Root of Color

New York, NY… In the exhibition Root of Color, artists showcase the role that color has played in bridging cultures, emotions, and traditions throughout history. For this special show in AHL’s uptown gallery, four artists of Korean and Afro-Latino backgrounds were selected. AHL Foundation, Inc. supports artists of Korean heritage working in the United States […]

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West Harlem Art Fund celebrates its 25th anniversary

Kicking off the organization’s 25th anniversary, Savona Bailey-McClain, Executive Director of the West Harlem Art Fund and her organization presented a panel discussion–New Narratives in Museum Collectionsfor Master Drawings New York at the Academy of Arts and Letters on January 22nd. According to Bailey-McClain, “This is our 4th year participating with Master Drawings New York. […]

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SAY THEIR NAMES

Below are the names of Black entertainers that lived in a three block radius in Central Harlem now a historic district. This shows that talent was in abundance in our community. These names are now forgotten. Let’s bring them back by saying their names. It’s quite a list. 1920 Census West 130th Street Brown, Alfred […]

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STAN SQUIREWELL IN HARLEM

I am examining the relativity of global indigenous geometric patterns, specifically West African Kente schema, as a possible progenitor of modern digital cultures. I see overwhelming similarities in basic constructions and designs of computer processing chips and video games to the geometrical weave of the cloth. The vividly bold colors, precise hard lines, sequential rhythms […]

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Who is Hugh Hayden?

  Hugh Hayden’s practice considers the anthropomorphization of the natural world as a visceral lens for exploring the human condition. Hayden transforms familiar objects through a process of selection, carving and juxtaposition to challenge our perceptions of ourselves, others and the environment. Raised in Texas and trained as an architect, his work arises from a […]

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New Program

Covid 19 revealed that many Americans wanted to connect more with nature, people, and meaningful activities. For years, the arts community has been trying to engage the public. It wasn’t until we lost those connections that people rallied to save them. The West Harlem Art Fund is developing two Public Program Fellowships to create programs […]

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WHO IS GIO SWABY?

My work revolves around an exploration of identity, more specifically, the intersections of Blackness and womanhood. I am interested in the ways in which this physical identity can serve as a positive force of connection and closeness, while also examining its imposed relationship to otherness. Giovanna Swaby is a Bahamian artist, currently based in Vancouver. She […]

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PALMER C. HAYDEN

Palmer Hayden, Harlem Renaissance artist and beyond Palmer Hayden’s birth was on November 9th 1890. He was an African American painter whose work became known during the Harlem Renaissance. Born Peyton Cole Hedgeman in Wide Water, Virginia, he was a prolific artist of his era. He depicted African American life, painting in both oils and […]

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JACOB LAWRENCE TURNS 100

My belief is that it is most important for an artist to develop an approach and philosophy about life – if he has developed this philosophy, he does not put paint on canvas, he puts himself on canvas. Jacob Lawrence                   In honor of the centennial of […]

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DERRICK ADAMS EXHIBITION ON PATRICK KELLY

Derrick Adams is a multidisciplinary New York-based artist working in performance, video, sound and 2D and 3D realms.  His practice focuses on the fragmentation and manipulation of structure and surface, exploring self image and forward projection. A recipient of a 2009 Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, and 2014 S.J. Weiler Award, Adams received his MFA from […]

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BLACK POWER MOVEMENT AT SCHOMBURG CENTER

Black Power! serves as another touchstone in the Schomburg’s “Black Power 50” focus, a yearlong examination into the 50th anniversary of the Black Power movement. Stokely Carmichael and fellow Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) worker Willie Ricks introduced Black Power as a concept in June 1966. Black Power! is located in the newly-renovated Main Exhibition […]

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