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NCANY ON-LINE NEWSLETTER
Vol. 1 No. 3
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Publisher: Kwame
Brathwaite
Chief Writer: Joan Banks
Reporter: Surya Peterson |
LEROY CAMPBELL UNVEILS BLACK MUSIC WORKS
@ JIMMY’S
UPTOWN CAFE
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Dionne
Warwick poses with artist Leroy Campbell at unveiling. |
Jimmy's Uptown Cafe was the scene of the unveiling of
five commissioned works by
renowned artist, Leroy Campbell in tribute to Black Music Month. The event
honored three giants who have made significant contributions to the music
world in general and Black music in particular. The honorees were
legendary songstress Dionne Warwick, veteran radio personality (55+ years
in communications), Hal Jackson, and co-founder of the International
Association of African American Music (IAAAM), Dyana Williams.The works, commissioned by Hennessy, the
world's leading Cognac, will
go on a five-city tour, (included are New Orleans, Detroit,
Washington, D.C. and Houston.) At the conclusion
of the tour, the originals will be donated to a
prominent African American art museum.
Noel Hankin, Vice President of Multi-cultural Marketing
praised Campbell's work and stated, "Leroy Campbell's work
is a celebration of Black people. It is emotionally exciting,
inspirational and spiritually insightful. Our company could
not be happier to have one of the greatest artists of our time capture the
essence of African American culture."
Leroy is recognized for his depiction of early 1900's
rural southern life and smoky
'40s and '50s jazz club performances with
his Neck Bones and Jazz series of paintings. His works have been described
as capturing a slice of life that is both innovative
and immediately personal. "Purity and passion are the driving forces
behind what I do and how I live," says Campbell. "I hope that my
artwork resonates into the hearts of many and that it empowers them. I am
honored that Hennessy supports my vision."
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The
New York chapter of NCA, the National Black Theatre and New Dove
Productions have united for a major fundraiser, “CultureFest: The
First Annual Celebration of Global Arts & Culture”
to take place at The Brooklyn Museum of Art,
September 22, 2001. The event will feature awards in various areas of the
arts. Honored will be Pearl Primus
(dance) and Bob Marley (music)
both posthumously, Dr. David C. Driskell
(art), Dr. Barbara Ann Teer
(institution building), Voza Rivers
(theatrical development), Moshood (fashion),
The Dinizulu Dancers (over 50
years promoting African dance), The Last Poets
(poetry), and the International African American Arts Festival
(30 years of Producing
quality African Arts Festivals).
Baba
Chuck Davis, producer of Dance
Africa, will make a special
acknowledgement and announce an honor he has created for the late Ms
Primus, pioneer in African dance
CultureFest
will feature entertainment in the Grand Lobby, the Art of the America
Gallery, the Arts of Africa
Gallery, and the Theatre on the 3rd floor. Performances by Abiodun
Oyewole of the Original Last
Poets, Louis Reyes Rivera, Tom Mitchelson, Atiba Kwabena Wilson, Calvin
Anderson and the “Poet Laureate of
the Liberation struggle”, George Edward Tait will round out the Poetic Justice portion of the program. Kimati
Dinizulu & Company, The National Black Theatre’s Institute of Action
Arts, Angela Harris Jazz Ensemble, African Worldbeat Band, The New Release
Reggae Band with John Moody
and a fashion show, FashioNations: Africentric Fashions &
Wearable Art of Various Nations will
round out the evening. There will also be dancing to the music of DJ
Jam in the Grand lobby.
Donations
will be $35, ($25 if purchased before July 15). We need all NCA members
and friends, to support this event by organizing groups of friends and
relatives to attend, sell tickets and get the word out. Proceeds from this
event will help to keep NCA New York programs going, and assist us in
preparing for our 2002 conference in Ghana next summer.
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| KWAME BRATHWAITE RE-ELECTED NCA
N.Y.
PRESIDENT |
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Kwame Brathwaite was unanimously re-elected to a fifth
consecutive two-year term as president of the New York chapter
of the National Conference of Artists, the oldest continually
active group of Black visual artists. Brathwaite continues as
2nd Vice-President of NCA’s National Executive Board, now in
his second two-year term. Brathwaite's slate, all of whom won
unanimously, included Jewel Golden, 1st Vice-President, Al
Surya Peterson, 2nd Vice-President and O'Neal Abel continues
as Treasurer. Brathwaite immediately appointed MLJ Johnson as Exhibitions
Director and Izell Glover as Youth Director.
NCA was founded in 1959 to preserve,
promote and develop African American Culture and the creative
forces of the artists that emanate from the African American
and African world experience. It was formed at Dean Sage Hall
of Atlanta University during the University’s Eighteenth
annual art exhibition.
Brathwaite, a
professional photographer and African cultural promoter, has
been an active member for the past ten years. He was a founder
of the African Jazz-Art Society (1956), The Grandassa Models
(1961) and the series of shows that promoted the theme Black
Is Beautiful, “Naturally ‘62” and subsequent shows that
ran consecutively for more than 13 years.
His fashion,
entertainment and African liberation photographs have been
published in magazines on five continents, including Allure,
BET, Essence, G.Q., Glamour, Heart & Soul, Jet, Newsweek,
People, Time, in the U.S. and was a regular contributor to
England’s, Blues & Soul, Nigeria’s NewBreed and Japan’s
AdLib magazines.
Kwame’s over 40 years of
photography is currently being catalogued and preserved by The
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the world’s
pre-eminent institution for the preservation of Black history.
Among his many achievements
with NCA New York, is the creation and publication of their
newsletter and website, www.ncanewyork.com.
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Obituaries
ANNIE LEE EVANS (1942-2001)
CLAUDE CLARK
(1915-2001)
Excerpt
From the catalog of the exhibition:
Claude
Clark: On My Journey Now
Curated by
David
Driskell
and Gladys E. Rodgers, 1996 – The Apex Museum, Atlanta, Ga.
By David C. Driskell
Claude
Clark, Sr. remains, in the eyes of many of the students he has taught over
the past fifty years, benevolent teacher, cultural mentor and importantly,
one of the fine models for artists of all generations. Most remember him
for being a person whose interest in the welfare of Black artists
throughout the African Diaspora predated even the Civil Rights movement of
the 1960s.
Clark’s interest in African art goes back to the formative years
in his career when he studied art under the tutelage of renowned collector
and art enthusiast, Dr. Albert C. Barnes from 1939 through 1944. Few
practicing artists had such a long and productive association with the
venerable Dr. Barnes at his school of art at the Barnes Foundation in
Merion, Pennsylvania.
Clark’s study at the Barnes Foundation helped inform his
knowledge of the role that African art played in the development of modern
art in Europe. It was at the Barnes Foundation that Clark first saw
African art as an important place to begin his own aesthetic development
as a painter, an interest he has genuinely maintained over the years.
While few of the works in this exhibition note the artist’s
long-standing interest in the subject of African art, nearly all show the
love affair he has carried on over the years with African American themes,
particularly those that show life in the deep south and the Caribbean.
But there are times when other themes are equally important in the
artist’s oeuvre. EXPULSION is a highly political composition that shows
Uncle Sam being expelled from what was at one time colonial Africa. SHAKE
A LEG communicates the exuberance of Black dance while RAISING THE
CROSS,
painted over twenty years ago, shows the irony of the Christian cross
being used by the Klu Klux Klan as a symbol of racial hate.
Some of the paintings in this exhibition document important places
in the artist’s work and travels over the years. ON SUNDAY MORNING is a
handsomely rendered study of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in the
Manayunk, Pennsylvania community where Clark spent many of his childhood
years. WINDY HILL shows two African-inspired buildings with hip roofs,
once a dairy and in later years the campus laundry at Talladega College in
Alabama. STONE HALL was painted in 1949. The building, a freshman
dormitory for men at Talledega College, was destroyed by fire in the
mid-1970s. Clark painted both WINDY HILL and STONE HALL while he served as
Associate Professor of Art at Talledega in the 1940s and ‘50s.
Over the years, Clark has painted an odyssey showing Black people
and their journey in the African Diaspora. There are times when Clark’s
odyssey takes us to Haiti, Egypt, Mobile, Alabama, Nigeria and nearby
suburbs of the city of Philadelphia, among others. Yet there are times
when we are presented by the artist with personal tokens of love; the
joyous beauty of a bouquet of flowers, as is the case with IRIS and
GLADIOLAS --- reminding us of the artist’s sensibility to all of the
forms of nature in its convincing ways. Importantly, in all of the
accounts that we witness Clarks’ art in its varying forms, there is
indeed an undiminishing expression of the creative urge to explore form
and communicate a vision of the world that he alone has been given. Claude
Clark loves this odyssey of artistry and he remains steadfast on his
journey now.
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ANNIE LEE EVANS
1942-2001
Obituary
Blessed with immense passion,
strength and fortitude, Annie Lee Evans entered the world in Screvin
County, Georgia on November 9, 1942. On May 24, 2001, after a four-year
battle with breast cancer, Ann’s soul ascended triumphantly into
Heaven.
Ann was born as the second of six children to mother Lee Daughtry
Evans, and father Ralph Evans. The family migrated north from Georgia in
the mid 1940s to Bainbridge Street in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of
Brooklyn. “Lil’ Sister”, as she was affectionately known, attended
Holy Rosary Catholic School for her primary education and Wingate High
School for her secondary education. Very early on it was evident to both
her family and classmates that Ann was a gem. She was bold and
articulate, and always excelled academically. Ann belonged to various
Glee Clubs, Doo Wop groups, and was chosen to be a member of the
illustrious All- City High School Chorus.
After High School, Ann attended Brooklyn College for several
years where her dream was to become a Field Archeologist, however, after
the birth of her first child in 1967, Ann’s attention shifted to the
arts. With daughter Kioka at her side, Ann began her sojourn as an
artist.
In 1974, Ann had her second child Geuka, after which she began
her formal study of the arts. She initially attended Empire State
College, and from 1977 to 1986 she also studied and had apprenticeships
at The Allende Institute in Mexico, Greenwich House in New York, Alfred
University in New York, Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and at The
University of Hartford in Connecticut.
Never being limited in areas of interest, Ann independently
studied African History, Native American Culture, and had a passion for
Holistic Nutrition. As she
acquired this knowledge, Ann was famous for “sharing” what she had
learned with her closest family and friends. She provided you with free
information, a bit of wisdom and usually some fresh exotic food from The
Farmer’s Market.
Throughout her adult life Ann worked as an artist and Art
Educator with a special attention towards the development of children.
She was on the Board of Directors of
The Henry Street Settlement, People United for Children, and
founded her own youth art education organization, Sankofa, Inc.
As an artist Ann’s work has been exhibited in New York,
Chicago, Atlanta, and Dakar Senegal.
NCA will miss you Ann, rest in peace. |
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JUST
FOR THE RECORD
... Joan D. Banks
While the Conference agenda kept
us well occupied in early April, there were many other exhibitions and
events that could not fit into the schedule of the attendees. Since they
should not pass without acknowledgement, I will list as many as space
allows.
The NCA Conference was preceded by
a very relevant gathering. The National Art Education Association (NAEA)
convened here in March. Dr. Sandra Epps, NCA member and former chair of
the Committee on Multiethnic Concerns (COMC), an NAEA affiliate, was very
involved in the busy schedule, which included celebrations of the group’s
30th anniversary. Sandy organized their “meet and greet” reception at
The Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, where director Halley Harrisburg donated
catalogues and calendars to their honorees.
Sandy also forwarded to me some
very interesting information about the MRG, i.e.: that it is a commercial
entity that practices “enlightened self-interest” by encouraging
teachers to schedule gallery lectures and clients to visit with their
children. The gallery has joined several museums in a collaboration with
The Margaret Douglas School /PS 36 ( a public elementary school located in
Harlem).
The school’s learning program,
“Multicultural Arts Collaborative”, involves students and parents in
the effort to “assist children in knowing and appreciating their own
ancestry, and the cultures and arts of people around the world who have
contributed to defining what constitutes American culture and arts.”
Halley stated that the MRG made that commitment to PS 36 because “we
shared a common belief in the impact of art education and the value it has
on those who have the opportunity to be exposed.” With this year’s
exhibition of 20th Century African- American Masterworks VIII, Halley gave
tours to 18 classes of first and second-graders and hosted an Open House
for PS 36 families. The gallery also invited its clients to donate books
and money to the school’s library. BRAVO!!
The COMC newsletter also took note
of the impressive number of current exhibitions on African-American art in
the museums, galleries and universities of Virginia. That list includes
The David C. Driskell Collection, opening at The Virginia Museum of Fine
Arts in Richmond on July 21, showing thru September 30. Their summer
institute for educators is offering a week of lectures, hands-on workshops
and gallery discussions related to the collection.
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The SONYA (South of the Navy Yard
Artists) studio tour entered its 4th season May 19 & 20. They will
have another weekend expo in October. A new addition to the roster was The
Ft. Green Photography Association, which was started in January of this
year by Bernard Morisset, its president. Based in the C. P. Piper House at
267 Carlton Ave., the group currently has 16 members. Initially described
as a “serious photography club”, it has attracted enthusiast’s of
many levels of skill and artistic vision, with advanced members sharing
their expertise with recent converts. (718) 243-9300; (718) 243-2926 fax;
ayti2000@aol.com
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We often speak of “emerging”
artists, but a rising parallel group is that of emerging art collectors.
That important element of the art market is now getting a lot more
attention in the form of educational seminars on the strategies of
collecting. There is a new class of young people in the corporate realm,
especially the financial field, who are doing well and are ready to do
more than “party hearty”. They are beginning to explore the wealth of
fine artwork created by African-Americans and want to enrich their homes
with it. Back in March, The Studio Museum in Harlem (SMH) presented a
series called “The Fine Art of Collecting”, with “Introduction to
Collecting Works of Art” as the logical opener. With director Dr. Lowery
Sims as the moderator, the panel of guest speakers included Peg Alston,
June Kelly and Michael Rosenfeld, representing their respective eponymous
galleries. That program resumed on May 23, when Thelma Golden moderated a
panel that featured speakers Kim Heirston, art consultant; Greg Miller,
collector, and Steven Henry, a dealer, with the focus on contemporary art.
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The International Review of
African-American Art (IRAAA) Vol. 16, No.2, was a special issue on
collecting, called “Keeping Company with Art”. Of course, major
collectors like David Driskell and Camille Cosby were featured, but also
acknowledged was the much larger body of non-celebrity enthusiasts. There
was also information about collectors’ groups in other art-conscious
cities. Brooklyn’s Valerie Bell-Bey contributed a piece on her
experiences pursuing artwork.
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Valerie is an art lover and
attorney who not only admires and collects, but also gets involved with
the presentation of art shows, such as the scholarship benefit produced by
The Dedicators in October. She has now formalized her activities with the
appellation Moon Child fine Arts. Under her new banner, she pulled off
another of her one-day wonders, on May 20. In “Brother to Brother” 15
of our favorite male artists were showcased, the counterpart of her “Ladies
Day” show earlier this year. Guests were treated to an array of
delicious food, making the occasion an all-around pleasure. (The way to
our wallets may also be through our stomachs.)
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MoCADA certainly deserves a gold
star for its contribution to the Spring art calendar. Opened in March, the
“Master’s Choice: Visual Interpretation of the African Diaspora
Through Collage” impressed all who got over to see it (at 281 Stuyesant
Ave.). Unfortunately the steep stairs have been an obstacle for some, but
the director’s choices have made the climb well worth the effort so far.
This splendid show displayed the fascinating range of techniques possible
under the rubric of “collage”, as executed by Leroy Campbell,
Sadikisha Collier, James Denmark, Francks Deceus, Jewel Golden, Jimmy
James Greene, Karl McIntosh, Otto Neals, Willie Torbert and Chris Wade
Robinson.
The programs accompanying the
exhibition included a collage workshop for children, and a talk on
collecting art given by Halima Taha and Quashelle Curtis. (Taha’s book,
“Collecting African-American Art: Works on Paper and Canvas”, is
now in its 7th or 8th printing --- how sweet it is!!!). Ms. Curtis
surfaced on the art world map with her truly groundbreaking position at
ARTNET.com in the newly created division for African-American and Folk
Art. When the company decided to discontinue that enterprise, she gathered
the resources she had identified and went on to set up her own on-line
marketplace - OPULENTART.com. She describes the website as consisting of 4
major categories: galleries, bookstore, encyclopedia and artists. For
further info, you can contact her at Qcurtis@msn.com. We wish her well!
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According to
Taha, Quashelle “accomplished
a major feat” at Artnet by creating a database where almost no prior
records existed. This was critical because appraisers routinely consult
auction records, and if Black artists are omitted, you are left without a
value standard. She pointed out that there are various appraisals that
address different purposes (such as inventory, insurance or evaluations of
donations, for the IRS). Artists were also cautioned to do their homework
before approaching a dealer – find out what they normally handle.
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ON THE HORIZON
June 19-30 ... Visual Expressions of Jazz at Hamilton Landmark
Galleries. This juried exhibition is presented jointly by the JVC Jazz
Festival and IAM (Incorporation of Artists on the Move) opening reception
on Sat. 23rd, 3-5 PM. 467 W. 144th Street (bet. Amsterdam & Convent
Aves.) 212.281-7667.
Other venues for this themed art expo are Savacou Gallery; 240 East
13th St. (212) 473-6904 and H&M Art Gallery at 5 West 125th Street
(212) 831-9176/ The curators are Gwendolyn Black and Loris Crawford.
This is a popular subject for many of our artists, so it should be
an interesting display.
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ATTENTION
PRINTMAKERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS
June 22 - Sept. 2nd
The Print National at the Brooklyn
Museum. This periodic survey of important developments in printmaking will
focus on the increasing use of computers. One of the first to address this
issue, it will include traditionally printed works that have been
manipulated digitally, as well as works created entirely with computers.
The curator, Marilyn Kushner, acknowledged the considerable overlap
between printmaking and photography. The examples were selected from
printers, dealers, college & university print departments and artists.
The last installment was held at the museum in 1989. There will be a
catalogue for “Digital: Print-Making Now”.
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NOW SHOWING
The Whitney Museum just closed a
show called “Bit-Streams” which examined the “growing convergence
between art and technology ... surfacing in places where you might least
expect it.”June 26- Sept. 1 ...
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Gallery M presents “Urban
Odyssey 2001 Reflections on Urban Culture” thru painting, photography,
sculpture and video. Opening reception is July 14, 4 – 8 PM ... 123 W.
135th St. (down the block from the Schomburg) Open Wed.- Sat., noon – 6
pm. June 5 – Aug. 3 ...
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June Kelly Gallery will exhibit
photography by Leroy Henderson, a Brooklyn brother. The black & white
pictures focus on “images that reach into the heart or soul of the
subject, and capture their essence” during a significant moment. Leroy
came to NYC from Richmond, Va. And received his MFA at Pratt, with further
study at The School of Visual Arts in photography and film. He is also a
licensed art teacher and does occasional work in various schools, such as
the H.S. of Music & Art, and Frederick Douglass Creative Arts. ... 591
B’way in Soho; 212.226-1660. Mon-Fri 11 – 6. The Gallery will be
closed during August.
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NOW SHOWING: Thru July 14, Kenkeleba (in the Wilmer Jennings Gallery,
219 E. 2nd St. (bet. Aves B&C) is exhibiting SILVER SCREENS, the works
of Joe Overstreet. He has created a really unusual version of mixed media
in which the ambient lighting adds another dimension to the images he has
silk-screened and painted on fine wire mesh. Even large pieces acquire a
look of lightness in their shadow box frames. Wed – Sat. 11-6.
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Restoration Youth Arts Academy Exhibit
The Skylight Gallery presents the
Restoration Youth Arts Academy Annual Exhibition opening June 23. The show
that will run thru August 11, will feature the Academy’s on-site
students and Project Arts Partners. This collaboration with the Brooklyn
Chapter of the Links, Inc., will have an opening reception on June 23
beginning at 11:00 AM. The Academy is currently conducting a series of
events that will run for a period of two-weeks. Also on June 23rd will be
the Restoration YAA Theatre Arts Recital and The Crown Heights Music
Festival to be held in the Plaza. On June 30, at 7PM, The Restoration YAA
Dance Recital will take place at The Walt Whitman Theatre of Brooklyn
College.Off and running, J.D.B. |
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NCA NEW YORK
EXHIBITION CLOSING PARTY
Sunday, July 15,
2001 3-7 PM
AC-BAW CENTER
FOR THE ARTS GALLERY
128 S. 4th Avenue,
Mt. Vernon, N.Y.
All NCA Members and Friends are invited
Come
and view the exhibition, meet the artists
&
Party - BIGTIME
Curator:
MLJ Johnson |
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