Exhibit | Black Artist Showcase

When

Friday December 9, 2022: 10:00am to Tuesday January 31, 2023: 8:00pm

Where

Downtown 1st Floor Lobby

Description

Following the Ann Arbor District Library's Call for Artists in 2020, the Ann Arbor District Library celebrates the works of local Black artists in this lobby exhibit. Artists include: T'onna Clemons, Cheyenne Fletcher, Nick Pizana, Alfield Reeves, Jaleesa 'Jah Rosario, Bryan Shelmon, and Avery Williamson. 

Works are available for sale. For purchase inquiries email exhibits@aadl.org.

 

T'onna Clemons is an Ann Arbor based freelance painter, she has been traveling around the world for the past several years gaining experience in different mediums such as oil, gauche, acrylic, watercolor and welding. T'onna studied fine arts at Eastern Michigan University, The art institute of San Francisco and Art history at Arizona State University. Originally a Graphic designer she has used those skills to develop her own style of mixing media to create futuristic textures that she is known for.

After 15 years of painting T'onna has developed a style that focuses on conveying and capturing the emotions of the African American experience currently in America. She has recently extended her range to Wildlife and wilderness portraits in current years. T'onna focuses on utilizing her educational background and life experiences to tell stories using texture and sharp images to garner conversations and to insight emotions.

 

Cheyenne Fletcher is a digital and mixed media artist whose works explore how color, texture, and portraiture can affect the perception of a piece. Cheyenne's artwork plays with narrative, abstraction, and emotion and seeks to give viewers a personalized experience.

 

Nick Pizaña is an artist from Detroit, MI who works primarily in murals and illustration. Pizaña draws on techniques from his background as a graffiti writer and comic artist to create dynamic, illustrative scenes, bouncing with graphic bold lines and radioactive color.

Nick received his MFA in Painting from Cranbrook Art Academy in 2022 and has created murals for the city of Detroit. Nick has exhibited work at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Cranbrook Art Museum, and the Ann Arbor Art Center.

 

Alfield Reeves, originally from Liberia, West Africa, is a self-taught freelance editorial and portrait photographer based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He specializes in creating work that encourages self-reflection and expression, promotes equitable action and showcases the identity and culture of black & brown people. His images are warm, quiet and bold. They bridge traditional divides between photojournalism, portraiture and fashion. 

His work is featured in magazines and online platforms like Vogue Greece, The New York Times, Grand Rapids Magazine, Grand Rapids Business Journal, ProPublica, and The Trace to name a few. His work has been part of numerous exhibitions locally and statewide.

 

Jaleesa 'Jah Rosario is an Icelandic born Afro-Caribbean American Mixed Media Artist, UX Researcher and Creative Strategist.

Her Art & design research examines how the technological convergence of tools, networks, media and platforms that were built within systems of oppression affect users at the intersection of creativity and marginalization. She seeks to visualize the marginalized creator experience within digital creator spaces to uncover if technological convergence and automation has helped or harmed their communities - both IRL & URL. Through a mix of critical queer race theory; media and design studies; and human computer interaction research.

She holds a BS in Arts & Media Management and a MS in Human Computer Interaction Research from The University of Michigan School of Information.

 

Bryan Shelmon, the creator of CULTURE Art, was born in Southfield, MI. He now travels nomadically around the world creating art, achieving accolades such as having his ‘CULTURE NYC Flag’ featured in a public exhibition waving alongside original works by KAWS and Jeff Koons; and collectors internationally spanning from Portugal to Colombia.

CULTURE Art is inspired by his travels—telling his story through the power of words and provoking thoughts of how “culture” plays a role in everything and everyone. These ideals are reflected in various mediums, including acrylic paintings on canvas or incorporating real world elements to bring ‘culture’ to life before your eyes. With 20+ countries already under his wings and climbing, CULTURE Art continues to evolve to reflect the beauty of the world.

 

Avery Williamson is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores historical and contemporary notions of the archive, domestic space, Black pleasure and spatiotemporal collapse. Her body of work includes textiles, murals, collage work, photography and painting. She graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Visual Studies. Williamson currently lives and works in Southeast Michigan.