Strivers Gardens Gallery and Souleo Enterprises, LLC, an
event/media production company, present eMerge: Danny
Simmons & Artists on the Cusp. The exhibition will
feature the works of renowned visual artist Danny
Simmons and nine innovative and visionary contemporary
artists from New York City and London repurposing
everyday materials into elaborate works of art. Co-curated
by Lisa D. Hayes, Esq., manager of Strivers Gardens
Gallery, and Souleo of Souleo Enterprises, LLC, the
exhibit will run from July 12 through September 7 at
Strivers Gardens Gallery.
Anchoring the exhibition is a
presentation of abstract-expressionist painter, Daniel
“Danny” Simmons, Jr., featuring select works from the
last four decades. Each piece exists on a continuum of
Simmons’ exploration of the human relationship to
spirit. With contemporary and indigenous art as
inspiration, Simmons investigates how a spiritual
connection is developed and nurtured through the
creative process to be sustained beyond the realm of
physical art. Featured in this exhibition is Simmons’
The Door (1989), a fusion of painting and poetry on a
wooden door that serves as a literal and figurative
gateway to the exhibition’s eMerging artists.
“My life's work has been dedicated to providing
opportunity to emerging artists. My Rush Arts Gallery
has helped to launch the careers of some of the world’s
most noted artists of color,” said Danny Simmons. “This
opportunity to exhibit with artists on the cusp of
entering the global arts discourse is very gratifying
and a great way to demonstrate my respect and admiration
for new and exciting talent.”
“eMerge will be the first in a series of annual
exhibitions featuring the work of new and exciting
visual artists,” said Hayes. “This exhibition is a
multi-medium exploration of form, portraiture and
abstract expressionism using a variety of mediums.
Doors, tea bags, pins, sneakers, threads and buttons are
transformed from the ordinary to visual expressions of
memory and tribute.”
Artist Beau McCall visually imagines W.E.B. Dubois’
concept of double consciousness in Until We’re Free
(2012), a statement that opens the discourse on race,
class and politics in the 21st century; McCall combines
decorative buttons with glow in the dark thread to
transpose the American flag over the color pattern of
the Pan-African flag on four panels of crowns, the
latter inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In her
U.S. debut, Londoner Shirley Nette Williams pays tribute
to iconic and tragic women of song in A Nice Cup of
Tears (2012), stitching onto teabags portraits of
singers Whitney Houston, Billie Holliday, Tammi Terrell
and Florence Ballard. Greg Frederick celebrates pop
cultural icons and highlights the cyclical nature of pop
by creating portraits of Andy Warhol and Notorious B.I.G.
with broken record vinyl and record sleeves. Andre
Woolery challenges negativity and stereotypes through
his thumbtack portraits of Jay-Z (The Tackover, 2010)
and Jimi Hendrix (Electric Feel, 2011). Sean Paul
Gallegos analyzes ancient cultures and recreates their
most sacred objects using mass consumed goods,
transforming old sneakers into sacred objects of worship
in Giant Paracas Skull (2012). Similarly, David Hollier
challenges mass consumption and commercialism through
Greenpoint Sky (2012), with images of corporate logos on
canvas. Laura Gadson pushes forth the tradition of art
quilting in the hip-hop inspired piece Old School
Hip-Hop (2010), paying tribute to Kurtis Blow. JaSon E.
Auguste incorporates technological resources in the
digital age with a tribute to Jean-Michel Basquiat in
JMB Code (2011); the interactive piece integrates QR
(quick response) codes throughout the work and, with a
mobile scanning device, transports viewers into the
digital world to explore the history and impact of
Basquiat.
Finally, art collective, House of Spoof, utilizes
technology to bridge the digital age and traditional
mediums for works that capture the fears, hopes and
dreams of youth. Featured from the collective are
co-founders the late, Glenn “Spoof” Wright and Misra
Walker. Walker pays homage to Wright, a community- and
family-oriented young man who was brutally murdered at
the age of 21, in the stencil portrait Stay Hungry
(2011). A collection of Wright’s photography explores
the depths of Down syndrome through photo portraits of
his special needs brother, Isa Freeman.
“We are very excited to present a platform for emerging
artists as a means to increase access to artistic
opportunities,” said Souleo, founder and president of
Souleo Enterprises, LLC, who is a producer of events and
content for a variety of media and nonprofit
institutions. “For me it is a way to honor my brother
Glenn ‘Spoof’ Wright, whose life was taken away on the
cusp of his own emergence. I hope that by including his
artwork others will be inspired and empowered by his
message of love, positivity and healing which continues
to inspire me in my work to support the arts.”
Serving as media sponsor is rolling out, the nation’s
largest free urban weekly, and food sponsor is Bobbi
Jean’s Catering by Blondie for the Opening Night
Reception.
The public is invited to attend the Opening Night
reception on Thursday, July 12 at 6 pm, the “Talk with
the Artists” on Sunday, August 12 at 3 pm and the
Closing Night Reception on
Thursday, September 6 at 6 pm. Opening and Closing
Nights will also feature artwork and musical
performances from members of CULTURE CRASHERS, the youth
initiative created by Souleo Enterprises, LLC, presented
in partnership with the Harlem Arts Alliance. The
Gallery, located at 300 West 135th Street, is otherwise
open to the public by appointment only. For details on
the events, visit:
http://striversgardensgallery.vpweb.com or
www.souleouniverse.com .
About Strivers Gardens Gallery
The Strivers Gardens Condominium located in the heart of
Harlem operates Strivers Gardens Gallery. Strivers
Gardens Gallery is committed to providing a venue for
gifted professional
visual artists to promote Harlem's cultural, economic
and social renaissance. Prior exhibitions have featured
celebrated works by iconic artists such as: Romare
Bearden, Leroy Campbell, Betty Blayton, Otto Neals,
Ademola Olugebefola, Kwame Braithwaite, the artists of
Gee’s Bend and more.
About Souleo Enterprises, LLC
Souleo Enterprises, LLC, is the umbrella company that
creates and produces entertaining and informative
events, media and artistic projects by founder, Souleo.
This Brown University graduate and dynamic young
talent’s list of journalism credits includes Newsweek,
Ebony, New York Press, Black Enterprise, XXL, Sister 2
Sister, Rolling Out and more. Souleo’s expertise and
content has been featured on CNN’s The Nancy Grace Show,
MTV’s FNMTV Premieres, the New York Post, the Chicago
Sun-Times, Access Hollywood, CBS’s The Insider, NPR’s
News & Notes, BET.com, and in the Boston Globe. Through
a partnership with the prestigious Harlem Arts Alliance,
he has a weekly column entitled “Harlem Arts Alliance
Presents: On the ‘A’ w/Souleo,” which is now syndicated
online and in print via several outlets including
www.SoulTrain.com
, New York Amsterdam News, Rolling Out, and more.
About rolling out
Rolling out, the nation's largest free urban weekly, is
a digital and print magazine that focuses on the black
experience in response to entertainment, politics,
fashion, culture, sports and lifestyle points of
interest. Headquartered in Atlanta, rolling out is
positioned as the voice for the African American
experience, using its newspaper as a platform in the
marketplace to express urgency for education reform, and
to document entrepreneurial endeavors and other relevant
issues in the Diaspora. For information on rolling out,
please log onto
www.rollingout.com .
About Bobbi Jean’s Catering by Blondie
Bobbi Jean’s is a family owned family styled catering
service inspired by the soulful delicacies of Bobbi
Jean, mother of nine & matriarch to all. Bobbi Jean's
Caribbean heritage & southern exposure demonstrated her
versatile & creative genius in the kitchen, making every
meal for her family a delectable event. Bobbi Jean’s
authentic recipes continue to delight through the
efforts of her daughter, Blondie who spent many days
cutting, peeling and performing other meal preparation
tasks in the kitchen beside her mother. After receiving
encouragement and motivation from her brother, Glenn
"Spoof" Wright, Blondie established Bobbi Jean's
Catering. Fused with Cuban flare and recipes she learned
from her father, restaurateur Jose Rodriguez, Bobbi
Jean's Catering serves up the best in Caribbean and soul
food.
eMerge: Danny Simmons & Artists on the
Cusp—Schedule of Special Events
Opening Night Reception
Exhibition: eMerge: Danny Simmons & Artists on the Cusp
Date: Thursday, July 12, 2012
Time: 6PM
Venue: Strivers Gardens Gallery
300 West 135th St. New York, NY 10030
Location: Ground Level
Gallery Talk with the Artists
Exhibition: eMerge: Danny Simmons &
Artists on the Cusp
Date: Sunday, August 12, 2012
Time: 3PM
Venue: Strivers Gardens Gallery
300 West 135th St., New York, NY 10030
Location: 2nd Floor
Closing Night Reception
Exhibition: eMerge: Danny Simmons & Artists on the Cusp
Date: Thursday, September 6, 2012
Time: 6PM
Venue: Strivers Gardens Gallery
300 West 135th St., New York, NY 10030
Location: Ground Level
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