“Sankofa” derives from the Akan African folklore, symbolizing remembrance of things forgotten, and “in order to know our future we must look to our past.”

The installation is simultaneously futuristic and ancestral, and draws upon intersectional cultures including African, Afro-Caribbean and Indigenous craft traditions as well as the everyday histories and contemporary life of the Park.

The design concept for the pavilion comes out of working in community with members of the Marcus Garvey Park. The 32-foot circular structure incorporates a gathering space below a printed fabric mesh canopy depicting both archival images and AI generated “mythology” of Marcus Garvey Park and other motifs.

“Sankofa” is the first of multiple interactive centerpiece “nodes” of the Culture, Creativity, and Care Initiative over summers 2023 and 2024.

The Culture, Creativity, and Care Initiative brings a host of programming and wellness-through-the-arts to Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park community.

Design Team:

Jerome Haferd (lead), Violet Greenberg, Tiffany Gonzalez, Gabriel Moyer-Perez, with support from Dominiq Oti, Pedro Cruz Cruz and Shadeen Dixon, Ayana Ayo, Charles Maher, and Noah Plofker

Consultants and Collaborators:

Steel Fabrication: Ziello Custom Framing and Fine Art

Printed Canopy and Art Panel Collaboration: NVS Visuals

Wood fabrication, design, and detailing: Tyreik Jackson

Sitework: Franpen Restoration

Born in Harlem, New York in 1953, to Jane and Howard Cash, he attended Holy Name School and moved to The Bronx in 1967. A teacher’s strike in ’68 forced his mother to send him to Laurinburg Prep in N.C. where he graduated in 1971; moving on to Los Angeles City College in California, he studied photography, graduating in 1979.

Photographing Africa and the African Diaspora began with a visit to Ghana in ’78 through Operation Crossroads Africa and later freelancing in Nigeria from ’79-84. His return to New York in 1984 brought forth many awards and over 400 collectors.

Mr. Cash returned with powerful sensibilities from Nigerian culture, creating stunning images within the African Diaspora. He assigned himself projects such as, “Drumming and Dancing in New York City,” “Sunday, Sunday in Harlem,” “The Spiritual Art of Dance,” “The Maafa,” “Jazz Legacies in Harlem,” etc.

His work has been widely exhibited across America and Europe; including group shows in the early 2000s at the Brooklyn Museum entitled, “Committed to the Image: Contemporary Black Photographers,” and the New Museum’s exhibition, “Black President: The Art and Legacy of Fela.”

His exhibition “Saving Grace: Rebuilding Our Lives After Hurricane Katrina” was well-received in 2006 at the Lower East Side’s Wilmer Jennings Gallery and several years later in 2011, inclusion into the exhibition “Harlem Views/Diasporan Visions,” at the Schomburg Library for Research in Black Culture. In 2018 his photograph of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was exhibited at AIPAD’s special exhibition, “All Power: Visual Legacies of the Black Panther Party.”

His work in 2015 achieved inclusion into the Permanent Collection of the Schomburg Library for Research in Black Culture.

Mr. Cash says, “My fine art and documentary photography demands I have a conversation in threes: first with myself, second with my audience and finally with history.”

Email: cool222cash@gmail.com

IG: verycoolcash

Reginald Rousseau, is a Contemporary Folkloric Painter, best known for his “Tropical Aesthetic” compositions, encompassing vibrant colors, gestural lines, juxtaposed floral & geometric patterns and multilayered textures.

As per Reginald “In my paintings, I utilized portraitures as a central focus in depicting BIIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Immigrant People of Color) identity, diversity, tradition, spirituality expression, aimed to inspired, connect, express, beautify, entertain, encourage cultural understanding and appreciation. My works are influences by my African roots, Haitian heritage and my cross-cultural experiences growing up in Harlem, NY”.

Reginald was born in the Republic of Haiti in 1960, immigrated to the United States in his early teens and went on to study Studio Arts, at the City College of New York while pursuing an Architectural Design degree. He has been actively, creating personal and commissioned works, participating in juried competitions, artist residencies and exhibiting in both solo and group exhibitions since 2010. During this period, in addition to his studio practice, he has worked as an independent curator, art dealer and gallery owner/director. Most recently, he was named a Semi-Finalist for the “2023 Painted in New York” juried competition by Park West Gallery, SOHO, NY.

In addition, he was a recipient of the “2022 ARTWorks Resident Artist” at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning which include a solo exhibition “In the Spirit of Things” at JCAL's Miller Gallery.

Email: reginaldrousseau@email.com

IG: reginaldrousseauarts

The work from a series of 4 paintings - reflects a tropical aesthetics associated with the Harlem Renaissance and contemporary life. The work not only beautifies but also reflects the importance of living a balance life as well as supporting the environment.

Fitgi Saint-Louis (b.1989, New York, NY) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Queens. She received her BFA in Design at the School of Visual Arts in 2011 and has been an adjunct professor at the school since 2020.

Saint-Louis’ work considers the layered and intertwined legacies of the African diaspora influenced by her Haitian American heritage. Further expanding portraits of Black figures through vibrant, joyful and playful imagery. She utilizes color and form to visualize subjects at rest, in dreamscapes, in movement and mediation. Her abstracted figures honor the multifaceted ancestry of the Black experience and her work formats are influenced from her expertise in design for the built environment. Her practice includes paintings, textiles, sculpture, dance, video and public installations.

Her debut solo exhibition was presented at the Underground Gallery, New York (2022). Select group exhibitions featuring her work include Kente Royal Gallery, New York (2023); The Africa Center, New York (2023); Lower East Side Girls Club, New York (2019); School of Visual Arts (2011). The artist has installed a public mural in Elmont, New York (2023).

Saint-Louis has collaborated on an expansive range of design and advocacy projects, being awarded the Rising Star Award from Interior Design Magazine (2020). A true multi-hyphenate she is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and educator with film and television credits, has taught internationally, at the Alvin Ailey Extension Program and Peridance Capezio Studio (NYC).

She is an organizer in the Design as Protest Collective, a fellow in the Urban Design Forum, member of the National Organization of Minority Architects and Dark Matter U. Saint-Louis is dedicated to the accessibility of art education to all, sponsoring and teaching workshops in conjunction with solo exhibitions for young artists within local communities.

Email: Fitgi@citiofsaints.com

IG: fitgisaintlouis

Kim Cabán, born and raised in New York City is a Multidisciplinary Artist whose career encompasses her passion for creating. Inspired by her Caribbean roots, she explores raw textures, bold colors, and natural elements in her artwork and everyday lifestyle. Her journey with art began in Fashion with a formal background in production, and over a decade of experience in managing collaborations and working with forward-thinking brands and clients. Compelled to more expansive forms of self-expression and creativity, she began exploring the visual arts and event production.

In 2020 she created Sunroom Sala.

A creative workroom, rooted in Art + Community.

Producing immersive experiences focused on the connections between visual art, agriculture, and sustainability. Working with community organizations like the Fresh Air Fund, West Harlem Arts Fund, and the Horticulture Society of NYC to produce art exhibitions, installations, community murals, and projects.

Email: studio@sunroomsala.com

IG: sunroomsala

‘Platano y Domino’ represents the connection and vast similarities of being Afrocaribeña. Living in New York City, there was a part of me that felt disconnected from life on the islands. Being Dominican and Puerto Rican I grew up learning about the Afro-Caribbean diaspora and visiting both islands regularly. I felt a loss of identity like so many who were used as objects for greed and gain in the diaspora. Two objects are known similarly throughout the islands as a sign of nutriment (the plantain) and enjoyment (the domino game- capicu). A plantain tree can provide food to island natives, as it grows commonly and can be cooked in a plethora of ways. The domino game was easily adaptable for Caribeño natives providing a gestural pastime that unified people through a boisterous game of. Only won when the winning bone is played on the open end of the layout, the player can then scream out CAPICU. Both are a significant part of my life and are visually representative of my culture.

I am artist.

Inspired by the focus of my spirituality, and the cosmology of the Seven African Powers and Ancestors, I render images in acrylic paint on canvas or paper that reflect strength, structure and purpose. ICONIC-GRAPHIC-SPIRITUAL a single central figure is painted on a background, bare or bizarre, that in color and/or motif supports the energy at the heart of the central icon. In this I have created what I call “The Black Power Emoji". In a series, I use the Black Power Emoji to enhance the sacredness of the Seven African Powers and show the majesty of our Ancestors.

Mami Olufunke Morrishow, 023

Email: MermaidBotanica@gmail.com

IG: MermaidBotanica

This artwork "Black Power Emoji Series: IBEJI" is a picture of Mystical Twins. These twins are celebrated in the spiritual culture of the Yoruba on Nigeria and it's diaspora worldwide. The beji represent fertility, intelligence and community. The Ibeji are reliquary figures given on the occasion of death to parents and siblings of the departed to be cared for and cherished as the actual people. Including this work in the park will help teach people of Harlem about this concept and this idea of continued reflection on extended family and the need to remember.

Nia Imani Winslow, originally from Washington, DC, is a self-taught mixed media collage artist based in Brooklyn, New York. Nia draws on her proclivity for fashion and inspirations from Black artists such as Romare Bearden, Kerry James Marshall, Faith Ringgold, and Jacob Lawrence to illustrate the colorful essences of Black figures in each of her compositions. Using paper as her preferred material, Nia combines the complexities of different textures, cuttings and clippings to illuminate figures, moods and stories. Vibrant hues and tints are used to convey the spirit every Black life possesses. Through her artistry, Nia combines her passion for style and her chosen medium to inspire self-love and inventiveness in individuals, with a principal focus on Black women, men, children and people.

Email: closetartistry@gmail.com

IG: ClosetArtistry

I’ve always been inspired by old images depicting Black life, specifically in Harlem and Brooklyn, New York. The influence for this piece is a photograph taken in Harlem in 1946. What’s most interesting about the photograph is the story behind it. The photo was taken as a result of the efforts of novelist and prominent leader of the Harlem Renaissance, Zora Neale Hurston, who was helping to organize outdoor activities for children in the community. She and a group of women were trying to combat juvenile delinquency in Harlem.

The photo, which was intended to be published alongside an article written about Ms. Hurston and her work in the community, never appeared in the New York Times newspaper. Instead, the article was run sans photo. The photo was later uncovered and published in Unseen (2017), a photo book that features images from Black history that were buried in the New York Times photo archives for decades.

Very rarely do I stray away from color, but because this is what I consider to be a “period piece,” I wanted to try to maintain the essence of the photograph and its historical significance.

My name is Lance Johnson and I’m a visual artist who is inspired by words. The foundation of each piece I create is the layering of words throughout each canvas. I feel that words of inspiration are the soul of my work. Words have power and my goal as an artist is to create art that will resonate positively and evolve with each viewing. For me, the most amazing thing about art isn’t the final piece, it’s the creative process that is unleashed when you look at a blank canvas. I’m most passionate about the journey. The process is always most satisfying. For me it’s all about layers and textures. I look at a canvas like it’s a wall on say the lower east side. I try to create layers of history. The way old graffiti is covered by new graffiti and urban decay and torn posters create textures.

Also, I was inspired as a young teen by the Harlem Renaissance so collaboration is a major component of my artistry. I was born and raised in NY and it has had a profound effect on my art. the energy, vibrance and movement of the city are so inspiring to me. The diversity and soul of the city are celebrated in my work.

Email: Ljart3093@gmail.com

IG: Lanceljart

Art is therapy. Not only for the artist but also the community who views the work.

Maya Shae is a visual artist and artist educator that uses juxtaposition as a visual and conceptual tool to explore the African American millennial experience through figuration. Her paintings amplify the diversity of Black perspectives and that Black identities are more complex, nuanced, and prolific than their traditional representations. She received her BFA from Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. Shae is an artist educator at the Museum of Modern Art, The Museum of Art & Design, Paul Robeson Galleries and with Studio Institute.

Email: mayashae@rocketmail.com

IG: MayaShae

Florida Boy challenges common misconceptions of Black American men based on their appearance while celebrating their unique style and joyful spirit. This piece connects to the Harlem community by highlighting one of the many African American subcultures present in Harlem that contribute to it being the cultural mecca it has been since the great migration.

Robert Newman is a 2014 graduate of Morehouse College and currently works as an Artist and Entrepreneur based in Harlem, New York. Prior to working as a full-time Artist, Newman worked as an Assistant Vice President at Neuberger Berman in New York City. He joined Neuberger Berman in 2018 as a member of the Financial Planning & Analysis team and transitioned into the role of Equity, Inclusion & Diversity Program Manager for the firm, the first person to hold this position.

Newman originally moved to New York in the summer of 2014, joining Morgan Stanley as a financial analyst in their Wealth Management Division. As a visual artist, Newman has exhibited his work in galleries and museums both nationally and internationally. He is involved in various mentoring initiatives and arts-based non-profits, including his current role as a member of the Board of Directors for Americans for the Arts. Some of his noteworthy projects include The Words on White Movement, Silent Renaissance Series, and The 10,000 Paintings Project. Newman gives back to the community and his alma mater in his current role as the Morehouse NYC Alumni Association President.

Email: info@rxbart.com

IG: rxbart

Harlem is a community with heart. A big one at that. And I don't just mean heart as in compassion and empathy. Harlem has moxie. It's the only neighborhood that gets the respect of a borough. Don't believe me? Ask any NYer and you'll find out. "Pride" is a depiction of the Jamaican Activist, Marcus Garvey. When it comes to heroes, Garvey always had a special place in my heart.

I believe that independence and interdependence are forces that can coexist, but in order for someone to be free or feel empowered pride is a necessary ingredient. You must be proud of where you are from in order to protect it, to grow it, and to nurture it. You must be proud of your heritage to share it, honor it, and retain it. Garvey's style and demeanor gave African Americans, especially in Harlem, a new outlook on life. It wasn't always about being anti one particular group or being in a defensive / reflexive position, it was about having a sense of pride.

Peter Erik Lopez is a graduate of Transart Institute for Creative Research and his medium of choice is oil on canvas. He started with portraiture but realized his primary interest in painting people was hearing their stories as he worked: it was personal histories that attracted him. This initiated a series of portraits of queer men of color using the format of Greek pottery (color, borders, and text telling their stories) done with acrylic on wood. He also began an exploration of personal history by questioning the veracity of the family-album-as-archive and produced work where he painted images from his family album but reconstituted them through symbols and disruptions to reveal the trauma, inherited trauma, and abuse elided from the archive.

Peter is half-German and half-Mexican and there are many complexities to explore in having this mixed-race identity. Through her family photo albums he explored his mother’s German heritage as the daughter of a Nazi soldier and an eventual apologist for her father in another set of paintings. Future work involves an exploration of his father’s history as a dark-skinned Mexican (estranged from his light-skinned family). He is interested in investigating the history and current status of Afro-Mexicans in Mexico through further disruptions of family archives.

As a result of the pandemic and missing human connections, Peter has returned to live-sitting portraiture in 2021 and has painted iconic NYC drag performers such as Joey Arias and Kevin Aviance in the Lower East Side studio space he occupies thanks to Artist Alliance Inc. More recently, he has painted drag icon Amanda Lepore and Broadway legend Andre de Shields at his new studio space located in Gowanus, Brooklyn and currently has a large body of work consisting of many figures, well-known known and not-so-known, from the LGBTQ+ community.

Email: PEL4157@msn.com

IG: PEL4157

Kevin Aviance is a well-known LGBTQ+ figure. He was active in the underground club scene as a club personality and music entertainer. A few years ago, Kevin was badly gay-bashed on the Lower East Side coming out of a gay bar. The beating was so brutal, he had to have his jaw wired and, after healing, he moved to Florida and dropped the Kevin Aviance persona altogether. Yet he would eventually persevere and rise back up. He has since moved back to NYC (Harlem, as a matter of fact), and one of his self-created, self-promoted songs from the 90's is currently sampled on Beyonce's "Renaissance" album providing Kevin with a renaissance of his own.

Flash Rosenberg is an “Attention Span for Hire” who draws, photographs, writes, and performs. She is a Guggenheim Fellow, who served as the pioneering Artist-in-Residence for LIVE from the NY Public Library, for 7 years, where she innovated panels and animations as “LIVE Conversation Portraits” created during programs, drawn in real-time, to illustrate complex concepts as they were discussed by authors, artists, and provocateurs. She translates technical information into instant drawings for a wide range of major clients and topics including IBM, Visa, Verizon, Aetna Health Insurance, Gatorade, the nation of Mexico, the Ford Foundation, Random House, Houghton Mifflin, NY Public Radio, and the United Nations.

Her FlashThink Cartoons were a weekly web feature. Her animations have been commissioned for Broadway shows. She is a Mainstage storyteller for The Moth, member of the poetry collective Brevitas, regular performer for Monologues and Madness, and taught Perception Studies on the subways for Cooper Union. She was an official Doodle Clown for the NY Clown Theater Festival. Her humorous, solo show, "Laughing at the Speed of Light" toured internationally. Her spunk of diverse awards include: “Funniest Person in Philadelphia” (voted by readers of the “Philadelphia City Paper”), National Jewish Press Association Award for Writing, and is a certified graduate from Sears Charm School. Her motion picture "Pulse of Desire," (created from over 7000 slides) was an Academy Award finalist for an Experiment Short. Flash Rosenberg Studio is a full-service art, motion picture, merriment, and mischief factory, based in Harlem. She lives with three turtles and infinite questions.

http://flashrosenberg.com/

Email: Flashrosenberg@gmail.com

IG: Flashrosenberg

‘“God and nature made us what we are…”

“look for me in the whirlwind…look for me all around you”

“a people without knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots”

This piece is inspired by excerpts from Marcus Garvey quotes mentioned above, and shines light on the lush plants and flora native to NYC that often get overlooked. Flora pictured include Christmas Fern, New York Aster, and Dense Blazing Star. The butterflies pictured, resembling the Pearl Crescent species, are also native to New York. Butterflies represent the presence of ancestors across various cultures, including the Mayan & Native American people, and is the message of this piece, representing Garvey and the ancestors of the people and how they watch over and quietly guide us. The figure looking right also ties into the idea of moving forward, looking onward into the future.”

Byron Smith was born in Boynton Beach Florida. Boynton Beach is also where he spent most of his life up until the age of 20. After one semester of college is he decided that school was not fitting to his current life path so he decided to join the US Air Force, where he served 10 years active duty.

While serving in the military at the end of his career, Byron decided that he would end his military service and pursue his art career in New York. After obtaining a BFA at SVA Byron is now in the process of obtaining his MFA in studio Art at Brooklyn College where he continues to improve his painting. His artwork is grounded and his identity as an African African-American, and he approaches his paintings with a steadfast commitment to thorough research and internal reflection. Through his paintings, he aims to critically examine black representation, exploring, how historical and contemporary near narratives intersect within a global context.

Email: Bluelupo14@gmail.com

IG: lupoblack24

In this piece, I am expressing how African people have influence Greek civilization in the past. On a more personal note, I feel that this piece reflects my experience of skipping and hopping over obstacles created to make people of color fail within the contemporary world.