{"id":8649,"date":"2021-01-13T17:33:01","date_gmt":"2021-01-13T17:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/media-archive.blackartinamerica.com\/?page_id=8649"},"modified":"2022-05-24T13:46:01","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T13:46:01","slug":"baia-contributors-roster","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/earthexhibitions.org\/media-archive\/?page_id=8649","title":{"rendered":"BAIA TEAM OF CONTRIBUTORS"},"content":{"rendered":"

BAIA TEAM OF CONTRIBUTORS<\/p>\n

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Meet BAIA\u2019s New Editor: Trelani Michelle<\/h2>\n

Trelani Michelle\u00a0authored seven books and ghostwrote even more. She graduated from Savannah State University with a Bachelor\u2019s in Political Science then SCAD with an MFA in Writing. After facilitating workshops for faculty, staff, and students at SSU, she began teaching high schoolers a mix of creative writing and social activism. After a 10-week internship with the Library of Congress\u2019s American Folklife Center, she published a catalog of Black Savannah\u2019s biographies called Krak Teet<\/i>, centering the lives of 19 Gullah Geechee elders over the age of 80. Crowned Savannah\u2019s Best Local Author, Trelani teaches the Black history that school textbooks overlook, demonstrating that personal history is family history which is community history which is world history. She\u2019s presented her work at The Highlander Research and Education Center, Georgia Council for the Arts, SCAD, UNC\u2019s Black Communities Conference, and more. Today\u2019s Zora Neale Hurston, life stories are Trelani\u2019s thing, so she helps people write about their life in the form of books, bios, business pages, and speeches.\u00a0Learn more about her writing services at SoFundamental.com and her Black history lessons at KrakTeet.com. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook @KrakTeet.<\/span><\/p>\n

As BAIA\u2019s new editor, she\u2019ll now be in charge of screening\u00a0articles from our contributors, editing website content, and making sure our newsletters and\u00a0Patreon<\/a>\u00a0communications are current and engaging.<\/p>\n

\"\"SHANTAY ROBINSON<\/b> was a participant in the inaugural class of <\/span>Burnaway<\/span><\/i> Magazine\u2019s<\/span> Art Writers Mentorship Program, a fellow in Duke University\u2019s Center for Documentary Studies Digital Publishing Project<\/span> Editorial Fellowship and was chosen for the CUE Art Foundation\u2019s Art Critic Mentoring program. In addition to writing for <\/span>Black Art in America<\/span><\/i>, she has written for <\/span>Washington City Paper,<\/span><\/i> Arts ATL<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Nashville <\/span><\/i>Scene, <\/span>ARTS.BLACK<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>AFROPUNK<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Sugarcane Magazine,<\/span><\/i> Number, Inc<\/span><\/i>., and <\/span>International Review of African American Art.<\/span><\/i> She also published a scholarly article in <\/span>Teaching Artist Journal. <\/span><\/i>She presented papers about art and education at SCAD\u2019s (Savannah College of Art and Design) Symposium on Art and Fashion, Georgia State University\u2019s New Voices Graduate Student Conference, Georgia State University\u2019s Glorious Hair and Academic Identities Conference, Northeast Modern Languages Association Conference, Mason Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference, and New York African Studies Association Conference. In 2019, she sat on a panel at Prizm Art Fair during Miami Art Week. In 2020, she served as visual arts judge in Shreveport Regional Council\u2019s Critical Mass 8 Art Competition.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"STEPHANIE ROBINSON, Esq.<\/b>\u00a0is a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School, a national media figure, author, former Chief Counsel to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and former President and CEO of The Jamestown Project, a national think tank focusing on democracy.\u00a0\u00a0Robinson hosted her own national radio show,\u00a0<\/span>Roundtable with Stephanie Robinson<\/span><\/i>, a popular weekly 30-minute, talk-radio program focused on culture, politics, and relationships that aired on TSN.\u00a0\u00a0For over half a decade, Robinson was Political and Social Commentator for the\u00a0<\/span>Tom Joyner Morning Show<\/span><\/i>\u00a0where she spoke to between 9 and 10 million people weekly, offering her perspective on the day\u2019s most pressing social and political issues.\u00a0\u00a0Robinson is co-author of\u00a0<\/span>Accountable: Making America as Good as Its Promise<\/span><\/i> (Atria Books, 2009), and a nationally recognized expert on issues relating to social policy, women, race, family, and electoral politics.\u00a0\u00a0 She was a Member of President Clinton\u2019s first Mission to Africa regarding children orphaned by AIDS. A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Maryland and the Harvard Law School, Robinson is a frequent speaker expressing her views in countless media outlets including the\u00a0<\/span>Associated Press, The Washington Post, C-Span, Fox News, NewsOne\u00a0<\/span><\/i>and<\/span>\u00a0NPR<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\"\"Sherricka Day <\/strong><\/b>is an art enthusiast and collector, youth mentor and community advocate. She has been recognized as one of Aflac\u2019s top volunteers, Georgia Trend\u2019s 40 under 40, Columbus and the Valley\u2019s 5 under 40, and an American Red Cross Hometown Hero. She is the founder of Minor in Business, a non-profit organization that provides \u201ckidpreneurs\u201d with a platform to learn about entrepreneurship hands-on. Her ultimate passion comes from connecting and working with youth and by being a positive role model that they can look up to. Sherricka loves to read and engage in conversations with family and friends. In her downtime, you can find her browsing the aisles of thrift stores or digging for antiques or unique finds at estate sales. Sherricka never meets a stranger, and often becomes instant friends with the people she meets. Sherricka produces the daily culture questions for our Facebook page.<\/p>\n

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Paul Laurence Dunbar by Debra Hand<\/p><\/div>\n

DEBRA HAND<\/b> is a museum-collected sculptor, painter, and writer.\u00a0 She is the creator of the historic bronze statue of Paul Laurence Dunbar in Dunbar Park.\u00a0 Among the history makers who own her works are former President Barack Obama; Hillary Clinton; Harry Belafonte; Cicely Tyson; Smokey Robinson; Yo-Yo Ma;\u00a0 Spike Lee; Seal; Sinbad; and the renowned sculptor, Richard Hunt; the late Winnie Mandela, and the late Dr. Maya Angelou also owned her work. Debra Hand holds a Master of Science Degree from the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University.\u00a0 She is a self-taught artist whose talent was discovered by the legendary Dr. Margaret Burroughs, principal founder of the DuSable Museum. It was Burroughs who arranged for Hand\u2019s first public exhibit.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"AMARI JACKSON <\/b>is a creator, author, TV\/web\/film producer, and award-winning journalist. He is author of the 2011 novel,\u00a0<\/span>The Savion Sequence<\/span><\/i>; creator\/writer\/coproducer of the 2012-2014 web series <\/span>The Book Look<\/span><\/i>; writer\/coproducer of the 2016 film <\/span>Edge of the Pier<\/span><\/i>; and current writer\/coproducer of <\/span>Listen Up!<\/span><\/i> on HBCU GO\/Roku TV. He is a former Chief of Staff for a NJ State Senator; a former VP of Communications & Development for the Jamestown Project at Harvard University; and a recipient of several writing fellowships including the George Washington Williams Fellowship from the Independent Press Association. An active ghost writer, song writer, martial artist, and journalist, his writings have appeared in a wide variety of national and regional publications.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Tracy Ann Simmonds is an artist\u2019s artist who uses her personal work to dive deeply into studying identity and seeking understanding of her complex Caribbean heritage. Being born and raised in Queens, NY surrounded by diverse culturally rich experiences shaped her sense of being a globally responsible citizen at a very young age. She\u2019s a photographer by trade with a glamor and fashion portrait studio in Fort Lauderdale, as well as a weekend wedding warrior, but she equally enjoys modeling and frequently sits for fellow photographers for art’s sake. Her passions align with continuing to validate the beauty aesthetics of black girls and women as an ode to self-healing and she taught visual and performing arts programming for 14 years in New York, Chicago and South Florida. Being a company member with Muntu Dance Theater of Chicago for four seasons while pursuing her BA in photography at Columbia College Chicago definitely shaped and informed her creative processes, normalizing traditional African beauty. Tracy Ann published \u201cThe Vision Project: A Coloring Book For Black Girls Who Rock\u201d which features black and white coloring pages of portraits and symbols that celebrate the diverse magnificence of the African Diaspora in the United States. Fighting anxiety through the use of the arts is a recurring theme in her life and her interdisciplinary practice. She officially joined the Black Art in America team in 2021, tackling advertising sales, hosting podcasts and assisting with BAIA Foundation groundwork to continue a legacy of excellence in arts education and entrepreneurship. Her mentors, teachers, and coaches include Frank Frazier, Amaniyea Payne, Dawoud Bey, Carol Haliday-McQueen, Najee Dorsey, Obediah Wright, Kevin Iega Jeff, Crystal \u201cThe MOC\u201d Chanel, Simone Kelly and Carl Anthony Jr. II. You can follow her on ig @miamiculturemaven<\/p>\n

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Cierra Fountain<\/strong> is a graphic designer based in Atlanta, GA. She received her BFA in Graphic Design and a minor in Business from Columbus State University. Although her primary focus is in design, she also has experience and interest in other art forms, such as painting, illustration, and quilting.\u00a0Cierra creates designs for various projects in the BAIA network; this includes layout design for BAIA\u2122 The Magazine, catalogs for BuyBlackArt collections, and promotional material for Garden Art for the Soul.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Yvonne Bynoe<\/b> is the founder of @SheLovesBlackArt which highlights visual art from the African diaspora. She is a contributor to Black Art In America and is the author of the acclaimed book, Stand and Deliver: Political Activism, Leadership and Hip Hop Culture. Bynoe has written and lectured extensively about the intersection of Hip Hop culture, economics and politics.<\/b><\/div>\n
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\"\"Dontanarious Kelly<\/strong>\u00a0is an Augusta, GA native and student at Columbus State University. Through his art, he explores what it means to be a minority, not only as a collective, but also on an individual basis. He takes stories and ideals from individuals and transforms these into art through an exploration of traditional oil painting combined with collage and occasional crude drawings. He finds that this creates a painting that exemplifies the soul of a being.<\/p>\n

\"\"Natasha Gural<\/strong> is a multiple award-winning journalist, writer, and editor with 30 years of editorial experience, including executive roles at The Associated Press, Dow Jones, and Markets Media. A student of literature, art history, and studio art, Natasha has learned from leading scholars at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Oxford University, Clark University, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Natasha has been writing about art since 2002, for multiple publications, including The Associated Press and Forbes. She has traveled extensively to cover major art fairs and events, interviewing a wide array of world-renowned and emerging artists, as well as curators, art historians, collectors, scholars, and aesthetes. Her last contact with the global art world was covering TEFAF Maastricht in 2020. Natasha enjoys observing every level of the creative process, from inception to installation, in studios, galleries, and various spaces. Passionate about the art world, Natasha embraces every opportunity to engage key players to better understand and explain the changing dynamic. She seeks to accurately portray the art ecosystem in an ongoing process that immerses her in the art world. A first-generation American, Natasha was raised bilingual and has always been drawn to the innovators, rebels, and outsiders who break down boundaries and strive to broaden the continuum of art history. Her goal is always to fairly and accurately represent the accomplishments of artists in an effort to collectively celebrate the arts.<\/p>\n

\"\"FARON MANUEL<\/b>\u00a0is an independent curator, and art writer based in Atlanta, Georgia. Since 2016 Faron has also been the coordinator of the Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship, and the Mellon Graduate Fellowship in Object-Centered Curatorial Research at the High Museum of Art. Prior to joining the High Museum, he was the Special Projects Curatorial Assistant to the Director of the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum. While at the CAU Art Museum, he curated his first exhibition,\u00a0<\/span>N\u00e9gritude<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(2015)\u2014that explored a French literary and philosophical movement within the African diaspora through art, before receiving his B.A. in History from Clark Atlanta University in 2015. He later served as the Assistant Editor at Black Art In America from 2015-2016, where he regularly interviewed collectors, and reported widely on contemporary art.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Dr. KELLI MORGAN<\/b>, Originally from Detroit, MI., Dr. Morgan earned her doctorate in Afro-American Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Public History \u2013 Museum Studies in 2017 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass). A scholar and curator, Morgan has worked in a variety of curatorial, programming, teaching, and research positions at various institutions including The Tyler School of Art at Temple University, Wayne State University, the University of Michigan, the Birmingham Museum of Art, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). In early 2014, Morgan was awarded a dissertation fellowship from the prestigious Ford Foundation. She was also named the Curatorial Fellow of African American Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art (2014 \u2013 2015), and in 2016 became the inaugural recipient of The Winston & Carolyn Lowe Curatorial Fellowship for Diversity in the Fine Arts at PAFA. As a critical race cultural historian, Morgan specializes in American art and visual culture. Her interdisciplinary research concentrates primarily on historic African American women artists, however her curatorial work often examines, critiques, and theorizes the ways in which American artists, art objects, art history, and art institutions both challenge and reify the systematic mechanisms of anti-Black violence and oppression in the United States. By analyzing the ways in which Americans construct visual discourses, conceptualize images, and sometimes resist these discourses, Morgan\u2019s curatorial and pedagogical practices link Art History, Women\u2019s Studies, African American History, and Museum Studies to create stimulating and culturally sensitive educational opportunities for students and public audiences alike.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"STEVE A. PRINCE\u00a0<\/b>is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, and he currently resides in Williamsburg, Virginia.\u00a0\u00a0He is the Director of Engagement and Distinguished Artist in Residence at the Muscarelle Museum at William and Mary.\u00a0\u00a0Prince received his BFA from Xavier University of Louisiana and his MFA in Printmaking and Sculpture from Michigan State University.\u00a0\u00a0Prince is a mixed media artist, master printmaker, lecturer, educator, and art evangelist.\u00a0\u00a0He has taught middle school, high school, community college, 4-year public and 4-year private, and has conducted workshops internationally in various media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Chenoa Baker<\/strong> is an arts writer and emerging curator specializing in Black Modern and contemporary art. Her education in Cultural Studies, Art History, and Museum Studies from Chatham University provides an interdisciplinary approach to visual critical studies. Through her work, she explores the expression of discourses of \u201cNorth\u201d and \u201cSouth\u201d and the relationship of artwork to society as propaganda. Her work is confirmed on <\/span>Black Art in America<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Sugarcane Magazine<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Pulse@ChathamU<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>En Pointe<\/span><\/i>, and the Jennie King Mellon Library. You may learn more about her on<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>LinkedIn<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Instagram<\/span><\/a> or by contacting her at chenoa.e.baker@gmail.com.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"TASH MOORE<\/b> is bicoastal Detroit booster, social entrepreneur and activist deeply passionate about promoting diversity & inclusion in all spheres. She currently spends her time between Detroit & DTLA.<\/span><\/p>\n

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