The Harlem Arts Festival presents multi-disciplinary performances in venues throughout Harlem, culminating in an annual festival the last weekend of June in Marcus Garvey Park.
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[vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] Chapter 1: #RealMusicRebels I am new to Harlem. I am an implant. But Harlem is my horizon. So, this is my story – about…
Want to tighten your show, your flow and/or your freestyle? Register for the April 16th Master Class with Toni Blackman at the legendary Apollo Theater.
Multi-talented Hip Hop and HAF 2014 Artist Toni Blackman leads this workshop on freestyle rap and spoken word improvisation sharing tools and techniques acquired over 20 years of leading cyphers and directing performances. Skill building, confidence and heightened creativity make this a workshop MCs and poets do not want to miss.
Join festival supporters for an evening of performances, three course dinner, open bar and party with music by Tiff McFierce. Harlem Arts Festival will honor Harlem Park to Park's Executive Director Nikoa Evans-Hendricks and car sharing leader Zipcar with the Lynnette Velasco Community Impact Award for our 5th Anniversary Gala and Awards at Alhambra Ballroom.
#HAF2016 artist Braxton Cook, a saxophonist and composer who has worked with Christian Scott and Butcher Brown, will perform alongside Jazzmobile competition winner, Brianna Thomas. #HAF2016 performance artist Jarrett Key, will create a Hair Painting to be auctioned at the end of the evening.
Other Silent Auction items include autographed Natalie Cole Sheet Music, signed Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar Sheet Music, tickets to the Art of Cool fest, original artwork and more! For tickets or to place a bid online, visit: www.501auctions.com/harlemartsfestival.
Lover’s Day x Black History Month = The Love Noir Blendtape
on love noir... Let's be honest, "love" is a four letter word. Love is happy, love is kind, love is confusing and sometimes, love hurts. The Love Noir Mixtape is an offering of love in tribute to St. Valentine's Day safely nestled in the bosom of Black History Month. In full expression love itself, there are songs that encompass love for self, love for the universe, love for our fellow (wo)man and love for art...whether you're same gender loving, Muslim, Christian, black or white, we all experience the four major types of love: agape, philia, eros, and storge. Hopefully this blend tape will highlight the love of the season while saving room for the beauty in our difference that only bring us closer together during OUR history month.
www.harlemartsfestival.com
www.iamlikwuid.com
Playlist:
Full Crate- Cherrie Hats feat Chris Turner
Thundercat- Them Changes
Jo Def- Is it Love
St. Beauty- Going Nowhere
Lea Anderson- Detached
Taylor McFerrin- Decisions feat Emily King
Tory Lanez- Henny in Hand
SZA- Divinity feat Jill Scott
Gallant- Weight in Gold (Electric Mantis Mix)
Esperanza Spalding- I Can't Help It
Nehzuil- I Wanna Love You
Phony Ppl- Baby Meet My Lover.
SiR- The Bullet and The Gun
Tiffany Gouche- Red Rum Melody
KING- Hey (Extended Mix)
Emily Braden- Wallflower's Fantasy
Kris Bowers- #TheProtestor
esta.- Luna
J Dilla-Won't Do
Robert Glasper- The Consequences of Jealousy feat Meshell Ndegeocello (Georgia Ann Muldrow's Sassy Geemix)
Young Fathers- Old Rock n Roll
Leon Bridges- River
If you like what you hear, please do support the artists!
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A Foothold on the Rocks: The Indelible Legacies of Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence
February 3 - 27, 2016
Tania L. Balan-Gaubert
Shannon Berry
Danielle Friedman
Freida Hoyett
Lance Johnson
David Vades Joseph
Tiffany Latrice
Christian Padron
Bryce Zackery
Equity Gallery, 245 Broome Street, New York, NY 10002 Opening Reception: Wednesday, February 3, 6-8pm Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 11am-6pm, and by appointment
New York, New York, January 13, 2016 – In celebration of Black History Month, Equity Gallery and Harlem Arts Festival are pleased to announce A Foothold on the Rocks: The Indelible Legacies of Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence, a group exhibition of new work that reflects the enduring artistic contributions of Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence. The exhibition features paintings, prints, textile, sculpture and film.
Artists Equity was founded in 1947 by over 160 leading American artists to promote opportunities for visual artists and to address business and economic issues affecting them. The Lawrences were active members of Artists Equity from the beginning and Jacob Lawrence served as President of the organization in the 1950s. Equity Gallery, Artists Equity’s non-profit art space on the Lower East Side, was made possible through a gift by the Lawrences.
Harlem Arts Festival was founded in 2010 by three young arts entrepreneurs to showcase Harlem-based and affiliated artists and present their work to the community during a free uptown festival. In the last five years, programming has expanded to include year-round events, partnerships and co-presentations with organizations such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Young Patrons of Lincoln Center and Revive Music.
Throughout the 20th century, Harlem has been regarded as the symbolic mecca for Black American artistic production, culture and activism. Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence are two icons whose work holds an important space in the landscape of Harlem artists, and whose philanthropy gave rise to many more. Raised in Harlem, Jacob Lawrence’s early work documents scenes of Harlem life – people, storefronts, brownstones and more. Early paintings also depict his immediate surroundings, including his family, home and studio. Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence was born in Barbados and moved to Harlem in her youth. She studied Fine Arts and worked for the Works Projects Administration (WPA), assisting in various artists’ projects, including Charles Alston’s mural in the Children’s Ward of Harlem Hospital. She is known for her vibrant figure compositions and portraits.
Today, Harlem is internationally known as a cultural hub in part because of widespread nostalgia for its past. Contemporary artists continue to engage with and document Harlem’s complex living legacy. In celebration of Black History Month, this collaboration between two arts non-profit organizations aims to highlight the lasting contributions of the Lawrences’ to the arts and the Harlem community.
A Foothold on the Rocks presents original works from artists engaging with the Lawrences’ memory and aesthetic. In keeping with the Lawrences’ influence, Tania L. Balan-Gaubert, Tiffany Latrice and Christian Padron explore the use of narrative to document and preserve historical memory, celebrate identity and engage with cultural representation. Danielle Friedman, Freida Hoyett, Lance Johnson and Bryce Zackery investigate figuration, graphic forms, subjective perspective and critical realism, important aspects of the Lawrences’ works. Shannon Berry and David Vades Joseph explore gentrification, space and community in Harlem and the Lower East Side.
About Artists Equity
New York Artists Equity Association, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1947 by artists and art patrons with the mission to promote opportunities for artists. It operates Equity Gallery, an art space located on the Lower East Side of New York City. For more information, please visit www.nyartistsequity.org.
About Harlem Arts Festival
Harlem Arts Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization co-founded in 2010 by three young arts entrepreneurs living in Harlem. Now in its fifth season, HAF presents multi-disciplinary performances in venues throughout Harlem, culminating in an annual festival that takes place in Marcus Garvey Park at the Richard Rodgers amphitheater. The performances showcase local performers and visual artists that inspire and nourish the artistic community in Harlem. The festival aims to promote arts education and literacy by implementing arts-related discussion forums, educational workshops, performance opportunities and activities for youth and family. The goal of HAF is to fuel the cultural and artistic prosperity of its neighborhood. For more information, please visit www.harlemartsfestival.com.
Follow Artists Equity on Facebook (facebook.com/equitygallery), Twitter (twitter.com/artistsequity) and Instagram (instagram.com/equitygallery).
Follow Harlem Arts Festival on Facebook (facebook.com/harlemartsfestival), Twitter (twitter.com/harlemartsfest) and Instagram (instagram.com/harlemartsfest).
HAF Friends! We're turning five and our Junior Board is throwing us a 5th Anniversary Birthday Bash on Friday, November 13 at The Corn Exchange Building in Harlem!
The Session will feature a private Meet + Greet, champagne toast, and birthday cupcakes with #HAF2014 alum India Carney; followed by a party, all night open bar, and a performance by India.
Join us in celebrating our artists and supporters at this special event! 8PM Special Meet + Greet 9PM General Admission 10:30PM Performance by India Carney Open Bar by Topnotch Events
LINK TO TICKETS!
VIP Members get two free tickets to this event! Become a member!
#HAFSecretSession Recap: Building Our Temples for Tomorrow
By Mirielle Clifford
On Friday, September 18th, during our first annual Secret Session, music once again rose to the vaulted ceilings of St. Thomas the Apostle Church. The church, built in the neo-Gothic style in 1907, closed in 2003 due to dwindling attendance and $5 million in needed repairs. It’s been closed to the public ever since, and was even slotted for demolition.
(Credit: Julia Discenza)
Luckily, preservationists stepped in. They deemed the church one of the most important sites to save in New York state, and, in 2012, Artimus Construction purchased it. Artimus plans to convert the church’s interior—where Irish and German immigrants, and members of Harlem’s African American community, like Harry Belafonte's family, once worshiped—into a performance space.
When we chose the spot to premiere our Secret Session series, which showcases HAF Artists in unique venues, we thought of the event as an unofficial housewarming party, a way to welcome the new potential arts space.
(Credit: Julia Discenza)
And what a welcome it was, with HAF Artists performing where the church’s altar once stood. To the side of the stage, painters Gia Gutierrez, who leads the artist collective El Barrio Pinta, and 2015 HAF Artist Alison Evans engaged in a live paint-off, and would later auction off the paintings to two attendees. HAF Artist Lädy Millard’s work was on display on the party’s VIP balcony.
(Gia Gutierrez and Alison Evans. Credit: Patricia Phelps)
Farrah Boulé Burns, Harlem’s own hip hop griot, kicked off the live performances, unfazed by the occasional power outage. She was followed by Chris Turner, whose smooth melodies echoed throughout the space. The house band for the night was The Shed, which hosts a biweekly jam session in Harlem.
(Farrah Burns with The Shed. Credit: Patricia Phelps)
(Chris Turner. Credit: Patricia Phelps)
(Anu Sun’s The Shed. Credit: Elliott Ashby)
Akir closed out the live performances, asking for a moment of silence before he began, for "the ancestors who came before us, who made it possible for us to be here." Raydar Ellis ended the night with a dance party, seamlessly mashing up Blondie, Missy Elliott, and more.
(Akir. Credit: Julia Discenza)
In New York City and in Harlem, a good space is hard to find, whether it’s affordable living space or performing and rehearsal space for artists. That’s why we’re kicking off our 5th Anniversary Season by advocating for access to unique performance spaces throughout the neighborhood. We want to create a space to celebrate Harlem and its artists, a space to celebrate what we love most about ourselves and contemplate whether it’s harder to create or sustain it with the @kyleandgerardshow and, last but not least, a space to dance.
As our 5th Anniversary season continues, we’re going to be building our temples for tomorrow, as Langston Hughes might say. We hope you’ll join us as we grow and do our part to inspire and nourish Harlem’s artistic community.
Check us out on Facebook to see more Secret Session photos and to get updates on this season’s events. Support us by becoming a HAF member and you’ll get some sweet perks and access to VIP events!
Next up: our Private Session: Brownstone Brunch on Sunday, October 18th, from 2:00 to 6:00 pm, a design-your-own-adventure style experience in a beautiful Harlem brownstone.
Alia Kache received her early dance training at Center for Creative Arts and Chattanooga Ballet. A graduate of the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. program in 2004, she subsequently joined Ailey II and also performed with Nathan Trice/RITUALS, Creative Outlet, Genesis Dance Company, and CeDeCe (Alcobaça, Portugal). Ms. Kache has appeared in Laurie Simon’s Music of Regret – Act III, Radio City Christmas Spectacular 75th Anniversary DVD, and Cordoniu Navidad 2007 (Barcelona, Spain). She was a featured dancer in Big League Theatrical’s Aida, and also performed with Disney’s The Lion King (Gazelle Tour). Co-founder of Renegade Performance Group, Ms. Kache has choreographed for contestants of Miss Tennessee and Miss Georgia (Miss America Organization), Broadway Cares, The Helping Hands Campaign, Cister Musica (Alcobaça, Portugal), Associação de Dança de Leiria (Leiria, Portugal).
Ms. Kache is currently the rehearsal director for Ailey II, under the artistic direction of Troy Powell.
Learn more about Alia via her artist page over at harlemartsfestival.com.
Catch her on the Main Stage at 7:00pm on Saturday, June 27th, 2015 at the Harlem Arts Festival! See the full artist lineup here!
Victor Ramos, aka Zulu King "Slone" is the current Executive Director of Zulu Nation Worldwide, has been inducted into the Graffiti Writers Hall of Fame in 2011, collaborated with loud1neLOC Crew, Jim Jones, the Yankees, has been published in Dance Mogul Magazine with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and was the resident graffiti artist at Webster Hall from 2012 - 2014.
Some of his works and shows include designing the limited edition “Planet B-Boy” sneakers for director Benson Lee for the movie, Planet B-Boy as well as creating canvases for the likes of the hip hop world and artists such as KRS-1.
Slone will be live painting a car during the 2015 Harlem Arts Festival, and was also selected to design a limited edition print available at the fest!
Catch Slone and grab a limited print on both days, June 27th and 28th. See the full lineup here!
Raydar was featured on Esperanza Spalding’s recent Grammy-‐winning album, Radio Music Society, and shared the stage with artists such as Meshell Ndegeocello, Sonnymoon, Questlove, Slum Village, CeeLo Green, Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def), Supernatural, Pharoahe Monch, DJ Wreckineyez, Phonte, John Robinson, Marc Cary, Marcus Strickland, Igmar Thomas, John Cena, Pete Rock, The Experiment, Robert Glasper, Adam Deitch, Ben Williams, Abraham Inc., 7L & Esoteric, and J-‐Live.
His production credits include the critically-‐acclaimed Boombox by Raheem Jamal, co-‐production of Champs vs. The League with Quite Nyce, guest artist/production with Esoteric on ""Boston Garden Rap” & ""First of a New Breed"", and Chris “Daddy” Dave’s remix “of Private Party” " performed by Michelle Williams.
Catch Raydar at the 2015 Harlem Arts Festival on Saturday, June 27th on the main stage at 6:15PM! See the full lineup here!
Chris Turner
Divinity Roxx
Farrah Boule
Jasmine Reign
Jason Yeager
Jesse Fischer
Lauren Desberg
Marc Cary
Octavia Romano & Stephanie Chou
Paul Beaubrun & Jerry Jean
Raydar Ellis
Sammy Miller
Samora Pinderhughes
Shilpa Ananth
AKIR
William B. Johnson
Yacine Boulares
DANCE
Alia Kache
Elijah Avraham / Black Boys Dance Too
Ernest Feltom Baker
Laurie M. Taylor
THEATER + SPOKEN WORD
Scottt Raven and Megan DiBello (Top of the Park Poets)
Tamila Woodward / PopUp Theatrics
VISUAL ART
Alice Mizrachi
Alison Evans
J.T. Liss
Jessica Feldman
Marthalicia Matarrita
Maxine Feida Hoyett
Michael Cummings
Michael Rain
Omi Gray
Priya Handa
Sarah Wang
Victor “Slone” Ramos
See each artist’s set time and learn more about them via their profile pages (in progress) on harlemartsfestival.com.
We love the #HAF2015 artist lineup! Join us at our Preview Session TONIGHT at Ginny’s Supper Club -- 310 Lenox Avenue, New York, NY 10027 --
Be the first to see Shilpa Ananth, Jesse Fischer, and Sammy Miller & The Congregation before the fest in June!
Come early and catch Emily Braden at 7:30PM/Doors 6PM.
#HAF2015 set begins at 9PM!
Shilpa Ananth combines flavors from the East and the West, as well as the influences of what she enjoys in the present. With a splash of Erykah Badu and James Blake, her music is a blend of her Indian roots, with flavorful Jazz chords, and Hip Hop styled beats, and she sings in four languages - Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, and English.
Jesse Fischer's music goes straight to the point — a catchy melody, a heartfelt lyric, an irresistible groove. His music crosses boundaries between jazz, soul, pop, indie, electronic, and folk.
Sammy Miller has performed/recorded with Wynton Marsalis, Christian Scott, Bobby Watson, Johnny O’Neal, David Benoit, Ozomotli, and Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens—at venues across the globe, including the White House, the Bern Jazz Festival, and the Hollywood Bowl. Sam has been recognized with a number of honors, including the Los Angeles Jazz Society’s Shelly Manne Award, the Dolo Coker Scholarship, and the 2009 Los Angeles Music Center’s Spotlight Award.
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p>Emily Braden, A HAF 2014 Alum, is the winner of New York City’s prestigious "Best of the Best" Jazzmobile Vocal Competition, and a powerhouse singer that blends jazz and soul. Whether she's fronting a symphony in British Columbia or leading an intimate jazz trio in Manhattan, Ms. Braden has the innate ability to win the heart of any audience with her vocals and striking stage presence.
#CallingAllArtists: April - May 2015 Opportunities
*Check back as we add more to this list through to May!
SUBMISSIONS, EXHIBITIONS, & COMPETITIONS
Open Call for Muralists, 100 GATES Project, New York, NY - 100 GATES will canvas New York’s Lower East Side with original murals from local and international street artists. Deadline: April 20. APPLY NOW.
Call for Submissions: SAWCC’s Annual Visual Art Show, Chelsea, NYC - Ornate Activate - The South Asian Women’s Creative Collective (SAWCC) is pleased to announce a call for submissions for their annual visual arts exhibition, Ornate Activate, to be held at Shirin Gallery in Chelsea, NYC, opening June 11th, 2015. Ornate Activate examines the use of decorative motifs, architectural elements, cursive scripts and other forms of pattern making by artists to create and imply content. Submitted artworks can be in any media, including painting, work-on-paper, sculpture, installation, photography, video, performance, Internet-based art, and audio works. Deadline: April 24. APPLY NOW.
Call for Mural Artists, New York, NY - Hispanic Federation seeks mural artists based in New York City to design, sketch and install two murals at the Julia de Burgos Latino Cultural Center, located at 1680 Lexington Avenue in El Barrio/East Harlem, NYC. The selected artists should be inspired by the poetry of Julia de Burgos and be able to transform this inspiration into designs that make use of a vibrant palette and are evocative of contemporary mural design influenced by aerosol, stencil and graffiti-based street art. Deadline: April 30 by 5:00PM. APPLY NOW.
TV ONE Screenplay Competition, New York, NY - TV One in partnership with American Black Film Festival hosts its 1st annual screenplay competition, which offers budding writers the opportunity to showcase their talents, and potentially see their project produced. The top 3 finalists will receive an all-expense paid trip to attend the 19th Annual American Black Film Festival in New York City, which runs from June 11-14, 2015. Of the 3 finalists, 1 grand prize winner will be selected to win a cash prize of $5,000, and will have their screenplay produced to premiere at the 20th Annual American Black Film Festival and premiere on TV One in 2016. Deadline: April 30 by 5:00PM. APPLY NOW.
Call for Artists - MoCADA Masquerades for Emerging Artists, Brooklyn, NY - MoCADA’s Board of Directors invites emerging artists to participate in a juried exhibition of small masks in conjunction with The 2015 Masquerade Ball. All traditional and experimental visual arts media (9” x 11” or smaller) will be considered. This exhibition is open to all artists who are 16 years of age or older. For additional details, please contact [email protected]. Deadline: May 1 / Delivery Deadline: May 11.
Art From the Boros 2015 Open Call for Artists, NYC - Denise Bibro Fine Art announces an open call to artists for their “Art From the Boros III” exhibition in 2015. The primary purpose of the exhibition is to bring untapped and underexposed talent in all of the 5 boroughs of New York to the public’s attention. After visiting all of the finalists’ studios, a selection of the most talented of the group will be featured in a group exhibition at Denise Bibro Fine Art in 2015. Two artists will be chosen to have a special exhibition of their work. _Deadline: May, 31. _Entry Fee: $30. APPLY NOW.
FELLOWSHIPS & PROGRAMS
Open Call: Innovative Cultural Advocacy Fellowship, New York, NY - The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute is now accepting applications from culturally diverse advocates and emerging leaders in the fields of cultural arts, public policy, and advocacy. Fellow-participants will engage in-depth series of collaborative exchanges; complete assignments that will nurture innovative thinking; and will learn about the historical contexts of the arts public policy field. Fellows will also have opportunities to meet leaders in the cultural arts public policy field. Deadline: April 24. APPLY NOW.
AWARDS
Emerging Jewish Artist Awards, ArtSprinter, New York, NY - The Art Sprinter Emerging Jewish Artist Awards is a global art competition specifically targeting talented contemporary Jewish artists. The project was created with the vision to recognize exceptional early and mid career artists and present their talent to a global audience through online promotion and a gallery exhibition. While the organization encourages Jewish artists from all over the world to explore their cultural and historical background and to express their attachment to global Jewry through their art, there is no mandatory theme assigned for submitted artworks. Candidates simply need to identify themselves as Jewish artists and submit their best works. Deadline: May 3. APPLY NOW.
