WHAF
-
Geometric Realism: An Immersive Journey
The West Harlem Art Fund is proud to presentCarlos Mateu for its fall exhibition on Governors Island in Nolan Park. Carlos Mateu’s paintings invite viewers into a symbolic world where geometry becomes a language for storytelling. His distinctive style, which he calls Pop Geometric, combines the structural discipline of Cubism with the clarity of Realism, while drawing on…
-
Forgotten Printmaker in the New Deal Era
Dox Thrash (1893-1965) He was born in Griffin, Georgia, on March 22, 1893. Dox was the second of four children in his family. Thrash left home at the age of fifteen in search of work up north. He was part of the Great Migration (African American) looking for industrial work in the North. The first job that Thrash…
African American life, American artist, Army Veteran, Art Institute of Chicago, artist, Buffalo Soldiers, carborundum mezzotint, Carborundum printmaking, Chicago, Dox THrash, Elevator Operator, Federal Art Project, Georgia, mezzotint, National Negro Music Festival, New Deal Era, Pioneer, printmaker, Tra Club of Philadelphia, WPA, WWI
-
Harlem Sculpture Gardens Summer Wine List 2026
Curated by Eric White, Manager The Winery NYC257 West 116th St.New York, NY 10026 List of Black Winemakers: Cape Red “Umsasane” 2022 Aslina by Ntsiki Biyela for $39.95/ btr. Grape: 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot. Region: South Africa> Western Cape> Stellenbosch. Notes: 16 months French Oak (30% new). Filtered, not fined.,…
-
Lost World Literary Genre
According to Wikipedia, The “lost world” is a subgenre of fantasy and science fiction centered on the discovery of isolated, unknown civilizations or prehistoric lands out of time. Popularized in late-Victorian and Edwardian literature, stories often feature perilous expeditions to uncharted, cartographically sealed regions like deep jungles, isolated plateaus, or the hollow earth. The genre originated…
-
Nannie Helen Burroughs, Trailblazing Black Teacher And Labor Organizer
Reprinting this article about an amazing woman. Author: Danielle Phillips-Cunningham During Jim Crow, she forged career paths for Black girls. DANIELLE PHILLIPS-CUNNINGHAM – AUGUST 31, 2022 Editors’ note: This archival post, which we are highlighting in honor of Black history month, was originally published on Aug. 31, 2022, during a spate of union drives and strikes. This…
-
Remembering Unity Ribbon 2010
I remember how this wonderful sculpture was presented and then violently destroyed. Art has that kind of power. To invoke fear, joy, curiosity or a feeling of loss. Created by Scherezade Garcia, a graduate student at the time. She was attending City College of New York’s MFA program. Installed on what is now called the…
-
DEEP ALTARS
Deep Altars, an evocative meditation on ritual, is a solo show by OTERO FUENTES, curated by Alitza Cardona, opening on Governors Island, June 20, 2026. This body of sculpture ponders how cultural beliefs serve as a counter for hope in the face of today’s transactional behaviors. Otero Fuentes sculpts material into possibility. Each piece is…
-
Artist Spotlight – Photographer Phil Buehler
Through my work I look to transport viewers to important places or moments in time. Starting in 1973, when I rowed out to then-abandoned Ellis Island to photograph its ruins, I’ve researched and documented many places of historic, cultural, or political significance through photographs, books and immersive photo-based installations, hoping to bring their stories into…
-
Harlem Sculpture Gardens launches May 2nd 2026
Visit our official site : https://harlemsculpturegardens.com For the third year, West Harlem Art Fund and NY Artist Equity Association present 21 sculptures across six venues in West Harlem. The exhibition opens May 2nd and runs through October 30, 2026. Venues that will display art are as follow: Morningside Park Featuring Joseph Iacona, Elizabeth Knowles, Eunkyung Lee, Elizabeth…
Atu Ram, Brett Cook Dizney, Broadway Mall Association, Chris Sancomb, design, Dianne Smith, EK Lee, Elizabeth Knowles, Elizabeth MacWillie, Harlem Sculpture Gardens, Joseph Iacona, Luke Schumacher, Michael Levchenko, Michael V. Poast, Moses Ros, Natalie Colette Wood, NYAE, NYC Parks, NYC Parks & Recreation, Peter Miller, public art, Savona Bailey-McClain, Savona Bailey-McClain curator, Ted Salmon, Tonia Kennedy, West Harlem Art Fund, Z Buehl, Zihao Zhang
-
History of Macy’s Fireworks
The first-ever Macy’s fireworks show lit up New York skies in 1958, but not on July Fourth. The “pyrotechnic extravaganza” took place over the Hudson River on July 1 as a celebration of the department store’s 100th anniversary. About a million people showed up to watch. That early antecedent was replaced by the show we…
-
Environmental Monitoring is ready to launch this spring
Northern Manhattan has formed a huge partnership to monitor the environment in its local parks. This collaborative effort focuses on monitoring land, air, and water quality. To engage the community, they are creating opportunities such as nature and trail walks, as well as novice paddling excursions on the Harlem River, offering unique views of Highbridge…
Broadway Mall Association, City College School of Architecture, climate change, Columbia Climate School, Columbia School of Engineering, Columbia University, Dana Thomson, Drone Cadets, environmental impact, environmental monitoring, Exalt Youth, Harlem River, Highbridge Park, Humanitarian Open Street Map Team, J.Max Bond Center for Urban Futures at City College, Jackie Robinson Park, June Moses, Kytt McManus, Landscape Architecture Program, Morningside Park, New York Restoration Project, NYU Gallatin Wetlab, resiliency, Slum Dwellers International (SDI) federated network, St. Nicholas Park, The Brotherhood Sister Sol, Washington Heights, West Harlem, West Harlem Art Fund
-
Peter C. Bunnel changed photography forever
Photography as an art form began in 1839 with French artist Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (1787–1851). He called his invention the daguerreotype, a one-of-a-kind image on a highly polished, silver-plated sheet of copper. Samuel Morse, American inventor and painter, brought the invention to NYC and the first studio opened in 1840. Key developments included 19th-century Civil War…
-
Furniture Design with Marie Burgos
As we observe the accomplishments of women this month, we focus on luxury interior design with Marie Burgos. Marie Burgos is a French-born interior designer and Feng Shui expert based in New York. Known for creating harmonious, luxurious, and functional residential and commercial spaces. She founded Marie Burgos in 2007, blending her Martinique heritage with Parisian…
-
Contemporary Black Artists – Late 20th to 21st Century
Today, there is a real threat of erasure. Once again, our past is under attack. However, our present and future are also at risk. We have made gains. Also being trashed is the growth of our humanity. Those gains have not been reflected upon. Our fear of losing our past is keeping us from seeing the gems that are right…
-
DESIGN WEEK NEW YORK
New York City’s annual, citywide design festival, was inaugurated in May 2012 to showcase the city’s, and the world’s, creative talent across various disciplines. Founded as a municipal initiative by the Bloomberg Administration and NYCEDC, it has grown from a local effort into a premier global event, now operating as an independent non-profit. Following a survey highlighting…
-
Cornelius Tulloch an Artist Spotlight
Cornelius Tulloch is a Miami-based interdisciplinary artist and architect. His work transcends the boundaries of photography, fine art, and architecture, exploring the importance of cultural identity within built environments and how space shapes culture, which in turn cultivates landscapes. Cornelius’s work has been presented in institutions such as CUE Art Foundation, New York; Locust Projects;…
-
Black Graphic Designers
We wish to take a moment to reflect on the different styles Black people have used to express their humanity during Black History Month 2026 in the US. A tribute to Gail Anderson, Charles Dawson, Laci Jordan and Emory Douglas. They are not household names, but their work has had a profound impact on American…
-
Reading List for Black History Month
These books came recommended by the National Wildlife Federation Blog. The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature Written by J. Drew Lanham Author, poet, birder and wildlife biologist, J. Drew Lanham explores the story of his love of nature and how its impacted by being a Black man in a…
-
Building Capacity
The definition of citizen science is below. Citizen science is the partnership between professional researchers and the public, where volunteers (citizen scientists) collect, analyze, and share data to advance scientific knowledge. Anyone can get involved to help monitor the environment, identify species, or classify images, often contributing to large-scale, long-term studies. There is a need to…
-
Betty Boop is now public domain
The Real Betty Boop Baby Esther Jones Esther Lee Jones (a.k.a. Baby Esther) was born in Chicago in, or around, 1919. Because she was billed as a “kiddie” act, staying childlike for as long as possible was central to her marketability. This meant that her exact age was kept purposely fluid. As a result, today…
West Harlem Art Fund 