Artists gearing up for the Harlem fantastic arts present fifteenth anniversary

Upfront of the Harlem Wonderful Arts Present celebrating its fifteenth anniversary, a number of the artists that shall be featured within the February 24-26 present gathered in Harlem to speak artwork and the significance of HFAS’s platform for “African diasporic artists.”

Ademola Olugebefola is an artist that has believed within the mission of HFAS from the very starting.

Olugebefola was one of many founding members of the WEUSI Artist Collective, and has been advocate for Black artwork and artist for the reason that Sixties.

“It is the one present of its sort of this magnitude,”mentioned Olugebefola of HFAS. “”There’s loads of artwork expos all around the main cities, there’s none that represents completely artists of African descent.”

Olugebefola mentioned the present is a crucial place for young and old work together and be taught from one another.

For Kailee Finn, a 20-year-old artist debuting in Harlem Wonderful Arts Present, mentioned she is making an attempt to take in all of the data she will from older, extra established artist.

Finn, who’s a Junior at Style Institute of Expertise, mentioned she discovered in regards to the HFAS on instagram.

“I positively really feel that the world of artwork is opening up extra,” mentioned Finn, who counts Kehinde Wiley and Angela Davis as inspiration. “My artwork tends to be extra social political, so my different inspirations are Martin Luther King, Angela Davis, Dr. Omar Johnson. Additionally they helped me understand that my voice will be heard and I can nonetheless take a stand for one thing.”

The blending of ages and expertise is strictly what HFAS founder Dion Clarke hoped to create 15 years in the past.

“We’ve artists that began with us 15 years in the past, to artists that simply approaching board,” mentioned Clarke. “There’s one widespread purpose and that is actually to salute the humanities, actually expose their creativity and actually be taught to grow to be an artist.”

Clarke mentioned the present has grow to be so huge that it’s shifting to downtown Manhattan. This years present shall be on the Glasshouse occasion area and can begin on February twenty fourth.