what's up with art?

It's my 12 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

Please join us for a spirited conversation with the "IN FULL BLOOM" exhibition artist Victor Davson. The solitude and confinement of pandemic life led Davson to look more closely at his surroundings at home and was the impetus to start this series in 2020. A thrilling homage to the splendorous foliage and vistas of Essex County’s first ridge of the Watchung Mountains in West Orange, NJ along the Lenape Trail. Moderated by Roger C. Tucker III IN FULL BLOOM Landscapes by Victor Davson March 12, 2022 4-5:30 pm. Akwaaba Gallery 509 South Orange Avenue Newark, NJ 07103 Images: Victor Davson. Curated by Laura Bonas Palmer Exhibition Open from 02/12/22 to 03/26/22 Hear our fascinating conversation about Victor's career-long art journey on episode 6 of the podcast, WhatsNewarkGotToDoWithIt.com. #victordavson #akwaabagallery #laurabonaspalmer #art #blackart #artgallery #artwork #painting #watercolorart #landscapeart #landscapepainting #landscape #painting #art #artchangesminds #urbanartist #newarkart #newarkmuseumofart #lenapetrail #newarkartists #newarkarts #newarkart #artcollector #downtownnewark #rutgersnewark #whatsupwithart #whatsnewarkgottodowithit @whatsnewarkgottodowithit #tuckercontemporaryart (at Akwaaba Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca5hQgMOkoB/?utm_medium=tumblr

Episode 11. SOULEO: Showing Out in Harlem, Newark and Beyond I first met Peter “SOULEO” Wright in Harlem in 2012 through a mutual friend and colleague, @leanne_stella, founder of Art In Flux Harlem. He curated an exhibition at her gallery titled “Art Enology”. Both Souleo and Leanne introduced me to a newly vibrant art scene that continues to grow and has reestablished Harlem’s prominence as a global art center. The Pandemic hasn’t slowed Souleo down. His most recent exhibitions in Harlem, NYC and Newark, NJ, dynamically illustrate his amazing ability to bring the intersection of art, fashion, and celebrity to a widely diverse audience. Image 1: “Styling: Black Expression, Rebellion and Joy Through Fashion”, curated by Souleo at Nordstrom’s in NYC featured works by 15 contemporary Black artists. Souleo in front of a photograph by Kwame Braithwaite in a digital installation by artist Dianne Smith. Photograph by Ruben Natal-San Miguel. Image 2: Installation features three “African Diva Project” paintings by Margaret Rose Vendryes. Image 3: 20th Newark Arts Festival featured “Dionne Warwick: Queen of Twitter”, entertainer and NJ native curated by Souleo. Image: Detail of Beau McCal’s artwork. Image 4: “God Is A Dandy”, a virtual Paul Robeson Galleries, Rutgers Newark event at curated and moderated by Souleo. Left: Souleo. Right: Jerry Gant, late Newark artist’s unique dandy style. Images 5 & 6:Showing Out: Fashion in Harlem:, a multimedia exhibition at the Schomburg Center, curated by Souleo, in honor of the 55th anniversary of the Harlem Institute of Fashion. Image 7: Early photograph of HIF founder Lois K. Alexander-Lane. Image 8: Souleo, left, and partner Beau McCal, shared their story on “National Coming Out Day”, via a virtual event, “LGBTQ+ Lessons on Creativity and Connecting Generations”. #Souleo #Harlem #Newark #NewarkArts #Art #BlackLivesMatters #BlackArtMatters #AfricanDiaspora #Curate #Exhibitions #GodIsADandy #ShowingOut #PaulRobesonGalleries #SchomburgArtCenter #NewArts #NAF20201 #NationalComingOutDay #LGBTQ+  #WhatsNewarkGotToDoWithIt #WhatsUpWithArt #TuckerContemporaryArt (at Newark, New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWEDmNgFTy2/?utm_medium=tumblr

Second Generation Black Gallerist, With Newark Origins, Takes The Global Lead My first introduction to Navindren Hodges came by way of an email from him promoting the sale of a unique print by the iconic Black abstract sculptor, Richard Hunt. I later met Navindren, in person, when I picked up the print at one of the oldest Black owned galleries in the country, the Bill Hodges Gallery, that was then located on 57th street in New York City. Navindren Hodges is the Gallery Director for Bill Hodges Gallery, now located in the Chelsea arts district in Manhattan. Established in 1979 by his father, Bill Hodges, the gallery’s collection ranges from 19th-century Black artists Henry Ossawa Tanner to Harlem Renaissance legends James Van der Zee to modernist, abstraction icons Norman Lewis and contemporaries Willie Cole and Carrie Mae Weems. Hodges notes that the market for African American artists and women artists is strong particularly due to the deaccessioning (divesting of art) occurring at many museums that are now looking, in many instances, to replace them with these two categories of artists who have long been under-represented. The gallery has been experiencing strong demand for Edward Clark, Norman Lewis, Frank Bowling and the photographs of Roy DeCarava amongst many others. More on Hodges at our podcast, WhatsNewarkGotToDoWithIt.com. Navindren attended the Sotheby’s Institute of Art where he received a Master’s Degree in Art Business and the University of Iowa where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology.  Images: 1. Navindren Hodges with Demetrius Oliver’s, Totem, 2004. 2. Willie Cole, Mother and Child #2, 2020. 3. Bill Hodges kavie Barnes and Navindren Hodges, 2010. 4.Navindren with Norman Lewis’, Exodus, 1972. 5. Bill Hodges Gallery Catalog, 2010. 6. Navindren with Sam Gilliam’s, Renaissance I, 1986. 7. Takashi Murakami, 727, 1996. #blacklivesmatter #blackartmatters #blackartsmovement #africandiaspora #navindrenhodges #billhodgesgallery #newark #whatsnewarkgottodowithit #whatsupwithart https://www.instagram.com/p/CPhMUXpFTsG/?utm_medium=tumblr

Artist and Curator Anonda Bell: Raising Civilization’s Radical Voice In Newark I first met Anonda in 2017 at the Express Newark spaces in downtown Newark. I was very curious about this “Third Space” created to incubate talent, cultivate engaged scholarship and promote social practice in a unique variety of exhibition and maker spaces. Anonda volunteered to give me a tour and I was amazed at the resources offered by this creative incubator campus. Anonda Bell is an Australian born, USA based, artist and curator. She is the Director and Chief Curator of the Paul Robeson Galleries. The PRG operates a network of exhibition venues in dedicated and interstitial spaces across the campus, including the Robeson Campus Center and Express Newark. Paul Robeson, the esteemed Black American singer, actor, political activist and alumnus of Rutgers University, said “Artists Are The Gatekeepers of Truth. We Are Civilization’s Radical Voice.” Anonda has directed and curated exhibitions over the past 14 years that uniquely support and illustrate Paul Robeson’s mandate. Anonda’s personal art practice addresses issues of psychology, feminism and the environment through installation based work. Her artwork has been shown at various venues in the USA and Australia. There’s more on Anonda and Newark Arts on our podcast, WhatsNewarkGotToDoWithIt.com Images: 1. Anonda Bell, Neither Shall You Touch It (detail), 2013-2014 from the series Reinstated. 2. Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, America Is Black, 2018. Exhibition titled, Mirror Mirror. 3. Images by Manuel Perez, Picking Up the Pieces, the 2021. featuring the work of seven MFA student artists. 4. Paul Robeson Galleries Director & Chief Curator Anonda Bell. 5. Anonda Bell, Resist: A Coloring Book for Resistant Individuals. 6, Anonda Bell, Biophobia: Apiphobia (Bees), 2011. 7. Marcel Duchamp, Bamberger’s Newark window, 1960. #blacklivesmatter #africandiaspora #newark #anondabell #PRGNewark #expressnewark #whatsnewarkgottodowithit #whatsupwithart https://www.instagram.com/p/CO_4GpYFa9P/?utm_medium=tumblr

Artist Victor Davson; Decolonizing Art Spaces in Newark, NJ Even after 35 years of knowing him, I continue to be inspired by Victor’s public and personal art practice in Newark, NJ. Victor is the co-founder of Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art in Newark. He and Carl E. Hazelwood founded Aljira together in 1983 as a non-profit center for contemporary visual art to promote the work of emerging and under-represented artists. Tune in to find out more about this dynamic Art Leader and Cultural Disrupter on our podcast, WhatsNewarkGotToDoWithIt.com. Aljira was a vital hub for creative excellence in Newark’s downtown arts district for over three decades.  Victor served as its director for 33 years. His professional and charismatic leadership has, and continues to have, a profound impact on the artistic landscape of Newark and the Tri-State region. Artists of the African Diaspora, women and other underrepresented artists are exhibited, engaged and given global platforms that had never been realized, before he landed in the city of Newark. Victor’s visual art practice is heavily influenced by the anti-colonial politics of the Caribbean, and by the intellectual powerhouses of that period. 1. Victor Davson, Dub Factor: Heroes (Marvin), 2016. Acrylic and sequins on treated vinyl LP record album cover. 2. Victor Davson in front of his “Dub Factor Redux” series. 3. Artist and Aljira Center for Contemporary Art co-founder, Carl E. Hazlewood. 4. HERESIES magazine cover, 1985 and Black artist Emma Amos. 5. Film still from Esther Podemski and Chuck Schultz's 5 DAYS IN JULY commissioned by Victor Davson. 6. Amiri Baraka, 2013, iconic native Newarker, NJ Poet Laureate, reading at Aljira. 7. May 22, 2015, Okwui Enwezor and Dawoud Bey receive Aljira Timehri Leadership in the Arts Award. 8.Victor Davson, Misogyny Papers/Apology (impossible), 2020. 9. The Book of Hours/Ours book project, 2021, featuring work of Cicely Cottingham and Victor Davson. #blacklivesmatter #africandiaspora #guyana #victordavson @carl.hazlewood #aljiraart #newarkmuseumofart #edwardsspriggs #cicelycottingham #newarkexpress #newark #covid19 #whatsnewarkgottodowithit #whatsupwithart #decolonizethisplace  https://www.instagram.com/p/COdkREaF4gH/?igshid=jh4uc19rcv4d

"There was this big hole," renown Black photographer, Roy DeCarava, told me in 1996. "There were no Black images of dignity, of beautiful Black people — so I tried to fill it. ... I wanted to find in the Black community itself, I was looking for humanity. These are people. Before they're Black, they're people, and this is what I'm concerned about!" - Dawoud Bey Dawoud Bey: An American Project Whitney Museum, NYC. Apr 17–Oct 3, 2021 Run, don’t walk, to see the magnificent photographs by Dawoud Bey, my friend and MacArthur “ Genius Grant” awardee, at the Whitney Museum. In this retrospective Bey chronicles communities and histories that have been largely underrepresented or even unseen, and his work lends renewed urgency to an enduring conversation about what it means to represent America with a camera. Images: 1. Dawoud Bey, Martina & Rhonda, 1993. 2. Dawoud Bey (left) with Salimah Ali. 3. Dawoud Bey, David Hammons, Bliz-aard Ball Sale I, 1983. 4. Dawoud Bey, Two Girls from a Marching Band, 1990. 5. Dawoud Bey, Hillary and Taro, 1992. 6. Roger C. Tucker III and Carmen Wong. #blacklivesmatter #dawoudbey #whitneymuseum #photography #africandiaspora #art #portraiture #whatsupwithart (at Whitney Museum of American Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNzULVsFaD6/?igshid=1r5nlwa2qcl1p

Episode 05: Playwright Richard Wesley Shares The Black Arts Movement’s Newark Roots Tune in to the podcast, WhatsNewarkGotToDoWithIt.com, to hear award-winning playwright, Richard Wesley, share how the 1970s Black Arts Movement in Newark inspired his contributions to theater, film and books over the past five decades.  Richard wrote the libretto for Anthony Davis' opera The Central Park Five, which was awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Music. The opera (originally titled Five) was conceived and produced by Kevin Maynor, whose Newark-based Trilogy, An Opera Company, performed it at the New Jersey Performance Arts Center (NJPAC). Since 1971, his work has explored the full spectrum of the Black experience in America, provoking audiences to think deeply and reflect on their own worldviews. Whether moved to tears or laughter, anyone fortunate to be in the audience will never forget Richard's Drama Desk winning play, The Black Terror, the controversial Mighty Gents (about former gang members in Newark) or his hilarious Uptown Saturday Night film. As both a celebrated participant and eager student of the Black Theater Movement in the late 1960s, he became part of a seismic force in American culture, breaking down barriers and helping to disrupt the cultural landscape.  Images: 1. Play, Black Terror 2. Five, 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Music 3. Uptown Saturday Night 4. The Mighty Gents 5. Native Son 6. Wesley Memoir #blacklivesmatter #richardwesley #newark #blackartsmovement #blacktheatermovement #broadway #movies #whatsnewarkgottodowithit https://www.instagram.com/p/CNUzOILFRni/?igshid=1oqx74a69ul6g

Disturbing The Peace From Newark: Artist & Author, Nell Painter When I think of Nell’s visual and literary practices, a favorite quote of an iconic American author and social justice advocate, James Baldwin, comes to mind: “Artists are here to disturb the peace.” I had a lively conversation with Nell Painter to discover how this brilliant Newark transplant uses her artistic talents to “disturb the peace”. Check out our conversation, Episode 4 of our podcast, “What’s Newark Got To Do With It?” on Spotify and at our website: WhatsNewarkGotToDoWithIt.com Nell is also the author of many books, including The History of White People, Sojourner Truth, A Life, A Symbol, Creating Black Americans and Old In Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over. Nell lives and works in Newark, New Jersey. Nell’s recent artist books include From Slavery To Freedom, commissioned Aferro Gallery, Newark, 2020. Along with American Whiteness Since Trump, 2020, it’s part of her In the year of the Great Upheaval 2020 series. “My work carries discursive as well as visual meaning, and I make it in my characteristic manual + digital process. Using found images and digital manipulation, I reconfigure the past and revision myself through self-portraits. After a life of historical truth and political engagement with American society, my artwork represents freedom. Including the freedom to be totally self-centered.” — Nell Painter Captions for Nell Painter images shown: 1. Nell Painter with her Odalisque Atlas – White History as Told Through Art, 2019. 2. 3g. Motherwell in the Adirondacks 17, 2016, digital collage. 3. WEB/Booker T. Opera, City Scene, 2017, sketch for opera backdrop, digital paper collage, 6 ft. x 8 ft. Opera produced by Trilogy Opera Company in Newark, NJ, based on Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. 4. Photo Left: Installation, 3 works by Nell. Wise Woman Inside, You Say This Can't Really Be America, and Wise Woman Disappears. Photo Right: You Say This Can't Really Be America, 2017, digital and silkscreen. 5. From Slavery to Freedom, 2020, Page 12. Series of 15 drawings, each 8.5" x 5.5". #blacklivesmatter #blackartmatters #newark #nellpainter #womenshistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/CM_Z0yLFbV9/?igshid=nna5dn9bpigt

BLACK To The Future: Filmmaker Ernest Dickerson It was a blast interviewing Ernest Dickerson for our 3rd podcast episode, via Zoom, in Cape town, South Africa, where he is directing two episodes of Raised By Wolves for HBO Max. During our interview Ernest shared how growing up in Newark, NJ continues to inform his filmmaking career. He describes how Black Lives Matter has impacted the movie and television industry and he also shares a few details about his “Dream Project”. Check it out at “What’s Newark Got To Do With It?” on Spotify and at whatsnewarkgottodowithit.com Ernest is an American director, cinematographer, and screenwriter of film, television and music videos. He was born in Newark NJ and attended Howard University in Washington, DC. earning a degree in architecture. He then attended New York University's film program at the Tisch School of the Arts, where he met fellow student Spike Lee. His first feature film as director of photography was also Lee's first film, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983), filmed while they were students. Ernest worked with Lee on other films that included School Daze, Do The Right Thing, Jungle Fever and Malcolm X. As a director, Ernest is known for action and horror films such as Juice, Demon Knight, Bulletproof and Never Die Alone. He has also directed several episodes of acclaimed television series, including Once Upon a Time, The Wire, Dexter, ER, The L Word, The Walking Dead, Treme: New Orleans, The Deuce, Godfather of Harlem and Raised By Wolves. Captions for images shown: 1. Abubakar Salim, robotic caretaker Father, in the E. Dickerson directed Raised by Wolves 2. E. Dickerson and Tupac Shakur on the set of the movie Juice in 1991. Writing & directing debut of Dickerson features Shakur in his acting debut. 3.Shot by E. Dickerson in 1984, The Brother From Another Planet features Joe Morton, an alien and escaped slave from another planet. 4.E. Dickerson shot Spike Lee's 1992 Malcolm X starring Denzel Washington. 5.Season 3 award winning crime drama, The Wire, directed by E. Dickerson in 2004. 6.5th Season poster for “The Walking Dead” directed by E. Dickerson. #blacklivesmatter #blackart https://www.instagram.com/p/CMYkQlRlA5D/?igshid=syoyq5a5islf

Please join @glassrootsinc 2021 Black History Celebration as they kick off their month-long celebration highlighting emerging and established African American artists who create wondrous glass art. Celebrate these incredible artists by supporting each of them through visitation to their websites, sharing GlassRoots’ posts of their work, as well as purchasing their work. #glassrootsinc #glassconnections #blackhistorymonth #glassimpact #newark #deboramoore #kehindewiley #danygreen #fredwilson #amirarogers #kenwright #yazminegraham #thermanstatom #reneestout #newarkarts #artinspires #arteducates #artheals #artchangesminds #whatsupwithart (at GlassRoots) https://www.instagram.com/p/CK1dZPjFD_v/?igshid=1ur9zxxfxinku

"An Evolution of Black Identity" William shared with me, at the opening of this mesmerizing exhibition, how the ideas and conversations of AfroFuturists like the iconic Sun Ra inform this new body of work. WILLIAM VILLALONGO’S Sticks & Stones, January 21 through 6 March 2021, Susan Inglett Gallery, NYC. "Villalongo's sixth solo exhibition with the Gallery, Sticks & Stones shines a spotlight on the artist’s signature black velvet cut paper work. In this recent series, Villalongo uses the medium to explore how to best represent the Black subject against the backdrop of race in America. Collaged images of geologic forms, meteorites, butterflies, drinking gourds, and African sculpture interspersed with leafy cut-outs. These combined images create a portrait from ecological and cultural histories, emphasizing diaspora, deep time, freedom, beauty, and transformation." image 1: Mother Tongue. image 2: Black Metamorphosis 145. #blacklivesmatter #blackartmatters #williamvillalongo #susaninglettgallery #evolution #blackidentity #africandiaspora #afrofuturism #cosmicimagery #sunra #whatsupwithart   https://www.instagram.com/p/CKhOzTcFapV/?igshid=c2wv8l2u7hx3

Wishing You and Yours A Healthy and Happy 2021! Image: Dominant Dansby • Untitled Collage (detail) • 2017 • Paper, ink, pastel, graphite on canvas • 39 x 58 inches @dom_artlife #artinspires #artheals #artchangesminds #whatsuowithart https://www.instagram.com/p/CJe1gvDFuuN/?igshid=oqkjdqy666rg

“An intense focus on process – combining texture, dimension and energy – leads me to expand this series, which reflects work that is more physical, natural and raw than my earlier drawings.” - Dominant Dansby Dominant Dansby, Untitled (detail), 2020, 36 x 36 inches, paper, ink on canvas. #dominantdansby #art #collage #abstraction #pattern #expressionism #contemporaryart #emergingartist #blackartmatters #artchangesminds #artistsareheretodisturbthepeace #whatsupwithart https://www.instagram.com/p/CJEdUjBlvt5/?igshid=chft1z9xssb2

Our Brothers Book Club is reading A PROMISED LAND by PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA. Check out a recent IG Live conversation between Stephen Curry and President Obama by visiting their IG pages: @barackobama @stephencuury30 #APromisedLand #BlackLivesMatter #Literature #Basketball #whatsupwithart https://www.instagram.com/p/CIgEZhJFG3J/?igshid=1cyblojls5uer

The Digital Search For Love. Interview With An Artist “I’m often rearranging entire rooms, running extension cords to various lighting sources, and scheduling meetings based on when I can get natural window light. Also, I was looking at Edward Hopper as I was working on this, and light was probably the most consistent thread that ran through his work.” - Adrian Tomine, Illustrator I found this conversation in the December 7th issue of New Yorker magazine with the the cover artist very illuminating: “These strange times have us seeking companionship in strange ways. In his latest cover, Adrian Tomine, an astute observer of social mores, finds the humor in our increasingly digital search for love. We recently talked to the artist about Zoom lighting, artistic technique, and more. NY:Your work tends toward concision, yet a big part of the pleasure in this cover is the accumulation of details. Was that difficult to achieve? AT: For better or worse, I’ve developed a fairly specific, detailed illustration style, and there’s no real shorthand for a messy room. Once I realized that I would actually have to draw all the things that would telegraph that messiness, I got a little obsessive about cataloguing artifacts from daily pandemic life. I have a feeling that, years from now, I might look back at this cover and have a kind of P.T.S.D. reaction to something as insignificant as a bottle of hand sanitizer. You have a distinctive palette of muted, neutral tones, yet you’ve still managed to highlight your subject against the background.” Read on: NewYorker.Com #arteducates #artinspires #artheals #artchangesminds #adriantomine #newyorker #pandemic #art #drawing #love #digital #companionship #zoom #cartoonist #illustrator #cats #whatsupwithart https://www.instagram.com/p/CIO5E0IFxxy/?igshid=1ov3kqk5zkrf

ART Imitates LIFE as·​sem·​blage: A collection of artifacts from a single datable component of an archaeological-like site. Depending on the site and culture, an assemblage may be associated with a single limited activity, or may reflect a broad range of cultural life, as with artifacts that are found in a communal living site. Spotted this utilitarian work of art while strolling through the Brooklyn neighborhood of my good friend, @gardy.stfleur Ironically we just were having a conversation about iconic artist, #davidhammons, who said “art is on the street. You don’t have to enter a gallery or museum to see it.” Or something to that effect. #davidhammons #life #art #artimitateslife #decolonizethisplace #assemblage #sculpture #artistsareheretodisturbthepiece #brooklyn #whatsupwithart (at Brooklyn, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CHDpOlalEL9/?igshid=193kzd26he86e