November 2024 Newsletter

NEW OPEN EDITION PRINTS

Perfect for effortless holiday gifting or year-round inspiration, these prints make thoughtful gifts for yourself, loved ones, or colleagues. Order now and have them shipped directly.

Made with highly pigmented archival inks, and meticulously crafted on 25% rag, 210gsm acid-free paper to ensure longevity and vibrant detail, they are of excellent quality. Each unframed print is carefully packaged in an archival sleeve with archival backing for ultimate protection.

Available in Two Sizes:

• 16" x 20" are $175

• 11" x 14" are $125

GLYPHS ON PAGES OF A 1957 ENCYCLOPEDIA in the 15th HAVANA BIENNALE

WILFREDO LAM CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER - CUBA

November 15, 2024 - February 28, 2025

My Glyphs on the Pages of a 1957 Encyclopedia has been accepted into the 15th Havana Biennale. This marks my first exhibition outside the U.S. I am supported by my friend, artist, and mentor to many, Ben Jones, who introduced my work to the organizers and invited me to participate.

After the close of the Biennale, Glyphs on the Pages of a 1957 Encyclopedia will enter the collection of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, made possible with the support of Ben Jones.

Glyphs on the Pages of a 1957 Encyclopedia invites visitors to explore themes of diversity and solidarity under this year's theme, Horizontes Compartidos. The Biennale runs until February 28, 2025.

WRAP IT UP

ART150 at 157A First Street near Provost in Jersey City, NJ

December 6, 2024 to December 22, 2024

In collaboration with JC Fridays, the artists at 150 Bay Street have organized a Holiday Art Market, "Wrap It Up," which opens on Friday, December 6, 5–9 PM
157A 1st Street, 2nd FL, Jersey City, NJ

This market will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 1–4 PM throughout December. It features affordable art—all priced at $150 or less—by several artists with studios at 150 Bay Street. I am offering my Oracle Deck, which features images from my Glyphs on Pages of a 1957 Encyclopedia series.

If you live in the neighborhood, this is a fast and convenient way to acquire decks for yourself, family, friends, and business colleagues.

BADG AT THE COOPER HEWITT - SMITHSONIAN DESIGN MUSEUM  

New York, NY

November 2, 2024 To August 20, 2025

My vitrine assemblage, “AFRICANA/AMERICANA, 2024,” is featured, along with fellow BADG members, in the current “Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial” at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum’s Library in New York City. This exhibition explores how design shapes the physical and emotional realities of home across the U.S., its territories, and Tribal Nations. Featuring 25 site-specific installations, this year’s Triennial delves into the many ways in which homes are built, reimagined, and experienced. The full exhibit is installed throughout the historic Andrew and Louise Carnegie Mansion.

My contribution in the Library engages with the exhibition’s themes, particularly reflecting on how home spaces shape and have shaped my cultural narratives and individual experiences. As a bookworm from an early age, when I learned to read by memorizing all my favorite books that my older sister would read to me at bedtime, who paid part of my college tuition working in the school library and whose first job out of college was working in the City Library, books have exerted a huge influence, opening doors to both ancient and contemporary worlds that I could not inhabit physically.

I've prominently showcased my first-edition copy of “The 1619 Project” by Ms. Nikole Hannah-Jones (a book that blew open my mind by sharing our hidden histories in this country). Also included are other books that have educated me and/or inspired my visions, along with some that feature my designs. The assemblage is filled with other objects significant to my life that serve as inspirations or elements of my furniture designs.

This institution has been supportive of my art for decades, beginning with a commission by then Chief Design Curator David McFadden of my Tudor Tables III & IV, which have been featured in three exhibits to date. I am delighted to be included in this extraordinary project with my wonderful cohorts, the members of BADG (Black Artists & Designers Guild).

MARTIN HOUSE RESIDENCY  

Buffalo, NY

September 21- October 20, 2024

As every artist who has been so blessed knows, experiencing an Artist Residency is a gift that keeps on giving. My most recent, at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House compound, was exactly that. I was inspired by the patterns and luminous colors of the stained glass windows to sketch page upon page of ideas for furniture designs. Additionally, the gardens and architecture inspired wallpaper and print designs. It was wonderful working with and being supported during my residency by the delightful, competent, and talented staff, especially Curator Susana Tejada and Education Programs Manager, Zhenya Doolan.

DEEP SPACE GALLERY “WALLPAPER”

Jersey City, NJ
October 12, 2024 - October 29, 2024

Though the Deep Space Gallery exhibit Wallpaper has ended, some of my unsold Glyphs in different compositions, along with those on the pages of a 1957 Encyclopedia, are still available. This has to be the coolest gallery in New Jersey, and I’m so proud to be included in their wonderful shows.

Use the link below to purchase different Glyphs, as well as those on the Encyclopedia pages (all framed), available in various iterations on pages 3, 4, 6, and 7 of the Artsy website.

“LIBERATORY LIVING: PROTECTIVE INTERIORS & RADICAL BLACK JOY”

MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA (MOAD), SAN FRANCISCO

Curated by Key Jo Lee
October 2, 2024 - March 2, 2025

Key Jo Lee, Chief of Curatorial Affairs & Public Programs at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD), secured my Copper Pennies Media Cabinet, 1997, from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's (SFMOMA) permanent collection to exhibit alongside my Constellation Bed. This table was generously gifted to SFMOMA by Marsha Garces Williams, producer and wife of the late Robin Williams.

This piece was a collaboration between me and one of my best and most talented friends of decades, Randy Comer. We scavenged pennies for months, selecting those minted before 1982—before they changed primarily to zinc with copper plating. Randy owned a contraption capable of rolling these pure copper pennies into ovals. My cabinetmaker, Pamela Pastrana, attached them without looking as she took them from the container, allowing their patinated finishes to form a truly random fish-scale pattern.

The table has casters in its brass legs, and holes in the top allow heat from what was then state-of-the-art AV equipment to vent. Over its shoulder is another pairing of my work (as seen in the Brooklyn Museum) with my fellow BADG member Sheila Bridges’ beautiful Harlem Toile wallpaper.

SCULPTURES IN THE FORM OF A NECKLACE

2 Columbus Circle, NYC

April 18, 2024 - April 12, 2026 

Don’t forget to visit the OUT of the Jewelry Box exhibit at the MAD (Museum of Arts and Design) at 2 Columbus Circle in NYC. Curated by Barbara Paris Gifford, the exhibit features the remarkable Porter Price Collection, which celebrates queer perspectives in contemporary art jewelry along with pieces that narrate diverse queer histories. Pictured are two of my three Sculptures in the Form of a Necklace acquired for the permanent collection.

Don’t miss a delightful bonus feature in this gallery. Push the drawers below the cases along the walls to reveal more of the Museum’s extensive permanent collection. For more information, click the link below.

AND—don’t miss the Barbie: A Cultural Icon exhibit before it ends on March 16, 2025. This exhibit explores Barbie’s history and impact on fashion and popular culture.

CHERYL’S ARTIST PICK OF THE MONTH

SIMONE LEIGH

Matthew Marks Gallery, 522 & 526 W 22nd St., NYC

Through December 21, 2024

Two galleries filled with superlative works by the great artist Simone Leigh await your visual pleasure. I attended the opening, which was a bustling mob scene, so crowded that I was terrified the ceramic sculptures might be damaged. However, everyone was respectful of the extraordinary creations of this genius.

You can visit both galleries, which are next door to each other, on a rainy day or during blistering cold weather and have the space virtually to yourself. The atmosphere feels like a serene temple, perfectly suited for appreciating her masterpieces.

You may recall that Simone represented the United States at the last Venice Biennale with a striking collection of sculptures, including the gigantic Zulu spoon in the form of a female figure, alongside other sculptures and a video.

She is not only one of the most talented artists of this century but also one of the kindest and most unassuming people I have ever met. Her spirit is as beautiful as her exceptional talent.