The National Black Arts Festival kicked off the 2012 summer festival season at a private preview event held at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough’s office in Atlantic Station. Guests enjoyed a breathtaking panoramic view of Atlanta’s skyline from the balcony, sipped cocktails and dined on hors d’oeuvres provided by One Flew South, while listening to the music of Lerell Ross.
Meet the talented artists who will be showcasing their craft. –yvette caslin
Be a part of the National Black Arts Festival which takes place July 6-15, 2012 at various locations. For more information, please visit www.nbaf.org.
Janine Monroe presents ‘Women of Color’ series
“Within the pieces are [women in] different aspects – from their facial expressions, with all the vibrant color signifying a specific mood: happiness, sadness and anger.”
Tamara Natalie Madden presents ‘Kings and Queens’ series
“My paintings [represent] everyday folk. I choose to heighten people that I remember from [my native] Jamaica in clothes that I deem to be royal. I usually use gold leafs to make them appear to be kings and queens, [royalty]. The pieces are a celebration of the people’s intrinsic beauty, the beauty we cannot see.”
“I started creating after I received a kidney transplant. My brother came from Jamaica and gave me a kidney, he saved my life.”
Clarissa Horton presents ‘Love & Relationships’ series
My paintings illustrate love and relationships. My work is a journal. I paint my stories and they [creatively and visually] depict how I feel. They are a diary. For women, it is hard for us to express how we feel about our relationships with me. Words can’t always express how you feel in your heart.
Belinda Pedroso (Aunt Be Quilts)
“I have been quilting for 15 years. I started a quilt guild called Ebony Stitchers Quilt Guild. My inspiration comes from things around me, my history, my life, my experiences.”
Belinda Pedroso is the author of the book Artistic Expressions of Quilters of Color, which highlights the quilters of color and the spectrum of quilt forms influenced by tradition, history and cultural experiences.
Join Ebony Stitchers at their Quilt Show on July 19 at the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center, Decatur, Ga.
