BLACK HISTORY Month

Jonte' is a visual artist from Paterson, New Jersey. His style utilizes humor to investigate the shared experiences of African Americans in America, the commodification of urban culture and the conversations surrounding mental health. His paintings and drawings often feature himself and other Black individuals in the midst of colorful and idealized environments. In addition, he places an emphasis on the humanity of his subjects by placing them in various scenes of leisure and domesticity in their plight of finding serenity and joy, while challenging the critical portrayal of masculinity and physicality as it relates to the perception of Black men and women. 

Born in America to Caribbean parents, New York Based artist, Neil Anthony Edward’s creates riveting pieces using canvas, oil, acrylic, godless, metallic silver, and interior paint. He is a visionary who unequivocally evokes emotion through his use of translucent color and unorthodox expression which exudes his love for fashion luxury and seeing his artistic imagination illuminating residential vestibules globally. Encapsulating the brand's motto that “luxury begins with art”, Neil Anthony Edward’s artwork encompasses the astral and physical dimension bridging a galactic subconscious touch on the esoteric and religious aspects of the human psyche.

Candice Tavares is a self-taught illustrator and wood artist born and raised just outside of Philadelphia, PA. Her art is a celebration of Black beauty, love and culture that highlights the rich history and diversity of black hair and skin complexion. She sees her art as an opportunity to challenge the negative narratives about blackness that are so prevalent within the healthcare system and mainstream media. Her art is intended to remind Black people of their inherent beauty and value and remind non-black viewers of their shared humanity with black and brown people through the common bonds of love, 

joy and longing.

Gregory Saint Amand also known as (GOGO) is a contemporary and figurative, American, and Haitian artist. He was born in New York, but spent a good amount of his early formative years growing up in Haiti. His perspective about what speaks to the human consciousness and understanding, the visual lexicons that influence our communication and culture is gentle but observantly powerful in its nature. He displays his conversation with art, loving to paint in layers to open the canvas and its limits, as it brings about a never-ending exploration. Using bright colors, inks and other interesting mediums and details, his mark vision is evident in the work. 

New Jersey based sculptor Jerome China was born in Richmond, Virginia and is best known for his abstract metal sculptures made from rusted and discarded scrap metal, automobile gears and other industrial detritus. The pieces are a fusion of found metal, impulsive ideation and life context. He started his career in 2012 and received his early training as the first artist in residence at All Iron Works commercial welding and fabrication shop currently located in Hoboken, NJ. In addition, he studied with blacksmith Paul Januz at Gravity Line Forge. These residence experiences provided a balanced foundation in welding, Blacksmithing and metallurgy.

Haitian-born modern artist Guy Stanley Philoche immigrated to Connecticut when he was three years old. As the middle child of three boys and coming from a family of sports enthusiasts whose passion he didn’t share, Philoche turned to art as his calling. For the past 15 years, Guy Stanley Philoche has been attracting international attention with his work and his impressive roster of solo shows. As an artist, Guy’s palette is strong and sophisticated. His layering technique has created a body of works so richly textured that one can hardly hold back from reaching out and touching them. It is the artist’s intent and wish that the viewer will follow their desire to reach out and feel the different textured in his works.