographs translate into a fluid, sensitive and in-depth diary of his exploration of the human Diaspora”.
Chester has several books and collections to his credit, including “Black Women, Drums of Life”, “Some Time Ago”, “Feeling the Spirit: Searching the World for the People of Africa” and the book “Elder Grace” with text by Maya Angelou, which toured as an exhibition with a
spectacular show at the New York Historical Society in 2001.
NuWAC member Sharon Gethers presented the award to Coreen Simpson and stated: “While best known as the creator of ‘The Black Cameo’, Ms. Simpson is a multi-media artist and has been acclaimed in numerous fields of expertise. Her career began as a photographer. Her
photography has appeared in The New York Times, Vogue, Essence, MS Magazine, and many other publications. Her photography has also been represented throughout the world, including the Museum of Modeern Art, The New School, Le Musee de la Photographie in Belgium, the
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, among others.
“Her jewelry has been recognized all over the fashion world. In 1994, Ms. Simpson signed her first licensing agreement with the Avon Corporation to create exclusive designs for their African American Market. The Coreen Simpson Regal Beauty Collection became a smashing
success. The noted fashion designer, Carolina Herrera, purchased eleven necklaces designed from precious stones by Ms. Simpson for her resort collection and reported to Glamour Magazine that ‘each piece is more magnificent than the last!’ When she launched ‘The Black Cameo’
in 1990, the Chicago Tribune called Ms. Simpson ‘One of the most successful designers in the Power-Pin Market’ says Gethers.
The NuWAC scholarship award was established last year as a part of the organization’s mission that commits them to providing financial assistance to students who have demonstrated potential for continued studies in the creative arts. |
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