DiasporArt 2022
Celebrating Black History
Gallery on Queen celebrates Black History month throughout the month of February
On behalf of New Brunswick Black Artists Alliance and Gallery on Queen, and myself, we are pleased to invite you to our upcoming exhibition " DiasporART: SELF-ACTUALIZATION"
Opening virtually on Feb 18th at 6pm, this Exhibition is open for viewing in person until March 5th 2022
Gallery on Queen celebrates Black History Month during the month of February, although this focus should remain all year round.
GoQ is proud to have an inaugural Art Exhibition in celebration of the Black History Month 2022 hosted by the New Brunswick Black Artists Alliance (NBBAA).
Black Art has existed since there have been Black settlers living here on the unceded territory of the Wolastoqiyik and Mi’kmaq First Nations, People of the Dawn of Turtle Island . Art offers the potential to travel, migrate and transcend, along with the complex and multifaceted histories of the people on this land.
Photographer Gary Weekes has expressed before that Black History Month should not be just for the month of February, but should be celebrated and given space all year round alongside; Asian history, White history, Indigenous history and others.
This exhibition celebrates the Black identity in New Brunswick.
The New Brunswick Black Artists Alliance (NBBAA) is a non-profit organization that works tirelessly to give voice to those forgotten NB Black Artists and to nurture, promote and protect all future Black Artists.
Black Art Matters
Chandon, Sydona is a 23 year-old student in her final year pursuing a Bachelors of Arts degree at St Thomas University. Sydona is originally from Jamaica where her love for nature and photography Multiculturalism and has. Sydona seeks to highlight the beauty of diversity being a black woman who wishes to break barriers within society. Her Emancipation series “Black liberation”— demonste the crowning of black women as they break society’s beauty standards and the rising up of black men as they work twice as hard to break the chains of bondage within the business scene.
Hart, Reon began his photography career through learning to capture his son’s milestones and once-in-a- lifetime moments. As the years went by, he had an amazing time being the in-house photojournalist and found himself developing an unbridled passion and love for the art. After moving to Canada from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in 2011, he enrolled himself inThe Photography Institute and completed a Diploma in Professional Photography. His subjects and interests include people, macro, food, landscape, and nature.
Leek, Daniel was born in Fredericton, 7th generation New Brunswick descendant currently residing in Saint John, Daniel Leek has a style of implementing his sketch art into his paint pieces by borrowing inspiration from air-brush and tattoo artists, Meticulously at times creating stencils of subjects to capture a more eidetic image. In 2020 his art was on display at the opening launch of the Black Artist Alliances in 2021 at the Saint John Theatre Company production “We Were Here' written & directed by playwright and poet Clyde Wray. Influenced by Black American Illustrator ‘Kadir Nelson’ Daniel is hoping to aim on working to tell the stories of Black New Brunswick’s historical past.
Michaud, Aleya is an emerging visual artist born in Toronto, Ontario but based in Moncton NB. Her work is a form of emotional liberation and self-discovery, in which she channels her feelings and personal experiences on canvas with painting as a primary medium. As her journey is constantly evolving, her practice incorporates moments of spontaneity by experimenting with various techniques and different mediums.
Simmonds, Rhonda is a descendent of Black Loyalists who came to New Brunswick in 1783 following the American Revolution. She is well known for her thought-provoking assemblage art which often addresses issues of women, race, and power. She is a mixed media artist, an altar maker, an assemblage artist, a tea maker, a storyteller, an expressive arts facilitator, an avid baker, and the keeper and tender of creative flames at Casa Sanctuary Art House. Rhonda has been facilitating art experiences with women in the community for over 20 years, she is excited and passionate about empowering women through art by igniting creativity.
Mena Terry, Angel is a painter and photographer, originally from Havana, Cuba. He holds engineering and Master of Science degrees in Cartography from the NIIGAiK Institute of Novosibirsk in Siberia, Russia where he spent five years before returning to Cuba. He immigrated to Canada in 1995, bringing with him tropical colours which he introduced to otherwise peaceful Canadian scenes. He was awarded the 2006 Greater Fredericton Tourism Association Award for his artistic photography. Photography remains a part of his life, but painting has become his main passion.
Weekes, Gary is a Fredericton NB based photographer . His work covers many different photographic disciplines; from inanimate objects to portraiture, maintaining an emphasis on quality with a sensitivity to the art. This sensitivity is born from living in the cosmopolitan cities of London and New York to his finally settling in New Brunswick, Canada. Gary’s evolution into Fine Art Photography originated with an eclectic body of work that explored the human condition through collaborative storytelling with his sitters. Collaborations are important for Gary, “shared experiences” are an important part of his mien. Finding this pulse creates a connection between the art and the viewer with Gary becoming a conduit for doing so. With a uniqueness of vision, Gary’s approach to his art is “Out of confusion comes clarity!”
Clyde A Wray Born in New York City moved to the Maritimes from Los Angeles. Author of four books of poetry, Clyde A. Wray is also a producer, director, playwright and a performer, having had his work performed in notable places such as New York, Los Angeles, Denmark, Halifax, Nova Scotia and Saint John, New Brunswick. A graduate of St Emma Military Academy, he served in the United States Army and attended Texas Southmost Community College, Marist College and American University and is a graduate of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy. But there have been milestones. As an author, I would think putting one's work to live theatre would be a milestone. I've been fortunate to have my work on stage.
We are proud to have an inaugural Art Exhibition in celebration of the Black History Month 2022 hosted by the New Brunswick Black Artists Alliance (NBBAA)
This exhibition celebrates the Black identity in New Brunswick. The New Brunswick Black Artists Alliance (NBBAA) is a non-profit organization that works tirelessly to give voice to those forgotten NB Black Artists and to nurture, promote and protect all future Black Artists.
