The hardest part of this Artist a Day series is when I come across an artist where limited biographical information exists. Bay area artist and printmaker Cleveland Bellow showed work in over 60 shows throughout his career and taught art in addition to his civic engagement as Alameda County’s Art Commissioner. Bellow passed away from … Continue reading Artist a Day: Cleveland Bellow
Barbara Jones-Hogu was one of the 5 founding members of South Chicago’s AfriCOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists). The collective came together in 1968 to identify and cultivate a cohesive artistic voice around Black art that speaks to aesthetics, and more importantly to the viewer’s experience as Black Americans. Jones-Hogu’s contributions to AfriCOBRA … Continue reading Artist a Day: Barbara Jones-Hogu
For pop culture enthusiasts, there’s an unlimited number of conventions where you can connect with your tribe. There are gamer cons, comic cons, anime cons, dragon cons, quilt cons and even a con that celebrates inclusion. I love spaces where art and kitsch collide and for the past 10 years, DesignerCon has become one of … Continue reading Booths Without Borders at DesignerCon 2017
For Freedoms, the first artist-run Super PAC, was created earlier this year to offer an alternative perspective on concepts of power, voice and agency. By offering a platform for artists and scholars to explore the polemics of power, For Freedoms fuses art and activism through Town Halls, exhibitions and co-sponsored events with museums and local non-profit organizations. The … Continue reading Artist-Run Super PAC Challenges Power Politics
A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”- Marcus Garvey Fred Martins, a Nigerian visual artist based in the Ukraine has recently completed a new series of images called “Orange, Black and Freedom”. His work combines vibrant graphic design with photography through his use of digitally created hair picks that are transformed into African and … Continue reading Fred Martins Transforms Cultural Symbols into Historical Icons
When De La Soul “officially” came on the scene with “3 Feet High and Rising” in the spring of 1989, I was in High School walking a not so fine line between my obsession with new wave synth pop and my love for rap (frankly I jumped between worlds), but when “Me Myself and I” … Continue reading My Mourning of Synergy: The Legacy of Phife & a Tribe Called Quest
The graphics were bold, the symbolism was strong and the messages were provocative. Emory Douglas’ graphic design work became the visual voice of movement dedicated to the fight for civil rights and social justice. As the “Minister of Culture” for the Black Panther Party, Emory Douglas used punchy printmaking to tell captivatingly strong stories that depicted the … Continue reading Artist a Day Challenge 2016-5: Emory Douglas on Creating a Culture of Resistance
