#whatsnewarkgottodowithit

[tuckercontemporaryart]

Second Generation Black Gallerist, With Newark Origins, Takes The Global Lead My first introduction to Navindren Hodges came by way of an email from him promoting the sale of a unique print by the iconic Black abstract sculptor, Richard Hunt. I later met Navindren, in person, when I picked up the print at one of the oldest Black owned galleries in the country, the Bill Hodges Gallery, that was then located on 57th street in New York City. Navindren Hodges is the Gallery Director for Bill Hodges Gallery, now located in the Chelsea arts district in Manhattan. Established in 1979 by his father, Bill Hodges, the gallery’s collection ranges from 19th-century Black artists Henry Ossawa Tanner to Harlem Renaissance legends James Van der Zee to modernist, abstraction icons Norman Lewis and contemporaries Willie Cole and Carrie Mae Weems. Hodges notes that the market for African American artists and women artists is strong particularly due to the deaccessioning (divesting of art) occurring at many museums that are now looking, in many instances, to replace them with these two categories of artists who have long been under-represented. The gallery has been experiencing strong demand for Edward Clark, Norman Lewis, Frank Bowling and the photographs of Roy DeCarava amongst many others. More on Hodges at our podcast, WhatsNewarkGotToDoWithIt.com. Navindren attended the Sotheby’s Institute of Art where he received a Master’s Degree in Art Business and the University of Iowa where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology.  Images: 1. Navindren Hodges with Demetrius Oliver’s, Totem, 2004. 2. Willie Cole, Mother and Child #2, 2020. 3. Bill Hodges kavie Barnes and Navindren Hodges, 2010. 4.Navindren with Norman Lewis’, Exodus, 1972. 5. Bill Hodges Gallery Catalog, 2010. 6. Navindren with Sam Gilliam’s, Renaissance I, 1986. 7. Takashi Murakami, 727, 1996. #blacklivesmatter #blackartmatters #blackartsmovement #africandiaspora #navindrenhodges #billhodgesgallery #newark #whatsnewarkgottodowithit #whatsupwithart https://www.instagram.com/p/CPhMUXpFTsG/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tuckercontemporaryart]

Artist Victor Davson; Decolonizing Art Spaces in Newark, NJ Even after 35 years of knowing him, I continue to be inspired by Victor’s public and personal art practice in Newark, NJ. Victor is the co-founder of Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art in Newark. He and Carl E. Hazelwood founded Aljira together in 1983 as a non-profit center for contemporary visual art to promote the work of emerging and under-represented artists. Tune in to find out more about this dynamic Art Leader and Cultural Disrupter on our podcast, WhatsNewarkGotToDoWithIt.com. Aljira was a vital hub for creative excellence in Newark’s downtown arts district for over three decades.  Victor served as its director for 33 years. His professional and charismatic leadership has, and continues to have, a profound impact on the artistic landscape of Newark and the Tri-State region. Artists of the African Diaspora, women and other underrepresented artists are exhibited, engaged and given global platforms that had never been realized, before he landed in the city of Newark. Victor’s visual art practice is heavily influenced by the anti-colonial politics of the Caribbean, and by the intellectual powerhouses of that period. 1. Victor Davson, Dub Factor: Heroes (Marvin), 2016. Acrylic and sequins on treated vinyl LP record album cover. 2. Victor Davson in front of his “Dub Factor Redux” series. 3. Artist and Aljira Center for Contemporary Art co-founder, Carl E. Hazlewood. 4. HERESIES magazine cover, 1985 and Black artist Emma Amos. 5. Film still from Esther Podemski and Chuck Schultz's 5 DAYS IN JULY commissioned by Victor Davson. 6. Amiri Baraka, 2013, iconic native Newarker, NJ Poet Laureate, reading at Aljira. 7. May 22, 2015, Okwui Enwezor and Dawoud Bey receive Aljira Timehri Leadership in the Arts Award. 8.Victor Davson, Misogyny Papers/Apology (impossible), 2020. 9. The Book of Hours/Ours book project, 2021, featuring work of Cicely Cottingham and Victor Davson. #blacklivesmatter #africandiaspora #guyana #victordavson @carl.hazlewood #aljiraart #newarkmuseumofart #edwardsspriggs #cicelycottingham #newarkexpress #newark #covid19 #whatsnewarkgottodowithit #whatsupwithart #decolonizethisplace  https://www.instagram.com/p/COdkREaF4gH/?igshid=jh4uc19rcv4d

[tuckercontemporaryart]

Episode 11. SOULEO: Showing Out in Harlem, Newark and Beyond I first met Peter “SOULEO” Wright in Harlem in 2012 through a mutual friend and colleague, @leanne_stella, founder of Art In Flux Harlem. He curated an exhibition at her gallery titled “Art Enology”. Both Souleo and Leanne introduced me to a newly vibrant art scene that continues to grow and has reestablished Harlem’s prominence as a global art center. The Pandemic hasn’t slowed Souleo down. His most recent exhibitions in Harlem, NYC and Newark, NJ, dynamically illustrate his amazing ability to bring the intersection of art, fashion, and celebrity to a widely diverse audience. Image 1: “Styling: Black Expression, Rebellion and Joy Through Fashion”, curated by Souleo at Nordstrom’s in NYC featured works by 15 contemporary Black artists. Souleo in front of a photograph by Kwame Braithwaite in a digital installation by artist Dianne Smith. Photograph by Ruben Natal-San Miguel. Image 2: Installation features three “African Diva Project” paintings by Margaret Rose Vendryes. Image 3: 20th Newark Arts Festival featured “Dionne Warwick: Queen of Twitter”, entertainer and NJ native curated by Souleo. Image: Detail of Beau McCal’s artwork. Image 4: “God Is A Dandy”, a virtual Paul Robeson Galleries, Rutgers Newark event at curated and moderated by Souleo. Left: Souleo. Right: Jerry Gant, late Newark artist’s unique dandy style. Images 5 & 6:Showing Out: Fashion in Harlem:, a multimedia exhibition at the Schomburg Center, curated by Souleo, in honor of the 55th anniversary of the Harlem Institute of Fashion. Image 7: Early photograph of HIF founder Lois K. Alexander-Lane. Image 8: Souleo, left, and partner Beau McCal, shared their story on “National Coming Out Day”, via a virtual event, “LGBTQ+ Lessons on Creativity and Connecting Generations”. #Souleo #Harlem #Newark #NewarkArts #Art #BlackLivesMatters #BlackArtMatters #AfricanDiaspora #Curate #Exhibitions #GodIsADandy #ShowingOut #PaulRobesonGalleries #SchomburgArtCenter #NewArts #NAF20201 #NationalComingOutDay #LGBTQ+  #WhatsNewarkGotToDoWithIt #WhatsUpWithArt #TuckerContemporaryArt (at Newark, New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWEDmNgFTy2/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tuckercontemporaryart]

Artist and Curator Anonda Bell: Raising Civilization’s Radical Voice In Newark I first met Anonda in 2017 at the Express Newark spaces in downtown Newark. I was very curious about this “Third Space” created to incubate talent, cultivate engaged scholarship and promote social practice in a unique variety of exhibition and maker spaces. Anonda volunteered to give me a tour and I was amazed at the resources offered by this creative incubator campus. Anonda Bell is an Australian born, USA based, artist and curator. She is the Director and Chief Curator of the Paul Robeson Galleries. The PRG operates a network of exhibition venues in dedicated and interstitial spaces across the campus, including the Robeson Campus Center and Express Newark. Paul Robeson, the esteemed Black American singer, actor, political activist and alumnus of Rutgers University, said “Artists Are The Gatekeepers of Truth. We Are Civilization’s Radical Voice.” Anonda has directed and curated exhibitions over the past 14 years that uniquely support and illustrate Paul Robeson’s mandate. Anonda’s personal art practice addresses issues of psychology, feminism and the environment through installation based work. Her artwork has been shown at various venues in the USA and Australia. There’s more on Anonda and Newark Arts on our podcast, WhatsNewarkGotToDoWithIt.com Images: 1. Anonda Bell, Neither Shall You Touch It (detail), 2013-2014 from the series Reinstated. 2. Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, America Is Black, 2018. Exhibition titled, Mirror Mirror. 3. Images by Manuel Perez, Picking Up the Pieces, the 2021. featuring the work of seven MFA student artists. 4. Paul Robeson Galleries Director & Chief Curator Anonda Bell. 5. Anonda Bell, Resist: A Coloring Book for Resistant Individuals. 6, Anonda Bell, Biophobia: Apiphobia (Bees), 2011. 7. Marcel Duchamp, Bamberger’s Newark window, 1960. #blacklivesmatter #africandiaspora #newark #anondabell #PRGNewark #expressnewark #whatsnewarkgottodowithit #whatsupwithart https://www.instagram.com/p/CO_4GpYFa9P/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tuckercontemporaryart]

Episode 05: Playwright Richard Wesley Shares The Black Arts Movement’s Newark Roots Tune in to the podcast, WhatsNewarkGotToDoWithIt.com, to hear award-winning playwright, Richard Wesley, share how the 1970s Black Arts Movement in Newark inspired his contributions to theater, film and books over the past five decades.  Richard wrote the libretto for Anthony Davis' opera The Central Park Five, which was awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Music. The opera (originally titled Five) was conceived and produced by Kevin Maynor, whose Newark-based Trilogy, An Opera Company, performed it at the New Jersey Performance Arts Center (NJPAC). Since 1971, his work has explored the full spectrum of the Black experience in America, provoking audiences to think deeply and reflect on their own worldviews. Whether moved to tears or laughter, anyone fortunate to be in the audience will never forget Richard's Drama Desk winning play, The Black Terror, the controversial Mighty Gents (about former gang members in Newark) or his hilarious Uptown Saturday Night film. As both a celebrated participant and eager student of the Black Theater Movement in the late 1960s, he became part of a seismic force in American culture, breaking down barriers and helping to disrupt the cultural landscape.  Images: 1. Play, Black Terror 2. Five, 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Music 3. Uptown Saturday Night 4. The Mighty Gents 5. Native Son 6. Wesley Memoir #blacklivesmatter #richardwesley #newark #blackartsmovement #blacktheatermovement #broadway #movies #whatsnewarkgottodowithit https://www.instagram.com/p/CNUzOILFRni/?igshid=1oqx74a69ul6g

[tuckercontemporaryart]

Please join us for a spirited conversation with the "IN FULL BLOOM" exhibition artist Victor Davson. The solitude and confinement of pandemic life led Davson to look more closely at his surroundings at home and was the impetus to start this series in 2020. A thrilling homage to the splendorous foliage and vistas of Essex County’s first ridge of the Watchung Mountains in West Orange, NJ along the Lenape Trail. Moderated by Roger C. Tucker III IN FULL BLOOM Landscapes by Victor Davson March 12, 2022 4-5:30 pm. Akwaaba Gallery 509 South Orange Avenue Newark, NJ 07103 Images: Victor Davson. Curated by Laura Bonas Palmer Exhibition Open from 02/12/22 to 03/26/22 Hear our fascinating conversation about Victor's career-long art journey on episode 6 of the podcast, WhatsNewarkGotToDoWithIt.com. #victordavson #akwaabagallery #laurabonaspalmer #art #blackart #artgallery #artwork #painting #watercolorart #landscapeart #landscapepainting #landscape #painting #art #artchangesminds #urbanartist #newarkart #newarkmuseumofart #lenapetrail #newarkartists #newarkarts #newarkart #artcollector #downtownnewark #rutgersnewark #whatsupwithart #whatsnewarkgottodowithit @whatsnewarkgottodowithit #tuckercontemporaryart (at Akwaaba Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca5hQgMOkoB/?utm_medium=tumblr