Black Arts & Culture Feature:
- 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair is the only international fair dedicated to contemporary art from the African diaspora, showing in London, New York, Marrakech.
- New Dealers Art Alliance (NADA) supports contemporary art with flagship fairs in New York and Miami plus community gallery programming.
- Revisited favorites like Galerie Myrtis and Tanya Weddemire Gallery, discovered Filafrique, O’DA Art, and The Current: Baha Mar Gallery & Art Center.
- Interviewed artist Candice Tavares, a self-taught wood artist and digital illustrator; materials and work reflect the strength of Black womanhood; saw more at the Scout Art Fair.
My New York Art Week was condensed into 27 hours focused on capturing the latest happenings in the Black contemporary art scene. Spending most of my time at the art fairs in the Starrett-Lehigh Building, then venturing to two art exhibits within the same radius in West Chelsea. It was a bustling time, with me accumulating 5 miles’ worth of steps,, but it left me energized by the artists’ brilliance. Here was my art itinerary:
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1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair
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New Dealers Art Alliance NY
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Boesky Gallery for Danielle McKinney and Sanford Biggers exhibitions
The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair is the first and only international art fair dedicated to contemporary art from the African diaspora. The fair runs three times per year in London, New York, and Marrakech. I had this fair on my must attend list so getting approved for press credentials was true alignment!
The New Dealers Art Alliance (NADA) is a major non-profit arts organization dedicated to supporting contemporary art. They host two annual fairs in Miami and including the flagship NADA New York. Plus, the organization runs community-focused markets and year-round gallery programming. Last December, I attended Miami Art Week and had the chance to attend NADA Miami.
While exploring the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, it was wonderful to revisit familiar spaces like Baltimore’s Galerie Myrtis and Brooklyn’s Tanya Weddemire Gallery. I also loved seeing Filafrique’s available works in person after following them on social media for so long, and getting acquainted with O’DA Art, an exciting gallery based in Lagos, Nigeria, and The Current: Baha Mar Gallery & Art Center, located in Nassau, The Bahamas, also known for FUZE Caribbean Art Fair.
Before I departed the fair, I had a brief interview with artist Candice Tavares, represented by Tanya Weddemire Gallery. Tavares is a self-taught wood artist and digital illustrator who has mainly worked woith wood; she selects materials that reflect the natural strength, variation, and richness of Black womanhood. You can watch a short interview with her on my Instagram. Then, a few days later, I saw more of her work at the Scout Art Fair in Baltimore, MD.
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