{"id":10762,"date":"2021-11-19T20:52:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-19T20:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/media-archive.blackartinamerica.com\/?p=10762"},"modified":"2021-11-24T22:02:27","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T22:02:27","slug":"navigating-columbus-a-journey-through-the-recent-inaugural-black-fine-art-fair-of-ohio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earthexhibitions.org\/media-archive\/?p=10762","title":{"rendered":"Navigating Columbus: A Journey Through the Recent Inaugural Black Fine Art Fair of Ohio"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Navigating Columbus<\/h2>\r\n

A Journey Through the Recent Inaugural Black Fine Art Fair of Ohio<\/h3>\r\n
By D. Amari Jackson<\/pre>\r\n
The journey began in the West\u2014that is, with the colorful artistic profiles of Indianapolis\u2019 Kevin Nance West. West\u2019s vibrant display was the first I came across upon entering the fair during Wednesday setup, amidst intermittent whizzing of power drills, the day before its official opening.<\/p>\r\n
Zora was there in rich color, as was Ali, Langston, Baldwin, Josh Gibson, Jimmy Hendrix, Nina Simone, August Wilson, Mahalia Jackson, and Romare Bearden, the latter in his iconic slanted-brim, cigarette-dangling-from-lip, eyeing-you-back posture. West brought out the sistas as well, the sistas in the choir\u2014young sistas from our family, our community, all <\/em>our communities\u2014knowingly singing their praises, knowing the answers to their melodic prayers were rapidly en route, for God had never failed them before and, surely, would not do so now, certainly not now, because they\u2019d come too far by faith. Surrounding them all were the children, the Black, the beautiful, the joyful, vulnerable, pensive, animated children, wide-eyed, looking for magic, looking for love, as children often do.<\/p>\r\n
West told me of his own journey, how he recently became a full-time artist; how he works his magic 12 hours a day in a modest space in the back of a coffee shop \u2018cross the street from his Indianapolis crib; how he\u2019d given up a college basketball scholarship to pursue his art; how this was his first show outside of Indianapolis; how supportive his wife and daughter are; how he\u2019d educated himself on<\/em> himself by way of his people, his beautiful culture and people, through his art.<\/p>\r\n
\"\"
Photo Credit: Kevin Nance-West<\/p><\/div>\r\n
A booth over, Thomas Elias Lockhart detailed his works for me including Amazing Grace<\/em>, a stunning African woman with closely cropped hair and a poignant, sullen gaze, her eyes dotted by inverted Klan hoods from which two parallel, elongated tears streamed down each cheek, one culminating in a dangling gun, the other, a young brother dangling lifelessly from a noose.<\/p>\r\n
Such was the compelling scene at the inaugural Black Fine Art Fair of Ohio held in Columbus from November 11 – 14, a four-day event hosted by the KBK Foundation, a non-profit founded to empower residents by facilitating their road toward self-sufficiency. Organized by art investment strategist Keith Golden, participating galleries included Golden\u2019s Art by Golden, I am Art Wilson, Pigment International, Thelma Harris Art Gallery, WaterKolours Fine Art, and Black Art In America (BAIA).<\/p>\r\n
\u201c<\/strong>When you talk about African and African-American culture and history, imagery is one of the strongest resources to be able to prove that it\u2019s true,\u201d Golden told<\/strong><\/a> BAIA\u2019s Najee Dorsey, before the event. \u201cOnce you establish that and you educate people about your culture, now that you\u2019re into the fine art room, use fine art to show that this is what we\u2019ve been doing all along. This is why people are wanting this culture. It\u2019s because they see the authenticity. People want to spend money on things that are authentic and true.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
\"\"<\/p>\r\n
Along with Nance and Lockhart, the fair featured such onsite artistic legends as James Denmark and master printmaker, Curlee Holton; the rich, divinely-inspired visual imagery of Ohio native Roderick Vines; and the unmistakable mixed media collages of Dorsey, while displaying works by the likes of Elizabeth Catlett, Faith Ringgold, Charles White, Charly Palmer, Romare Bearden, Danny Simmons, Phyllis Stephens, Samella Lewis, Sam Gilliam, Mildred Thompson, William Tolliver, Gwendolyn Aqui-brooks, David Driskell, George Hunt, Kerry James Marshall, Kevin Cole, Khalif Thompson, Mason Archie, Paul Goodnight, Kevin Johnson, and more. Weekend panels and lectures were held on a variety of art-related and educational topics including appraisals and conservation, portfolio development, legacy collecting, the Black Art \u201cGold Rush,\u201d and Women in the Fine Art Movement.<\/p>\r\n
\"\"
Curlee Holton with his copies of BAIA<\/p><\/div>\r\n
But even with all the stunning imagery, informative panels, and industry talks, the fair was more than that, more than a mere event to discuss, showcase, and, of course, sell art, which it did, given the numerous and successful transactions over the four-day event. Indeed, it was also a gathering of longtime friends, colleagues, and art lovers who mostly had not seen one another over the tumultuous past two years given global events and the shutting down of such venues.<\/p>\r\n
Accordingly, some of the best moments of the week occurred before and after the scheduled activities of any given day, during setup, or special breakfasts reserved for the artists and organizers, or at day\u2019s end, when old friends celebrated being back in each other\u2019s space by ordering food and drink, listening to music, playing spades, laughing like schoolkids, talkin\u2019 schmack<\/em>, and remembering why such events are ultimately worth the effort, the cross-country road trips to get there, the arduous setting up and breaking down of installations, the leaving-behind of their loved ones for the better part of a week. Yes, they were reminded that an investment in art\u2014their own investment in their own art\u2014was certainly valuable, was, undoubtedly, well worth it.<\/p>\r\n
\u2018Round the corner from West, Stuart McClean\u2019s booth was adorned with vibrant, colorful images that told a story, an epic account of culture, of migration, of survival, of history, of knowledge, of youth, of the ancestors, of the rich diversity of the African Diaspora. A native of Trinidad, McClean told me how he once designed belts for major companies, celebrities, and high-end boutiques; how he\u2019d rediscovered his painting mojo in the late \u201880s upon applying acrylic paint to clothing; how his soaring visual works incorporate a myriad of themes from capitalism to Hip Hop; how he commonly paints young Black men without mouths to represent their voicelessness; how he strategically embeds sneakers into his pieces as a corporate critique. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n
\u201cThe younger generations have brought back companies that were totally gone,\u201d stressed McClean, noting how corporations like Timberland have profited from young Black consumers and, consistently, how \u201call of these companies were resurrected from nothing into something.\u201d He pointed to the massive global economic impact of youth culture, particularly here at home. \u201cYou can\u2019t forget the younger generations because they have helped build this country, helped make this country,\u201d acknowledged McClean, insisting that \u201cHip Hop is here to stay\u201d and \u201cwe should embrace it\u201d rather than \u201cpush it away.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
\"\"
“Emancipation” by Stuart McClean<\/p><\/div>\r\n
The same applies to Black art as such messaging is, fortunately, attracting younger people to such events given the significant amount of young folk who popped up at the fair in Columbus. As an appropriate representation of these generational dynamics, 24-year-old Keith B. Key, Jr.\u2014son of KBK Foundation chair and prominent art collector, Keith B. Key, Sr., and a budding collector himself\u2014was a constant presence at the fair, engaging artists and attendees while putting them on notice that the legacy will continue through he and his sisters, Danielle and Darienne, both high-ranking officers in their father\u2019s real estate development firm, KBK Enterprises. The young Keys told Dorsey and I how he is already getting a number of his sports and celebrity peers into collecting Black art.<\/p>\r\n
And how, he told us, this successful four-day event in Columbus, Ohio was just the beginning.<\/p>\r\n
\"\"<\/p>\r\n
 <\/p>\r\n
\"\"<\/p>\r\n
Browse and shop for fine art from our growing network of artists, collectors, estates, galleries \u2014 specializing in works by Black American artists with great values on premier art.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
START COLLECTING ART<\/span><\/h1>\r\n
Sign up for our\u00a0free\u00a0email course<\/strong><\/u><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>on how to begin your collection.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n
\"\"<\/strong>AMARI JACKSON <\/strong>is\u00a0a creator, author, TV\/web\/film producer, and award-winning journalist. He is author of the 2011 novel, The Savion Sequence; creator\/writer\/coproducer of the 2012-2014 web series The Book Look; writer\/coproducer of the 2016 film Edge of the Pier; and current writer\/coproducer of Listen Up! 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.<\/p>\r\n
 <\/p>\r\n
Review our list of rewards for becoming a BAIA\u00a0Patreon<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\/ patron supporter. Your monthly contribution has lasting benefits. \u2014 \u201cWhat will your legacy be\u201d \u2013 Dr. Margaret Burroughs<\/p>\r\n
Thank you new and recurring monthly<\/span> Patrons<\/h1>\r\n
Deloris and Eddie Young<\/b>,\u00a0<\/b>Esther Silver-Parker<\/b>,\u00a0<\/b>Eugene Foney<\/b>,\u00a0<\/b>Zadig & Voltaire, Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art<\/b>, John and Melanie Guess, Frank Frazier, Houston Museum of African American Culture, Leslie Fields, Jim Nixon, Dr. Michael Butler, Mary \u201cMadea\u201d Jones,\u00a0<\/b>Patrick Stewart, Noreen Winningham, Reg Pugh, Kevin Smokler, Deborah R. Moore, Dr. Skyller Walkes, Jae M, Jocelyne Lamour, Marion Zweig, Shannon DeVaney, Ashlee Jacob, DaNia Childress,\u00a0Rev. Anita Marshall<\/strong>, Mary Ali-Masai, Devera Redmond, Roslyn Valentine, Robin King, Brenda Larnell, Michael, Jeffery Washington, Tricia Konan, Debra L Lacy CHARLES BIBBS, Fredric Isler,\u00a0Silvia Peters<\/strong>,\u00a0 Harold Moore, Shurvon Haynes K.Coleman Shannon Dale Davis Terese L Hawkins M. Rasheed Jamal Love Annette,\u00a0Mason Archie<\/strong>, Manuelita Brown,\u00a0Carolyn L. Mazloomi<\/b>\u00a0 Gale Ross KL Martin michael jacobs Virginia Joy Simmons Christ Van Loan Sr. Cecilia Winters-Morris, Rosie Gordon-Wallace, Pearlie Taylor,\u00a0Danny Jenkins<\/strong>, Sara, Lloyd Goode, Marina Kovic, Sarah Rooney, Mitchell Shohet, Nicole Farley, Cheryl B Blankman, Jocelyn Greene, Laura Di Piazza Petrina Burkard Hannah Diener Sarah Drury Claire Sig Mina Silva Whitney, Sara Friesen, Megan LaCroix, Kellyn Maguire, Sophia Bellin,o Cory Huff, Wilhelmina Barker, Linda Eaddy, Shelley Danzy, Rosalyn D. Elder, Sonia Spencer Karen Pinzolo Desiree Dansan, Deborah Paige-Jackson, ALKEBU LAN IMAGES Bookstore DeLores M Dyer, Shelia, Harry F Banks, Susan Ross, Dr. Diane R. Miles, Carlton Cotton, Andre Mitchell, Joan L. Ward, JOCELYN BENITA SMITH,\u00a0Paul Robinson<\/b>, Janice Orr, Patricia D Dungy, Ethnie Weekes, Shawn Rhea, Duke Windsor, Runez M Bender, Karen Y House, M Belinda Tucker, Dr. Yonette Thomas, Diana Shannon Young, Judith Hamilton, Julia Turner Lowe, Francene Greene, Caryliss R. Weaver, Sharmon Jane Hilfinger, Bill and Deborah Nix, joyce a, Wanda Baker-Smith, Timothy Gandley, Anneke Schwob, Emily M, Rachael horner, Morris Howard, Marie L Johnson, Ayoka Chenzira, Jean Gumpper, Caitlin Charles, Becca H,.\u00a0Dr. Darlene White,<\/b>\u00a0Dr. Sandra Boyce Broomes, Michele C. Mayes,\u00a0<\/b>Rita Crittenden, Reginald Laurent, Jea Delsarte, Brenda Brooks, Suzette Renwick,\u00a0BEVERLY GRANT,<\/b>\u00a0Linda B. Smith, Judith Bergeron, Emily Hegeman Cavanagh, Teri L Lewis, Cooky Goldblatt, Danni Cerezo, Hollis Turner, cdixon06, Freda Davis, Sarah Caputo, jacki rust, Curtis Morrow, Christina Levine, Jessica Beckstrom, Kim Walker, Pamela Hart,\u00a0Ted Ellis,<\/b>\u00a0Louise berner-holmberg, Carla Sonheim, Nicole Bruce, Alison Deas, Monikapi, Ashley Littlefield,\u00a0Reginald Browne\u00a0<\/b>Bill Cook, SylviaWong Lewis, DONNA PAXTON, Kanika Marshall, Cheyenne, Nancy Maignan, Kimberly Smith, Tracy Russ, Gwen Meharg, K Joy Peters, johnnie mae maberry, Lester Marks, Zishan Evans, Anne king, Dianna A. Harris, Arbrie Griffin Bradley, Sandra Sautner,\u00a0Barbara Brown<\/b>, Bronwen Hodgkinson,\u00a0Sonia Deane,<\/b>\u00a0January Hoskin, Quinton Foreman, Key Mosley, Jim Alexander, Terri Pease, Annette Groschke, Richard MacMillan, D T Ray, Camille, Elayne Gross, Ann Tankersley, Samori Augusto, Karen M Hirsch, Jeanne H Chaney, Jacqueline Konan, Jerome Moore, Patricia Andrews-Keenan, India Still, Luna Cascade, Amy Peck, Marnese Barksdale, Elder Bridgette, Ren\u00e9 McCullough, Kevin and Tracy Burton, Raven Burnes, Kim Dubois, Edwina King Diva E, Charlotte Bender,\u00a0Phyllis Stephens,<\/b>\u00a0Alisa R Elliot, Ebony English, Otto Neals, Michael Nix, Terri Bowles, Nelly Maynard, Leslie Smith, Bernard W. Kinsey, Toby Sisson, Raynard Hall, Milton Loupe, Wren Mckinley, Arturo Lindsay, Lindiwe Stovall Lester, Phil,\u00a0Ricki Carroll,\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0 Sherman E Jackson Jr, Janine P Rouson, Raynard Hall, Vickie Townsend-Carter, Peter Prinz, PB Fine Art Appraisal, Alison Woods, Suzette Davis, Carlton Cotton, Art Now After Hours, Diane E Leifheit, Tamara clements, \u00a0lisa tomlinson, vince leal, Deborah BarnwellGarr, Sonia Pollard, Barbara Hayes, Loretta Y Blakely, Gregg Y, Paige Jernigan, Randy McAnulty, raven walthor, Will Johnson, jack, Shameika Ingram, Trina Virginia Brooks, Black Wall Street Gallery, Suzanne Roberts, Faye Edwards, Tara, Crystal Green, Sedonia Phillips Kniskern, \u00a0R Simpson, Kate Gadd, Judy Nyquist, Velma McLaurin-Bell, Frazier and Myra O\u2019Leary, Rosemarie Rogers, Elaine Buchsbaum, Hope Elliott, Renee Williams Jefferson, Atiya Slaughter, <\/strong>Stephanie Stephens, Takisia Whites, Robert Taylor, Christina, Taylor Jackson, Brenda Joyner, Dr. Karen Patricia Williams, Paul Daniel Curtis, Zawadi, and DJIBRIL N\u2019DOYE<\/p>\r\n
 <\/p>\r\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n
We Appreciate Your Support<\/p>
Share this:<\/h3>