I learned about Black Fine Art Month from Patricia Andrews-Keenan, founder and CEO of Pigment International, a multi-media arts platform that evangelizes for black art, curation, and innovation. Based in Chicago, the organization uses arts journalism to advance the black contemporary aesthetic in the visual arts.
An initiative of Pigment International, Black Fine Art Month was created in 2019 to be a global celebration of the Black Fine Art aesthetic each October. Black Fine Art Month is an annual recognition of artists, innovators, collectors, curators, and those vested in the black art tradition. It’s an opportunity to commemorate and elevate these contributions through art programming.
Thus I was excited to be a partner with Andrews-Keenan and her woman-led team including Phyliss North, Nalani McClendon, Sandra Harrison, and Veronica Harrison.
Jenn Byrne, director of Aurora Public Art, and I have been working with this incredible team over Zoom since October 2021. We started meeting monthly in February, and weekly this Summer.
Working as a team, we’ve created a kick-off event for Black Fine Art Month October 2 that is uniquely Aurora. We brought in Yvonne Toney-Thompson, owner of The Cotton Seed Creative Exchange, 64 S. River Street, who will be host to a live painting event featuring artist Isabella Alexia Toney.
A brunch event at Aurora Public Art’s third floor gallery at David L. Pierce Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Place, will feature artist Jade Williams and Aurora artist Bryan Daniel Joseph, AKA Dada Soulface.
Joseph slices and cuts up vintage books and magazines with sharp utensils to create his mixed media collage art. His work is a form of automatism that walks in between the conscious and subconscious to create his unique visual poetry on paper and canvas.
Sandra Harrison, CEO of DVA Leadership and Development Training Consultants, will be the emcee of the event.
It all started with an introduction from Sherman Jenkins, who wears many hats, including alderman-at-large for city government of Aurora.
One connection can lead to a series of chain reactions, and bringing our community together is worthy of celebration.
Marissa Amoni is the manager of Aurora Downtown, a group of business and property owners in Special Service Area One. Sugar Skull City, Aurora Downtown’s celebration of Day of the Dead, will begin October 15. Follow Aurora Downtown on Facebook and @downtownaurora on Instagram. auroradowntown.org.