Zsudayka Nzinga Terrell to receive the 2023 East Of The River Distinguished Artist Award

Zsudayka Nzinga Terrell, a multi-disciplinary fine artist, curator, and educator, to receive the 2023 East Of The River Distinguished Artist Award. The annual award presented by Honfleur Gallery in memory of Sharon Hughes Gautier honors a living artist in Wards 7 or 8 for creative excellence while significantly impacting the cultural landscape of Washington, DC. The recipient receives a $5,000 honorarium. 

"Zsudayka's mixed media pieces tell stories of the African American family life and experiences. Each piece's bold colors, textures, perspectives, and intricate patterns create a narrative of their power, unity, dignity, beauty, and resilience.", says artist Luis Del Valle, recipient of the 2013 EotR Distinguished Artist Award. "Her impact and contribution to our community and culture cannot be denied."

From Aurora, CO, Zsudayka Nzinga's work is largely focused on mixed media portraiture of American life, including themes of motherhood and culture and identity. Her pieces explore patterns and textures using acrylic, oil, decorative and hand-dyed paper, fabric, thread, and ink on canvas. She uses photography and video to tell stories behind her work. She is a proud mother of 3 children and wife to artist James Terrell.

Says Terrell, "I've lived in DC for 12 years, 8 East of the River. It is a community I have fallen in love with for its resilience and history. I always jokingly call it the authentic part of DC because it's real families who have been here for generations. It's a deep culture that has begun to seep into my work. It's a place that deserves incredible advocates, access, and care. It is my hope that I live my life in a way that creates opportunities, particularly in the arts, for the people on this side of the river who have so much vibrant art to offer the world."

In addition to receiving the 2023 East of the River Distinguished Artist Award, Terrell curated this year's East of the River Exhibition, "Interlocked" by the Infinity Collective. The exhibit explores the connections forged between groups of people working in unison towards a common goal. The show features works of talented black women artists, including Camille Angel, Sanah Brown-Bowers, Shante Bullock, Bria Edwards, Artiste Fletcher, Dany Green, Joy Nutt, Reshada Pullen, Liz Stewart, Chantae Sudlow, Candice Tavares, and Vanessa Villareal.

Award Ceremony and Opening Reception, Saturday, September 30th, 2023, 7-9pm at Honfleur Gallery, 1241 Good Hope Road, SE; Washington, DC 20020. RSVP at bit.ly/INTERLOCKED. Show details available at honfleurgallerydc.com. Terrell bio and inventory available at terrellartsdc.com.

Day five of the Affordable Art Fair and Escape from New York

Sunday is always somewhat of a stressful day -- if sales have been slow, every possible bite becomes urgent.

On my way from The Jane Hotel to the Metropolitan Pavilion
I came across a Goya truck: Si es Goya, tiene que ser bueno

We get a visit from DMV are ubercollector Steve Krensky... Krensky, without a single doubt, has the largest collection of art by DMV artists on planet Earth! In fact, Krensky has more DMV artwork than all museums in the world combined.

Steve Krensky wearing one of his famous art outfits

Sunday crowds at the AAFNYC

Sunday sales are slow except for Seth Fairweather, whose work is on fire with multiple sales. When 5PM the fair ends and the furious process of repacking the art, breaking down and loading the van commences. With the whole crew busting ass, we escape from New York around 6:30PM - a new record!

Day four of the Affordable Art Fair NYC

Here's what unusual: the fair has been very well attended - lots of people, yet sales have been somewhat slow -- my drawings on Bisque have been flying off the wall - but they're a very low price point.  Today Seth Fairweather had a decent sale of three of his very cool wall sculptures, but also faced dealing with a nice lady who wanted a huge discount on several of his colored glass pieces - we eventually refused the offer, which essentially wanted a third off!

Art collectors admire Seth Fairweather's work at the AAFNYC Fall 2023

Christina Helowicz "eye" sculptures have also been selling well, but again they're very low priced at around $300 each or so.

Eye sculpture by Christina Helowicz at the 2023 Fall AAFNYC

The works of Dora Patin continue to get a lot of attention - this gifted painter is clearly a superbly talented painter, and her trompe l'oeils are amazing to say the least. So far one has sold.

Double Venus by Dora Patin

Susan Lamont's wonderful oils have made their debut in this fair - a lesson learned is that perhaps in the future the larger works may have more impact.

Pershing Square Crossing by Susan La Mont

Day three of the Affordable Art Fair NYC

Day three is a long one, with a lot of young collectors strolling through the aisles (2,100 visitors today!).

Press from today:

Hyperallergic 

La Voce Di New York

W42ST

Thrillist

Alida Anderson Art Projects booth crew
(left to right: Christina, me, Steve and Seth)

Seth Fairweather with admirer

Day two of the Affordable Art Fair New York

The VIP Preview opening last night was pretty packed - there was a snafu with the beer delivery (not the fault of the AAF staff), but...

The second day was also pretty well attended.

Some decent press so far:

• 6sqft 
• Artnet News 
• Hyperallergic
• TimeOut New York
• Made in Italy Press & News
• La Voce Di New York
• • New York Latin Culture Magazine 
  • Piercing Ken
  • Hyperallergic
  • The PR Net 
  • GothamToGo
  • 
    

Seth Fairweather at the Affordable Art Fair NY Fall

Jennifer Kahn Barlow at the Affordable Art Fair NY Fall

Dora Patin at the Affordable Art Fair NY Fall

Steve Wanna at the Affordable Art Fair NY Fall

Ally Morgan at the Affordable Art Fair NY Fall

Amanda Coehlo at the Affordable Art Fair NY Fall

Lian Sever at the Affordable Art Fair NY Fall

Pershing Square - One of Susan La Mont's paintings
at the Affordable Art Fair NY Fall

Three of Florencio Lennox Campello's works at the Affordable Art Fair NY Fall

Alida Anderson Art Projects' booth at the Affordable Art Fair New York

How to Spend $1,000 at NYC’s Affordable Art Fair

Rhea Nayyar from Hyperallergic went to the Affordable Art Fair in NYC with a thousand imaginary bucks...

I gave myself an imagined budget and set out to find everything from dorm-room art to a housewarming gift for that friend who loves crystals.

I was admittedly grumpy when I arrived at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan to see that the line for the Affordable Art Fair entry wrapped around three-quarters of the block. For what it’s worth, the line moved quickly and I got to daydream about organizational solutions while peering into the neighboring Container Store, but even then, I still couldn’t believe how many people were waiting to get in on the preview night alone. Thankfully, the fair runs through September 24.

And I appreciate that Nayyar picked my Bisque drawings as one of her recommendations! About 30 of them sold on VIP Preview Night!

Read the article here.

On the way to NYC & Day One of the AAFNYC

4:30 AM: The van has been packed the day before, and it's ready for Steve Wanna to add his work as we head out to pick up Christina Helowicz in Pasadena. 

5:30 AM: Arrive at Pasadena, pick up Christina and head to New York. 

10:00ish AM: Arrival in Chelsea and check in at the Metropolitan Pavilion.  We get Doris Day parking by the side door, and unload, as our booth is really close to that door. Seth Fairweather is already there and his work is already hung.  I depart to check in to the Jane Hotel and drop luggage before heading back, dropping the van at the parking garage, where it will be until Friday at 6PM and then go inside the Pavilion to help with the hanging and preparation of the booth for tonight's VIP Preview. 

Steve Wanna setting up booth C1 at the Affordable Art Fair NYC

3:30PMish: The booth is pretty much done and hung with the work of Seth Fairweather,  Steve Wanna, Christina Helowicz,  Dora Patin,  Amanda Coelho,  Ally Morgan,  Jennifer Kahn Barlow,  Susan La Mont and mine. We head out to our respective hotels to clean up, be back by 5ish and be ready for the opening reception. 

Line outside the Metropolitan Pavilion waiting for the VIP Preview opening
of the Affordable Art Fair in New York 

 Preview Night of the 2023 Affordable Art Fair

A few minutes into the opening, a DMV area collector emails me in response to me sending him Dora Patin's new spectacular trompe l'oeil paintings, as he has begun collecting Patin during the previous fair; he says "I want the Cheshire cat."

Sometimes a Fair opening is so crowded that it actually begins to interfere with the visitors ability to actually see the artwork... my Bisque Graphite drawings move briskly.

9:00PM: It's been a long day and we're all exhausted as we head to our various hotels... the first day of the Affordable Art Fair New York City is done.

Lian Sever at AAFNYC

Lian Sever makes her Affordable Art Fair debut at the Affordable Art Fair NYC starting tomorrow at 6PM in Chelsea! We're in booth C1!

Frida Kahlo: Resilience by Lian Sever

Vote for Pippi!

Pippi, AKA the world's nicest dog, has been entered in the PAW photo contest for a chance to be on the 2024 calendar. Please vote for Pippi if you have a chance. It's a $1 per vote and a minimum of 5 votes. The money goes to a good cause to help these rescue dogs and cats. The contest ends today at 7:00 pm so please vote ASAP and apologies for the last minute notice. 

Vote here.

UPDATE: She won!!!!

Susan La Mont - Atlantic Ocean series

Susan La Mont's gorgeous Atlantic Ocean series will be showcased at the Affordable Art Fair New York City starting next Wednesday in Chelsea! Booth C1!

Well, I'm a-standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona

And such a fine sight to see

It's a girl, my Lord, in a flat-bed Ford

Slowin' down to take a look at me

Come on, baby, don't say maybe

I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me

We may lose and we may win

But we will never be here again

So open up, I'm climbin' in to take it easy

"Song of a Mad Minstrel" by Robert E. Howard. Allow me to share it with you (again):

I am the thorn in the foot, I am the blur in the sight;

I am the worm at the root, I am the thief in the night.

I am the rat in the wall, the leper that leers at the gate;

I am the ghost in the hall, herald of horror and hate.

I am the rust on the corn, I am the smut on the wheat,

Laughing man’s labor to scorn, weaving a web for his feet.

I am canker and mildew and blight, danger and death and decay;

The rot of the rain by night, the blast of the sun by day.

I warp and wither with drouth, I work in the swamp’s foul yeast;

I bring the black plague from the south and the leprosy in from the east.

I rend from the hemlock boughs wine steeped in the petals of dooms;

Where the fat black serpents drowse I gather the Upas blooms.

I have plumbed the northern ice for a spell like Frozen lead;

In lost grey fields of rice, I learned from Mongol dead.

Where a bleak black mountain stands I have looted grisly caves;

I have digged in the desert sands to plunder terrible graves.

Never the sun goes forth, never the moon glows red,

But out of the south or the north, I come with the slavering dead.

I come with hideous spells, black charms and ghastly tunes;

I have looted the hidden hells and plundered the lost black moons.

There was never a king or priest to cheer me by word or look,

There was never a man or beast in the blood-black ways I took.

There were crimson gulfs unplumbed, there were black wings over a sea;

There were pits where mad things drummed, and foaming blasphemy.

There were vast ungodly tombs where slimy monsters dreamed,

There were clouds like blood-drenched plumes where unborn demons screamed.

There were ages dead to Time, and lands lost out of Space;

There were adders in the slime, and a dim unholy Face.

Oh, the heart in my breast turned stone, and the brain froze in my skull-

But I won through, I alone, and I poured my chalice full

Of horrors and dooms and spells, black buds and bitter roots-

From the hells beneath the hells, I bring you my deathly fruits.

Celia Cruz as Barbie

This Barbie Inspiring Women doll honors the incomparable Celia Cruz, best known as “la Reina de la Salsa” (The Queen of Salsa).

 

Ballroom blitz

And the man in the back said, "Everyone attack"

And it turned into a ballroom blitz

And the girl in the corner said, "Boy I want to warn you"

It'll turn into a ballroom blitz

Ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz

The curious case of upside down Klint

A Hilma af Klint fan who visited the recent af Klint and Piet Mondrian double header exhibition at Tate Modern in London noticed something off about one of the paintings. Was it accidentally hung…upside down?

Read the article by Jo Lawson-Tancred here.

Lest we forget

 

"Studio View, 9/11"
Oil on Canvas c. 9/11/2001 by David FeBland