Art Crawl starting at 4pm, Friday June 21st, including five locations to see the work of featured artists, ending with a 6-8pm reception at Tsion Cafe with live music.
Join MCB 9 as we showcase and honor the talented visual artists in our community. This is a great opportunity to support our local creatives and immerse yourself in the vibrant art scene in West Harlem. Come enjoy and maybe even discover your new favorite artist! Don't miss out on this exciting event celebrating the creativity and talent of our neighborhood.
ARTISTS BIO:
Victor Edwards, is a native New Yorker who was born and raised in the Bronx but has resided in Harlem for the past 30+ years. He has been active in the West Harlem serving on the local Community Board for the past 12 years. Residing on Riverside Drive with a view of the Hudson River has given a Victor a true appreciation for the water. In addition, he is sailor which has assisted his true appreciation for sunsets and the water. These two elements of water and sunsets are reflected in the majority of his photographs. Victor photographs as a hobby and often gifts his works to family and friends.
Bonnie Phillips, always enjoyed painting from a young age, and at the suggestion of her art teacher, she applied to Slade Art School in London, where she was born. It was at this point that she left England for the States. Although she took a few art classes during her senior year in college, any artistic ambitions remained dormant for several years. She would later take art classes at the Art Students League and Bronx River Art Center.Her desire to create was ignited when, as a director of a tutoring program in Harlem, she decided to coordinate an art show both in Harlem and Soho as a fundraiser for the program. It was for the last fundraising event that she conceived the idea of creating a triptych of Young Black Love. The first painting for Young Black Love, Bonnie completed when she was pregnant with her first child in 2003. She began to take herself more seriously as an artist when she joined a group of talented women writers and artists in 2018. After her first meeting, it became clear what her mission as an artist is. That is to paint the beauty and challenges of black and brown people in her community and through the diaspora.
Ana Bravo:
is a Mexican born, California raised mixed media artist based in New York City. Her work has been shown throughout the San Francisco Bay area, Cuba and New York City. She finds inspiration in nature, the human spirit, dreams and synchronicity, and she currently resides in Harlem.
Joel Mentor:
Harlem-based, award winning multimedia artist Joel Mentor was born in Haiti. Although self-taught in sketching, he studied Fine Arts at the The Robinson Center for Graphic Arts and Communication Design at CCNY. Joel received a BA with Honors in Graphic Design.Joel specializes in all areas of photography.He enjoys combining works in acrylic, oil and found objects, and greatly admires artists such as Emory Douglas, Romare Bearden and Alexander Calder.
In his spare time, Joel works as an information technology specialist and cybersecurity practitioner.