CaFA Fair Barbados 2015 - PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

 

CaFA Fair Barbados 2015 - PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

Carl F. Anderson - Guyana

Carl Anderson received his early art education at the Burrowes School of the Arts in Guyana. He later immersed himself in the Latin American art milieu by living for 13 years in Venezuela. Known internationally for his bold geometric “Ribbon Series” as well as striking photo realistic paintings, Carl’s work has been exhibited widely in Europe, North and South America, including the Malta Biennale, Italy’s Grolla D’Oro and the Guyana National Art Gallery. Carl’s most recent series of works tackled the controversial subject of domestic violence.

 

Jason Auguste – Jamaica/Trinidad & Tobago

Born in New York of Jamaican and Trinidadian parentage, Jason Auguste attended the University of Miami and Columbia Teachers College, New York. He is a multi-media artist whose work has been shown in several influential exhibitions at Skylight Gallery, Brooklyn; Lincoln Center, NYC; Art In Flux Harlem; and Strivers Gardens Gallery, among others. In his own words, “My works are full of Wadada = Love. Seeing the Unseen I feel has the ability to heal, so with colors, movements, ancient symbols with modern meanings, I see the unseen; which is all interpreted by my heart, felt by my soul and moved by my emotions”.

 

Aziza – Antigua/Barbados

Aziza studied at the San Francisco Institute of Art, the University of California in Berkeley, and at Laney College in Oakland. A painter for over 30 years, Aziza’s exhibition credits include solo shows in conjunction with the US Information Service (USIS) in both Kabul, Afghanistan and Washington, DC. Aziza's paintings have also been shown at the US Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, the "Pro Arts" exhibit in Oakland, California, the "San Francisco Women Artists" shows in San Francisco, the Museum of Modern Art in Santo Domingo, and the National Museum of Antigua and Barbuda, as well as at numerous banks, clubs, studios and restaurants throughout the Caribbean.  She is a member of Pro Arts in Oakland, SF Women Artists, the Barbados Arts Council, and the Antigua Artists Society.

 

Diogenes Ballester – Puerto Rico

Diogenes Ballester, visual artist, educator, and writer holds an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BFA from the Catholic University of Puerto Rico. He has taught as Professor of Art at The Cooper Union in New York City, the State University of New York at New Paltz, the College of New Rochelle and The State University of New York at Albany. Mr. Ballester’s work explores oral history, memory, mythology, ritual, and cultural identity along a transnational spectrum. In recent exhibitions, he has appropriated cultural objects and historical artifacts together with painting, drawing, prints and new media as a way of accessing the past and re-interpreting the present in a trans-Caribbean dialogue.  Ballester has received numerous honors for his artistic work and has exhibited widely in the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. His work is in numerous private and public collections.

 

Patricia Brintle - Haiti

Self-taught artist Patricia Brintle was born in Haiti and immigrated to the United States in 1964.  Although she has made the U.S. her residence, her colorful style reflects her native land. Her works on the Holocaust are on permanent display at the Holocaust Center of Temple Judea in New York and are used as teaching tools for visitors.  One of her religious works, The First Mother, travelled with the Black Madonna Exhibit which made its debut at the famed National Museum of Catholic Art and History in New York and toured museums throughout the United States. One of her paintings hangs in the permanent collection of Albert Schweitzer Institute in Hamden, Connecticut, and her images have been published in both secular and religious periodicals.

 

Ziggy Bruney - Dominica

Ziggy Nester Bruney attended the Saint Mary’s Academy where his love of art was nurtured. While attending high school he entered and won two art competitions, one was a local competition among high schools  for an Olympics calendar and the other  a regional competition  presented by UNICEF and the Red Cross.   Upon graduation from high school, Bruney studied Architecture at the Dominica State College for three years all the while maintaining a burning passion for fine art. His skills were further developed through private lessons from the award winning artist and sculptor Roger Burnett.  Bruney’s art medium preferences are pencil, pen, charcoal, acrylic and oil. Still only 23 years old, Ziggy Bruney continues to win awards while refining and honing his craft.

 

Ras Ishi Butcher – Barbados

Ras Ishi Butcher emerged on the international art scene in 1992when he was selected winner of the Medal D’Orat the Caribbean and Latin American Biennale of Painting, held in Santo Domingo. In 1997, Ras Ishi completed post-graduate studies in fine art at the prestigious University of Superior Studies (ISA) in Havana, Cuba. His work has been published and discussed in several publications such as “Barbadian Art: What Kind of Mirror Image?” by Cummins, Thompson and Whittle, “Black Art and Culture in the 20th Century” by Professor Richard Powell, and is represented in numerous public and private collections across the Americas, the Caribbean, and Europe.

 

Ras Bongo Congo I – Barbados

Since his conversion to the Rastafari faith in 1978, Ras Bongo Congo I has augmented his early training as a stonemason with a new found consciousness to  become one of the leading sculptors in Barbados today. 1992 saw Ras Bongo  collaborating with painter Ras Jahaziel Tafari for the ground- breaking exhibition “Let My People Go” at Queens Park Gallery in Bridgetown.  Ras Bongo Congo is a multiple Gold Award winner in Barbados’ National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (“N1FCA”) and his hardwood creations have been exhibited frequently in the United States and Europe.

 

Cher Antoinette Corbin – Barbados

This Barbadian daughter is a mother of two, a forensic scientist and is a multiple silver and bronze award winner at the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA). An Honors Graduate in Chemistry from UWI Cave Hill Campus, in 1989 Cher gained the position of being the first Forensic Scientist in Barbados having achieved her Masters in Forensic Science from Kings College, University of London. She has since had a long and rewarding career in the field and is presently the Director of the Forensic Sciences Centre, Office of the Attorney General. An accomplished visual artist and author, Cher’s works have been published in St. Somewhere Online Literary Journal, Blackberry:The Magazine, and in four anthologies – Bamboo Press –‘She Sex’, The National Cultural Foundation’s – ‘Winning Words’, “She Speaks – Woman’s Journal” and ‘Senseisha’ – An Anthology on the sensuality of the Barbadian Woman. In December 2013, Cher self-published an anthology of poetry called MY SOUL CRIES and in 2014 VIRTUALIS – The Love Story and VIRTUALIS – The Anthology. Her primary media for visual art is Watercolor and she has been exploring Pen/Ink & WC Wash. Her new self published anthology “Architects of Destiny” will be launched at CaFA Fair Barbados 2015.

 

Coronado Print Studio - representing Dominican Republic artists:

Pepe Coronado

Pepe Coronado was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, and currently resides in New York City. Coronado was master printer for Pyramid Atlantic in Silver Spring, Maryland; the Hand Print Workshop International in Alexandria, Virginia; and the Serie Print Project in Austin, Texas. He has been a visiting artist at Self Help Graphics in Los Angeles, and currently a resident teaching artist at the Hudson River Museum in New York. Coronado has taught printmaking at the Corcoran College of Art, Georgetown University, and at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore where he earned the Master of Fine Arts. Pepe’s work has been exhibited in numerous exhibitions in New York, Washington DC, Dominican Republic, Portugal, and Mexico; in both galleries and cultural institutions. Coronado’s work is in many collections including Smithsonian American Art Museum, CUNY Dominican studies Institute, The City College of NYC, El Museo el Barrio, the Rutgers Archives for Printmaking Studios, Georgetown University, Lauinger Memorial Library of Rare Books and Prints Collection, the Library of Congress, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation,  the Federal  Board of Governors Art Collection, District of Columbia Government: Arts and Humanities Commission, El Paso Museum of Art and Mexic-Arte Museum.

 

Carlos Jesus Martinez Dominguez

“My name is Carlos Jesus Martinez Domingo or FEEGZ. I am a graffiti-influenced visual artist who draws inspiration from the culture and related Histories of Hip Hop, New York City, and the Caribbean. My agency as an artist is born from the intersection of my identity as a Dominican-Puerto Rican American man and the inherent tensions that exist within our systemically ingrained system of beliefs. I have exhibited at El Museo del Barrio, Studio Museum in Harlem and Centro Leon Jimenez Museum among other institutions and galleries. Shows I am particularly proud to have exhibited in include Caribbean Crossroads of the World and El Museoʼs 2011 Biennial the S files. My work conveys my anxiety and thrill regarding history, how that history manifests in the present, and presents implications for the future. While I have much respect and pride in my cultures, I would rather shine a bright light on things some believe we should reexamine as opposed to playing the cheerleader for them.”

 

Alex Guerrero

Alex Guerrero is a visual artist born in the Dominican Republic, member of “La Generación del Ochenta,” a cultural and artistic movement in the 1980s that produced some of the most important creators of the Dominican Republic today. For a short period of time, Alex attended the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in Santo Domingo. However it is at Alfa y Omega publishing Co., an Avant--‐garde graphic center in the Dominican Republic, where Guerrero worked under the tutelage of master graphic designer Jose Mercader, and started to experiment with alternative graphic processes, becoming one of the most popular poster designers of Santo Domingo. He later attended the prestigious School of Applied Arts (VSUP) in Prague on a full scholarship. Photography has played a fundamental role in Guerrero’s work from the beginning. His first silk-screens, strongly influenced by pop art, he used photography as a creative resource to generate a different kind of images. Guerrero has shown his work in individual and group exhibitions in Santo Domingo, Havana, Tokyo, Prague and New York, his most recent solo exhibition at Rio Gallery November 09. He currently works and resides in New York City with his family.

 

Leslie Jimenez

Leslie Jimenez was born in Santo Domingo, The Dominican Republic, in 1984. A student of sculpture, painting, and drawing at the National School of Visual Arts in Santo Domingo, Leslie Jimenez also studied conservation and restoration of works on paper and documents, at the National Archive of The Dominican Republic and the Institute of History in La Habana Cuba.

Leslie Jimenez studied fine arts and Illustration at Altos de Chavon School of Design, where she graduated with honors. She earned a Fine Arts degree at Parsons the New School for Design in New York. Previously, from 2007-2009, Leslie Jimenez was the head of the conservation and restoration department at the National Archive in the Dominican Republic. Her work has been exhibited at several galleries and institutions in New York City and the Dominican Republic. Leslie lives and works in New York.

 

Miguel Luciano

Born in Dominican Republic in 1968, Miguel Luciano has lived and worked in NYC since 1994. He attended the National School of Fine Arts and Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) from 1987--‐1990. In 1990, he was granted a Peace Corps scholarship to pursue studies in Fine Arts and Illustration at Altos de Chavón, a design school in Dominican Republic affiliated to Parsons School of Design. Luciano received the Bludhorn Scholarship to attend Parsons School of Design in New York for a BFA in Illustration. Since1994 his work has been shown in multiple group exhibitions nationally and internationally. Luciano has participated several times in the National Biennial at the (MAM) Museum

Of Modern Art in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. His work has also been exhibited at the Drawing Museum and Queens Museum of Art, New York.

 

Moses Ros-Suarez

Moses Ros‐Suárez is best known for his intense paintings and sculptures that transform common objects in his characteristically expressionist style. His large graphics of figures and objects explore themes such as AIDS awareness, the global economic crisis, and personal versus national identity and power. Ros--‐Suárez has had one--‐person exhibitions at museums in the United States and the Caribbean, including the Yeshiva University Museum, New York; the Paterson Museum, New Jersey; and the Instituto de Cultura y Arte in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The New York Department of Cultural Affairs and the Bronx Council for the Arts have awarded him commissions for public sculptures, and the Metropolitan Transit Authority for stained glass windows. A licensed architect in the state of New York, Ros-Suárez is a graduate of the Pratt Institute.

 

Rene Santos

René De Los Santos is a self-taught fine artist born in Santiago, Dominican Republic. His artistic career started in 1990. His art reflects a naïf and figurative style of painting, expressing a somewhat astral composition. His work has been exposed in many collective exhibits such as "Essence & Colors of Dominican Artists" in Providence, R.I., "Uptown Arts Stroll", "ADAVARTE II & I - The Visual Arts Festival of Washington Heights & Inwood”, "Transición, Imagenes y Colores," Centro Communal Tamboril, "Dominicans Breaking Through," Comisionado Dominicano de Cultura in the U.S.

 

Francks Francois Deceus - Haiti

Born in Haiti in 1966, Décéus and his family moved to Brooklyn, New York when he was nine years old. It wasn’t until he graduated from Long Island University with a degree in Sociology that he turned to making art as a career. Stylistically his work incorporates many of the influences and aesthetic forms of the 40’s and 50’s visual artists like William Johnson and Jacob Lawrence, and reverberates with some of the artistic strains of his native Haiti. His modernist style combines figurative, abstract and layered elements and relies heavily on a simplification of form and function. Décéus was profiled in a 1998 issue of the International Review of African American Art as “one of the leading young modern painters of his generation, whose work depicts a high degree of sensitivity to social issues and his culture”. He is currently featured in “100 New York Painters”, an extensive survey of significant New York painters and their widely diverse works. His work has been commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York. His work is in the permanent collection of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and Xavier University and a legion of private collections.

 

Minna Dunn – Barbados

Minna Dunn was born and raised on Long Island in a household with Barbadian roots.  Dunn’s affair with art started as a collector and after meeting   master artist Frank Frazier in 1992, she started a career as an art dealer.  Over the last eight years with extensive exposure to artists from across the globe and with the mentoring of noted Brazilian painter Ernani Silva, Dunn has been inspired to explore her creative side.  The outcome has been a body of art using acrylic paint and mixed media collage on paper. Women’s clothing, sisterhood and unity have been the themes often seen in her artwork.

 

Earl Darius Etienne – Dominica

Born in Massacre, on the west coast of the island of Dominica and currently living in Mahaut, Earl received training at the Jamaica School of Art, now the Edna Manley School of Visual Arts. Etienne is known for his trademark technique called bouzaille or flambeau, a method of using a carbon flame to apply forms to canvas. Although he likes to say, he works primarily at "Self-Government," he has managed to extend himself into many areas in service to his fledgling nation and presently works as senior cultural officer, painter / coordinator of events / curator/ carnival costume designer / art graphic consultant/ set designer / founding member of associations related to preservation and cultural awareness of historical and architectural heritage.

 

Francis Gallery - representing Grenadian artists:

Joseph Brown

Joseph Brown was born in the Parish of St. Andrew’s, Grenada. Art was always his favorite subject at school and he never missed out on an opportunity to explore his creativity through drawing and painting. He studied Art at Altos De Chavon School of design in the Dominican Republic and received his Associate degree in Fine Arts. He was awarded a partial scholarship to attend Parson School of Design in New York. While in New York Joseph took part a several group exhibitions and gained experience at a printers shop as well as a colorist for an architect who drew cityscapes of NY. Joseph won the Clico art competition in Grenada in 2003 with his rendition of Saturday Market. He served as assistant examiner for the CXC Visual Arts in Barbados for 15 years and is presently teaching Visual Art at a private secondary school in Grenada. His work can be found in Art galleries in Grenada, and in private collections at home and abroad.

 

Frankie Francis

Frankie Xavier Francis was born in 1963 in the small village of L’Esterre Carriacou, Grenada. He is presently a full time artist with an art gallery and studio in Calivigny, Grenada. Frankie began as a self taught artist while he was still in high school, he  started drawing classes in his final year at Hillsborough Junior Secondary and extended his creativity to sketching and painting while working with the Grenada telephone company. He found himself fascinated with the culture of Carriacou and started painting Regatta scenes, big drum and Quadrille dancing. He started selling his paintings to locals returning home on vacation and tourist alike. In 1992 Frankie completed an Artist in residence programme at The Art Students League in New York where he developed his techniques in still life drawing and painting. Frankie primarily works with acrylic paint on canvas or acrylic on calabash. He took part in several Art exhibitions during 1993 – 2011 which includes exhibits at the Carriacou Museum and the Grenada Arts council. His work can be found at Francis Art Gallery and Studio in Westerhal, Grenada as well as private collections at home and abroad.

 

Jesma Noel

Born in 1993 in Grenada, Jesma Noel is a largely self taught artist. Jesma’s fascination with creativity and art was sparked from a very young age. Jesma has participated in many national, regional and international art competitions, including: Florida Caribbean Cruise Association - Art Competition, 1st place (nationally), 2005; Rotaract Club of Grenada - Smoking Awareness Campaign, 2nd place, 2006; Florida Caribbean Cruise Association - Art Competition, 1st place (nationally), 2007; Grenada Solid Waste Management and Authority - “Climate change, Water and Sanitation: A Shared Responsibility”, 2nd place, 2008; Caribbean Coalition on Women, Girls and Aids - Logo Competition, 1st place (nationally), 2008; Financial Literacy Month, ECCU Financial Literacy Schools Artwork Contest - “Manage Your Money… Live Your Dreams”, 1st place (nationally), 1st place (OECS), 2008 and; Grenada Ministry of Education - Poster Competition, “My behavior - My relationship with HIV and AIDS”, 1st place, 2008.

 

Michael Paryag

Michael Paryag was born in the Sauteurs, the country side of Grenada in 1970. He was very interested in art at a very early age by seeing the works of many local artists in his area, namely Elinus Cato and David Patterson.  However his biggest influence and encouragement came from his dear mother who used to paint beautiful roses in water colours. He attended Mac Donald College (MDC) in Grenada where he met Gordon Hamilton who prepared him for his GCE Art exams. During his stay at MDC he won many awards and poster competitions. His development as an artist really grew as he began exhibiting his work at the Yellow Poui art gallery. There he met Jim Rudin and Trish Bethany and they advised him on the ways he could continue to develop his talent. He has participated in many local, regional and international exhibitions and has been commissioned by local banks and offices, as well as private collectors regionally and internationally.

 

Billy Gerard Frank - Grenada

Billy Gerard Frank was born in the West Indies on the island of Grenada. He left Grenada in his teens and moved to New York and London to pursue studies in fine arts and multi-media. His multi-media work has been exhibited in New York, London and the Caribbean. He studied fine art at the National Academy of Fine Art masters painting program, and for many years at the Art Students League of New York. He moved into filmmaking in 2005and studied at The New School University media and film program and New York University Director’s Program. Since 2005, Mr. Frank has worked as a director, editor and production designer in both narrative and non-fiction films. Mr. Frank recently directed a narrative short film, Absence Of Love, starring Ernest Waddell from the HBO series, the Wire, and Obie winner, Marc Damon Johnson, photographed by Yueni Zander, winner of the emerging Cinematographer award by American Cinematography. The film was screened in the festival circuit in 2012-13. Billy Gerard divides his time between New York, London and Paris, where during the summer of he completed a residency in fine art. His art and films explore cultural, social and political themes in the context of a global changing world.

 

Harlem Needle Arts representing:

Michelle Bishop - Barbados

Michelle Bishop is a needle arts connoisseur by night and an IT and special events fundraising professional by day.  With a passion for the arts Michelle founded Harlem Needle Arts, Inc (HNA) a cultural arts institute which preserves fiber and needle arts in the African Diaspora. Expanding the historical narrative of needle arts Michelle as a curator, developed the success workshop series In Stitches, the lecture series Urban Thread Salon and provides programming and resource development for emerging and established artists.  Michelle’s work and articles have been published in Spin Off MagazineTextural Rhythms: Quilting the Jazz TraditionQuilt Japan and The Quilter Magazine.  Additionally, her work has exhibited at Gallery M, Lincoln Center – Avery Fisher Hall, Striver Garden Gallery, The Historical Society of Washington D.C and the Gadson Gallery. Michelle holds a BBA in Management Information Systems from Pace University and a Certificate in Community E-Institute from Cornell University. She continues to consultant on IT and special events projects while serving as Executive Director of Harlem Needle Arts.

 

Laura R. Gadson – Trinidad & Tobago

Laura R. Gadson lives and works in the village of Harlem, NYC. She has been exhibited and published both in the United States and abroad.  Her work has been reproduced for public art in the Harlem Community. While continually exploring the limits of needle mediums including crochet, embroidery and tatting, her work centers around creating fine as well as functional works of art in the gamut of the realm of  quilting. Ms. Gadson considers herself a cultural griot speaking in a language of textile and mixed media. Working in a Folk Art aesthetic that crosses the lines between fine art and craft, her quilts tell classic and contemporary stories inspired by her rich African American and Trinidadian heritage.

 

 

Jackquelynn Jones – Jamaica

I am beginning to describe myself as a mixed media enthusiast, as well as a quilter.  Quilting, dyeing, sculpture and hand stitching all call to me.  Sometimes they wind up in the same piece.  I belong to several quilting groups in New York City.  While I am mainly self-taught, I take classes frequently from other well-known artists.  I exhibit in shows, through my church and sell my work privately.  As a retired educator, I am always looking for ways to bring Art into schools and have participated as a teaching artist for Young Audiences in NYC.  Currently, I am participating in the upcoming documentary, By the Work of Her Hands (a collection of oral histories of female textile artists in Morocco and quilt-makers in NYC.)  

 

Shimoda - Dominica

Shimoda Donna Emmanuel was born in Queens, New York, the third child of creative parents, one of whom immigrated to New York from the Caribbean island of Dominica. She is a mixed-media artist who has been living in Harlem, New York for over twenty years. Her business, Shimoda Accessories, has a range of work that includes beaded jewelry, fiber and book arts. Shimoda Accessories are sought after by fashion editors and stylists who have helped bring the collection to the consumer via the Cosby Show, Essence, YSB, Black Elegance, Class, New Word, a host of local newspapers and the highly touted "Jumping the Broom: The African-American Wedding Planner" by Harriette Cole. The visibility of Shimoda Accessories has been heightened by entertainers Queen Latifa, Halle Berry, Whitney Houston, Cassandra Wilson, Kim Coles and Vernon Reid, actress Angela Bassett, actor Ben Kingsley, supermodel Naomi Campbell, filmmaker Ayoka Chenzera and the former president of Spellman College, Jonnetta Cole.

 

Ras Ilix Heartman – Barbados

Ras Ilix Heartman, wood sculptor and farmer, was born in Barbados.  His first international exposure was at the Third Havana Biennial in Cuba which was followed by  the “In The Spirit Festival" at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, Since then his work has been exhibited at numerous exhibitions in Barbados and in the U.S.  His sculpture Melchizedek was awarded "Best In Show" at the 1997 Black History Month Exhibition held at New York’s Hintersteiner Gallery in Washington Heights.  His 2012 one man show received critical acclaim at the Queen’s Park Gallery in Barbados.

 

Bernard Hoyes – Jamaica

Bernard Hoyes lives and works in Palm Springs, California. However, his career in art began at an early age in Kingston, Jamaica when he enrolled at  he Institute of Jamaica, Junior Art Center. At fifteen he moved to New York City to continue his academic and artistic endeavors. Classes at the Art Students League introduced him to the art scene in N.Y.C. He continued his studies at Vermont Academy, in Saxton River, VT and in 1974, he received a B.F.A. in Painting from California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland.  Hoyes is particularly known for a body of  work that recalls his Afro-Caribbean roots, specifically the rituals of African Spirituality and Christianity. This is a body of work that has earned him awards of excellence internationally. Hoyes has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions across the globe. He has created murals in the inner city of Los Angeles, CA, has curated exhibitions and served  on the board of  the Museum of African American Art in Los Angeles. His works have been featured in numerous television and film productions, and collected internationally.

 

Jean Patrick Icart-Pierre – Haiti

Icart-Pierre is a Haitian-born artist who established his residency in Brooklyn, N.Y., since emigrating to the U.S. in 1974. Mr. Icart-Pierre is an alumnus of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, from which he earned a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. He also holds a Master's degree in arts education and an MFA from Brooklyn College. In 1987 he traveled to Kenya in East Africa and served as artist-in-residence at the Paa-Ya-Paa Arts Center. He was awarded the "Artist-in­ Marketplace" honor from The Bronx Museum, and 1994 he served as artist-in-residence at The Jamaica Arts Center in Queens, New York. The New York Times, New York Newsday, and even The Standard and The Nation in Kenya, have published reviews of the work of Jean Patrick Icart-Pierre. The Bronx Museum, the Jamaica Arts Center, Kenkeleba Gallery, the Skylight Gallery, and the Brooklyn Museum are among the establishments which have exhibited his paintings.

 

Jamal Ince – Barbados

Jamal Ince received his B.F.A in Photography from Pratt Institute in 1991 and his MS in Education from Long Island University in 2005. Jamal has exhibited his paintings and photographs widely in the NYC tri state area, as well as in Miami and Barbados. Selected group exhibitions include The Stamford Center for the Arts, Selena Gallery/Long Island University, Skylight Gallery Restoration Plaza, Five Myles Gallery, The Barbados Consulate and most recently, Prizm Miami. His work is held in private collections and he has created several public works including one for the NYC transit system. Jamal’s painting “Angry Young Tenor” was recently featured in the interior design magazine “New York Spaces”.  Jamal has participated in artist residencies at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum and Museum of African Art. He currently teaches visual art to inner city youth in Brooklyn. In describing his creative process he states, “In my work I have endeavored to create a mosaic that weaves culture and music together on the canvas.”

 

Alfredo Isaac – Panama

Alfredo Isaac was born in the Republic of Panama. He has been an artist displaying his work since the age of sixteen.  For over fifty years, he has been an accomplished artist exhibiting his paintings in various countries, including Spain, Japan, Chile, Costa Rica, United States, and Panama.  His works consist primarily of abstract expressionism, oil on canvas.  Mr. Isaac has been the recipient of several distinguished awards and special recognition and has been endorsed by the US Ambassador in Panama, US Army General Brigadier, Mayor of Oxnard California - Dr. Luke Shaw, and by the President of the Republic of Panama.  Mr. Isaac has also been featured in Panama news Star & Herald, Critica Matutino, and Panama Canal Spillway.  He has also appeared on various television and radio shows.  He graduated from the Panama Canal Apprentice School and worked for the Panama Canal US Army Base Office for Moral Support as a Multi Arts and Crafts Specialist for over twenty-three years.  Today, he continues to display his works throughout North and Central America.

 

Robert Joyette – St. Vincent

Robert A. Joyette, fondly known as “Brooks”, was born in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He began from a very tender age exploring cartoons and animation characters such as Batman and Robin, Spiderman, Superman, Wonder Boy and many more. It was always his dream and aspiration to become a professional artist. He set out on his journey in 1997 to enroll in a four year program at the only art school in the English speaking Caribbean at the time, Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts, Jamaica.  While there he underwent rigorous courses such as 3D and 2D, and all the intros of the departments of Painting, Visual Communication, Graphics, Art Education, Ceramics, Photography, and all liberal arts courses.

He holds fond memoriesof his time at the Edna Manley College and considers it one of the major landmarks of his career. It offered the opportunity to refine his abilities and exhibit his work to an appreciative audience. Robert now strives to encourage young talents in honing their craft while continuing to develop his painting style and building a body of work.

 

Manna 777 Gallery representing:

Robert V. Reid – Trinidad & Tobago

Trinidadian Robert Reid received his artistic training at the School Visual Arts and the venerable Arts Students League, both in New York City. His sublime watercolors have been exhibited at galleries in Brooklyn and Manhattan, NYC; as well as Studio Museum In Harlem, Art Off The Main Art Fair, and Harlem Fine Art Show. Robert’s paintings have won several awards for excellence and can be found in private and public collections in Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, UK and the USA.

 

Beatrice Mellinger – Martinique

Béatrice Lampla Mellinger, also known as Bela, her artist signature, was born on the French Caribbean island of Martinique. Art has always been an important part of Bela's life. She studied painting extensively, and continues to be an avid learner and educator. Bela’s paintings incorporate multicultural references from her Asian, African, and European ancestors, and from her birthplace, with its own multi-ethnic heritage. Bela has travelled extensively, lived in many countries across several continents and believes that her paintings convey her rich experience. “Painting is a universal language that enhances the awareness as well as the understanding of other cultures”, says Béatrice Lampla Mellinger.

Carlton Murrell – Barbados

Carlton began his painting career at 18, inspired by the landscape of his native Barbados. Murrell later migrated to the Capital City of Art – New York and was awarded a scholarship to pursue advanced studies at the Art Students League.  He later attended the Pan American School of Fine Art and Pel’s School of Commercial Art and Illustration. He has exhibited in museums, educational institutions, as well as numerous galleries throughout the United States. His works hang in permanent collections of Carver Federal Savings Bank, the Copper Corporation of Chile, South America, Howard University, and the Central Bank of Barbados. Mr. Murrell has received numerous awards, prizes and citations.

 

Ademola Olugebefola – US Virgin Islands

Dr. Ademola  Olugebefola began his professional career as a bassist, playing with several small ensembles throughout the New York metropolitan area during the late 50s and early 60s. In the late 60’s he turned his creative energies to the visual arts and frequently incorporates musical ideas and theories in his extensive body of work. Over the past four decades, Olugebefola’s works have been included in hundreds of exhibitions at major American museums, universities and cultural institutions internationally. Born in the U.S. Virgin Islands, he  has lectured and participated in forums at universities, museums and cultural institutions in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. He is a highly respected cultural activist and renowned Harlem artist whose art and career papers are in the permanent collection of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Hatch Billops Archives, Howard University, and scores of other well-respected American institutions.

 

Rosemary Parkinson – Barbados

Rosemary Parkinson was born in Venezuela of Trinidadian parents - the late Gordon Parkinson (a revered artist) and 'Dickie' Parkinson. The author of Shake Dat Cocktail, Cocktails & Hors d'oeuvres, the highly acclaimed 460-page book Culinaria: The Caribbean that reached the December 5th New York Times List Review in 1999, the award-winning Nyam Jamaica and Barbados Bu'n-Bu'n, Parkinson is a culinary contributor to several international magazines. An avid photographer and prolific visual artist, she uses acrylics and has exhibited in the Caribbean and Europe with one of her paintings having graced the billboards in New York's Time Square, one of the few selected over thousands of worldwide artists, her paintings in the hands of discerning collectors. "Painting is my relaxation time; this is when my mind leaves my body and finds itself on canvas. I am in love with art at all times...the rest is just about life."

 

Junior Parris – Barbados

Junior Parris lives and breathes art. Born in Barbados, he is resident in Paris, France, and Barbados.  In addition to being a professional visual artist, Parris also represents artists from the Diaspora who are based in France and exhibits their work in Barbados and beyond. Over the years he has perfected a romantic realism which renders his own paintings with an ethereal quality almost reminiscent of the old masters. His works have been exhibited in the Caribbean, Europe, and the USA.

 

Gail Pounder-Speede - Barbados

Gail Pounder Speede’s paintings, prints and installations have gained her increasing notice in her native Barbados, as well as abroad. Since graduating with her Bachelors in Fine Art Degree from the Barbados Community College she has completed post graduate studies at the University of Leicester, UK. Pounder-Speede’s work has been showcased in notable exhibitions in Barbados, The United States, England, France, Belgium and in Suriname as part of a Barbados contingent to CARIFESTA.  Her creations are expressive and idiosyncratic, and are further enhanced by her multimedia skills. Her artist statement reads in part, “my pieces relate to each other, forming an environmental installation: a soft passionate painful journey into the heart of a life. The art may exist on its own for it will have its own story, yet the pilgrimages create a scrap book of travels. The journey continues with each new horizon.”

 

Adoniah Rahsan – Jamaica

Adoniiah was born in New York and raised between NYC & Jamaica. He first became interested in photography about 15 years ago. He was fascinated with taking pictures of anything in nature. This is where Adoniiah realized that he had an eye for art. Adoniiah took photography seriously when he attended school at the International Center for photography to study the technical aspects of photography such as composition, camera operations, and developing. He also studied at the Stuyvesant adult program. His formal education includes 2 years of College at the Borough of Manhattan Community College majoring in Corporate Cable Communication. Here he studied camera operation, lighting, editing and directing. He also got similar training and certification at Bronxnet studios, a community television station. His work has been displayed in many exhibitions and festivals."This allows me to express myself through my work" he says. Currently he is working on opening his own gallery, workshop & studio.

 

Ras Akyem I Ramsay – Barbados

A graduate of Jamaica’s Edna Manley School of Art, Ras Akyem I is a veteran exhibitor throughout the Caribbean, Latin America, England, and the U.S.  In 1996 Ras Akyem's paintings won the Gold Medal at the Third Biennial of Caribbean and Latin American Painting, held in Santo Domingo, and was part of the collective submission by Barbadian artists which won the Country  a Gold Medal. During 1995-1997 Ras Akyem successfully completed postgraduate studies at Cuba’s prestigious art academy, the University of Superior Arts (ISA).  His work has been published and discussed in such publications as “Barbadian Art: What Kind of Mirror Image?” and “Caribbean Art”, by Veerle Poupeye. In 1998 he was awarded the Barbados Service Star in that year’s Barbados Independence Honors. Ras Akyem I is the recipient of the 2012 Caribbean Luminary of the Arts Award.

 

Steve Reid - Barbados

Steve Reid is a University of the West Indies trained agriculturist who has worked within the agricultural and financial services sectors for over two decades. Pottery making, however, has always appealed to his creative spirit and was brought to light in the early ’90s with displays at the Bridgetown Market and at the Barbados Crop Over Festival. His work often shows plant life and natural features of his environment, and embodies an ancient spirit in a unique, contemporary style.

 

Arlette St. Hill - Barbados

Arlette St. Hill was born in Barbados and is a graduate of the Barbados Community College, Erdiston Teacher’s College, The Jamaica School of Art, and the Teachers’ Technical Training Institute, Madras - India. Arlette has a degree in Art education, diploma in Curriculum Design and the Development of Instructional Materials and certificates in Multimedia Production and Educational Text Book Publishing. Her artwork explores a variety of mediums and techniques which include acrylics, oil pastel, markers, pen and ink, print making and collage. Arlette exhibits frequently in Barbados, and has also exhibited in Kingston, Jamaica; Boston, Washington, New York,  North Carolina and  Miami, USA; London, England and Paris,  France.

 

Marlon “Ilon” Skeete – Barbados

Marlon Skeete, or Ilon as he prefers to be known, is a wood sculptor who works with most Caribbean hardwoods. A self- taught artist, his aesthetic exudes a spirituality borne of his Rastafarian faith and technical brilliance and displays his talent as a builder and tradesman. Ilon has participated in exhibitions in his native Barbados as well as New York, USA. His work is held in several private collections in Barbados and abroad.

 

Afreekan Southwell – Antigua/USVI

Afreekan Southwell was born in Antigua. He moved to the US Virgin Islands in 1981. He is a self-taught artist whose creativity ranges from oil paintings and poetry to acting and music. He is a master wood carver and drummer. His wood carvings reflect his love for his African Heritage. He uses mahogany as his medium and with his hammer and chisel creates a transformation of this beautiful wood that is nothing less than spectacular.  Afreekan has recently added a new skill to his already long list of talents, wood turning; creating smaller objects that exhibit his extraordinary gift of communicating with the wood he is working with. Afreekan’s first solo exhibition in New York City, “Reflection of a Culture”, debuted in 2001 to positive critical reviews.

 

Ava Tomlinson – Jamaica

Jamaican painter Ava Tomlinson earned her BFA from Pratt Institute, and received additional training at New York City Art Students League. Her work has been exhibited widely in New York and is part of several private and public collections. In her words, “My work is a rich mixture of color, form and light, rooted in an American/Jamaican/European culture.”

 

“Diaspora Dialogue II” – special exhibit of Global Diaspora Artists

Khuumba Ama - USA

Khuumba Ama was born in Savannah, Georgia, and spread her wings in Harlem, USA.  There she learned spiritual ways of expressing her energy through natural art forms. She is a full time multi-media artist of original and one-of-a-kind creations.  When her energy is not consumed into her crafts, she extends herself as a Teaching Artist and Mentor to assist children in self-esteem workshop, using arts & crafts as her tool to connect with them.  She recently designed a program to help seniors who are challenged with symptoms of Alzheimer and/or Dementia. Khuumba’s work has been sold and exhibited at galleries, libraries, hospitals, churches, fairs, museums, private gatherings and in the shops of Harlem, Brooklyn, Queens in New York; as well as, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, & Georgia - USA; Trinidad, Grenada, The US/British Virgin Islands,  Brazil and Africa.

 

S. Ross Browne – USA

S. Ross Browne studied Communication Art and Design at Virginia Commonwealth University

and Photography at The Corcoran School of the Arts. He is also an alumnus of The Miller

School of Albemarle in Charlottesville, Virginia. He has taught art and design for inner city

and at risk youth for the Fresh Air Fund of N.Y.C, Weed and Seed, Project Ready and Art 180

of Richmond, VA. He was also an instructor for the Resident Associate Program at The

Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. During his tenure as the Art Specialist for the VCU

Health System, Ross practiced art therapy for and taught art to his various patients with an

emphasis on pediatric hematology/oncology, infectious disease and brain injury patients. He is

also an illustrator and graphic designer with a long and varied list of clientele. Ross continues to

paint and write out of his studio in Richmond, Virginia. In a review of the exhibition Art Fusion in the Richmond Times Dispatch, Special Correspondent, CeCe Bullard wrote; "Browne, always

intense and direct, explores the many faces of the American experience in a variety of media,

each of which he uses effectively." S. Ross Browne is the recipient of numerous awards and

honors, and has been featured in various local and national media. His work has been acquired

by the internationally recognized Virginia Museum of Fine Art and is in the collection of

international, national and local institutions.

 

 

 

Sadikisha Collier – USA

Ms. Sadikisha Saundra Collier is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn N.Y. Sadikisha is a multi-media artist, but is primarily known and recognized as a Master printmaker.   Her work ranges from prints, painting, collage, computer graphics, and stained glass.  She also expresses herself through video editing and fashion design. Sadikisha has a Masters in Education from Cambridge College in Boston, Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Museum and Gallery management Certificate from California College of Arts and Crafts. Collier’s work is in the collection of the late Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes, The Honorable David Dinkins, The Honorable Councilman Al Vann, Whitney Houston, Carver Bank, Thelonious Monk Jr., Valerie Bell-Bey, and a host of others. Sadikisha has exhibited with such notable artists as Jacob Lawrence, Tom Feelings, Otto Neals, Bob Blackburn, Ernest Crichlow, Ann Tanksley, Ted Gunn, Vincent Smith, Varnette Honeywood and many others. President of the oldest African American art fair in NY, Fulton Art Fair 2011-2014 Her work has been sold at Sotheby’s auction house. Collier is a Producer at BCAT Cable network and her artwork has been featured on the hit show “New York Undercover.”

 

JW Ford – USA

J.W. Ford is an accomplished artist who has worked in watercolor, acrylic, charcoal, graphite and digital art. Most recently she has begun working in metal - embossing and painting on copper, brass and aluminum. She studied at the venerable Art Students League, School of Visual Arts, Fashion Institute of Technology and The Craft Students League, all in New York City. Ford’s artwork has been exhibited in notable galleries in New York City and Los Angeles, while her piece "Time Out" won a place in the prestigious Taos Watercolor Society Show at the Van Vechten Gallery in Taos, New Mexico. She was honored by the New York Urban League in their “Salute to African American Women Artists” and her work is in the collection of EBONY/JET Magazine and has been featured in national publications such as Decor Magazine and Art Business News. Ford’s early art was published by Icart Graphics of California and distributed throughout the United States and Europe. One of the prints "Natural Beauty" was part of the set on an episode of ABC network sitcom "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper".

 

Anthony Romain – USA

Anthony Romain was born in Chicago and later moved to Harlem, New York. From an early age he demonstrated a knack for drawing amazing pieces and his father encouraged him to develop this extraordinary gift, buying him his first paint set and camera. His high school art teacher Mr. Thomas Laidman, also encouraged and influenced him; under his guidance, Romain was subsequently awarded a scholarship to New York University. Later on, he transferred to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. He graduated with a B.A degree in design in 1971, with a concentration in photography, graphic arts and package design. Returning to New York, he furthered his education by attending the Fashion Institute of Technology where he studied graphics, and Manhattan Community College where he studied corporate and cable communication. His art is greatly influenced by his formative years and world travels. He is able to create joy, pain and despair with his use of brilliant acrylic and pastels, and eye-catching details, allowing his artwork to be viewed in a more realistic and impressive manner. His art has been exhibition in New York and New Jersey.

 

 

Danny Simmons – USA

Danny Simmons, Jr., is an American abstract painter from Queens, NY, who coined his particular style of painting as “neo-African Abstract Expressionism.” His talent and passion for the arts reaches beyond the canvas; he is a published author, poet, painter and art philanthropist.    The New York Times, in reviewing one of his art exhibitions, stated that Simmons “injects freshness” into his abstracts, and that they are “meticulously rendered and decoratively impressive.” Today, his works appear in prominent locales around the globe, including: Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn Museum,  Chase Manhattan Bank, Deutsche Bank, Schomburg Center for Black Culture, The Smithsonian, United Nations, and, on an international scope has shown work in France, Amsterdam and Ghana. In 2015, he will serve as a scholarly consultant for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC.

 

Ernani Silva – Brazil

Ernani Silva, artist, curator, educator and mentor was born in the hills outside of Rio de Janeiro.  At four years of age he picked up the pencil, pen and natural fruit juices and applied them to paper, he has not stopped painting since.   He had his first gallery showing in 1969.  He also introduced painting as an alternative to violence for youth in the hills of Rio. Ernani is known for his freedom of expression and use of strong vibrant colors that move across the paper as if the figures were dancing or playing a musical instrument.  He speaks several different languages and is passionate about art and art history.  The language he speaks best is with his brush or with the paint applied directly from the tube to the canvas. In keeping with his commitment to his collectors, Ernani’s works are all originals on paper, wood or canvas.   In 2014 he celebrates forty-five years of exhibiting his original work in the United States.

 

TAFA – Ghana

TAFA, is an award-winning painter whose work is exhibited and collected internationally. His style is characterized by a richly vivid palette and heavily textured surface. He obtained a BFA degree from the College of Art, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. He currently lives in Harlem, New York. TAFA was named 2010 Sport Artist of the Year by the American Sport Art Museum and Archives. TAFA’s paintings have been celebrated and exhibited in galleries, educational and cultural institutions in the US, Japan, Europe, and Africa. His work may be found in numerous permanent public and private collections, including the Superior Court, Washington, D.C, Barclays Bank, Sparrow Hospital, Michigan, Shell Co, Ghana’s National Museum, Carver Federal Bank and former New York City Mayor, David N. Dinkins, Bryant Gumbel and former US President Bill Clinton. “Myth, worship and ritual is what attracts me, the arena as a landscape or the athlete or player as portraiture is not what inspires me. Sport as a metaphor for life and faith fascinates me - our collective allegiance and dedication to the gods and deities of the game, the mass psychology and identification, almost prehistoric and primal. It is the mythic power of the stadium, the arena, which has become the new basilica and pyramid, synagogue and temple.” says TAFA. This myth and almost religious relevance is also captured in his paintings of marches and protestors.

 

Shenna Vaughn – USA

Shenna Vaughn’s intuitive abstract paintings tell subconscious narratives of the deep stories of the soul. Shenna’s use of warm colors sets the stage for the expression of the personal thoughts that all must confront. Shenna was born and raised in Queens, New York. She attended FIT and received her Bachelor’s degree from Hunter College. Her work has been included in national group exhibitions at Skylight Gallery (January 2014), Prizm Art Fair (December 2013), Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning (December 2013) Rush Arts Gallery (November 2013), The Baobab Cultural Center(August 2013), Art Prize (September 2013)  Gallery Guichard (August 2013) African American Museum of Dallas Texas (April, 2013), Jamaica Performing Arts Center (February 2013), Rush Arts Gallery (October 2012), The WAH Center (October 2012), Gallery Guichard (August & May 2012) and Miami Scope Art Basel (December 2011) as well as international group exhibitions at Agora Gallery (February 2011) and Caelum Gallery (July 2010). She has had solo shows at Jamaica Performing Arts Center (February 2014), Le Grand Dakar (January 2011) and Cape Liberty Gallery (July 2008).

 

“My Caribbean Home” – special exhibit featuring:

Hedy Klineman – Barbados/USA

Born in Hamburg, Germany and raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Hedy Klineman graduated from Cooper Union, NYC, where she encountered the maximalist, full canvas Abstract Expressionism that has shaped her style. Hedy’s works have been exhibited at the Whitney, Rubin, Hood, Tibet House and Vizcaya Museums, among others, and she has enjoyed solos exhibitions at the Bridgewater Lustberg Gallery, Benrimon Contemporary, Dorothy Blau and Vered Modern, as well as internationally. Her work has been inspired in recent years by the ethereal figure of the Buddha further infused by the creative nourishment provided by her winter sojourns in Barbados. When the USA elected its first African American President in 2007-08, Hedy became fascinated with the spirituality of another place, Africa, and the masks of Gabon and the Ivory Coast. These common threads of spirituality combine the sublime and every-day, the personal and political, as well as bear a strong influence on the many enchanting phases of Hedy’s career.

 

Dave M. Todd – Barbados/UK

Dave Todd was born in the United Kingdom and is now a citizen and resident of Barbados. He began painting in England in 1969, while studying Theology at Cambridge University. His early works were abstracts exploring spiritual themes and doubts. After changing direction to become a Social Anthropologist, Dave spent a decade in Africa, before returning to UK. For more than 25 years he did not paint and began again only when he moved to Washington DC in 2002. In DC, he studied abstract art on a part-time basis with award- winning Baltimore artist James Phillips and Virginian Professor Jacob Smith, as well as at the Corcoran College of Art and Design. His work was exhibited several times in juried Art Exhibitions in DC, until he and his wife returned to Barbados in 2011. Dave painted in oils for several years, before moving to acrylics, which enabled development of the more fluid and less structured styles, which characterize his recent works. His art explores colour and form, with decreasing emphasis on defined structure over time. It seeks to blend immediate visual impact, with attention to detailed colour blending at the micro-level, which retains the possibility of discovering new visual attractions at every viewing.

 

Maureen P. Tracey – Barbados/Canada

As a young artist, Maureen worked in the textile and fashion industry in Canada and internationally, while practicing many forms of visual art. At the time she married a Barbadian and the exposure to island life never left her. Another important influence in her art development was her mother Melita, an active Montreal based artist. Her art evolved even more with exposure to a Canadian West Coast style of art in Vancouver. Maureen’s art training is as diversified as her influences in art, frequently travelling off island to attend master classes and workshops which allow her to continue the evolution of her style. Colors, shapes and forms very unique to her work have sprung out of these diverse influences giving a fresh approach to the translation if iconic Bajan images onto canvas. In recent years this uniquely stylized contemporary approach to Bajan art has become the sole subject matter of her work.