About the Exhibit

 Larry “Poncho” Brown, Artist and  Philanthropist  Poncho is a native of Baltimore, MD. He started   his first business at the age of 17 as a signwriter   and he has been a full-time artist ever since.   

Poncho received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree   in graphic design and photography from the   Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore,   MD. His art, both fine and commercial, has been  published nationally in Upscale, Ebony, Ebony  Man, Essence, and Jet magazines. His art is  featured in the UCLA Fowler Museum of   Cultural History book entitled “Wrapped In   Pride” and “Connecting People With Art”. His popular works have been prominently  featured on several TV shows including “A Different World”, “In the House”, “The  Wire”, “The Carmichael Show”, “Star”, and “Greenleaf”. Movies featuring his art  include “Avalon”, “He Said, She Said”, and “Soulfood”. His work adorns the walls of  the likes of Camille Cosby, Dick Gregory, Anita Baker, Susan Taylor, Ed Gordon and  Bernard Bronner just to name a few.  His original works are in the corporate and  institutional collections of Coppin State University, the Charles H. Wright Museum of  African American History, the District of Columbia Superior Courts, the Children’s  Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University, Howard University  Hospital, and Yale New Haven Health Park Avenue Medical Center.   

His earlier works were predominately airbrush illustrations. He evolved from a graffiti  artist in his earlier years, to a classically trained sign painter and graphic artist. Poncho’s  early published works in the mid 80’s like his “Black is Black” Series was the first to  address the subject of colorism in the African American art realm. He was one of many  artists often referenced as “The Popular Artists” who gained national recognition  during “The Cosby Show” era and found commercial success between 1985-2000 during  a period known as “The Golden Age of African American Art”, by making their art  accessible to the masses through direct participation in community art and cultural  festivals, foregoing the traditional artist arrangement of artist representation, gallery  representation, and art publisher distribution. At the height of this era his works were  sold in 3000 galleries across the country, and on the walls of nearly 500,000 homes.   

In pursuing his philanthropic goals, he founded Raising the Arts which has created  over 70 images to assist non-profit organizations and African American Organizations  with fundraising for the past two decades. He also co-founded the Creative Quarantine  which is a collaboration with other professional artists that dedicate the entire month of  January to creating new experimental works. Poncho was awarded “Artist of the Year”  by the African American Visual Arts Association in 2000, the “Heritage Arts Festival  Palette Award” in 2003, and the “Save the Arts Award” as Museum’s Choice in 2010,  “The Jan Spivey Gilchrist Visual Arts Award” in 2013, and the ”Baker Artists Award” in  2021.   

Admirers often site rhythm, movement, and unity, as favorite elements in his work. He  primarily works in acrylic, although he uses a variety of mediums and styles to express  his interests in Afrocentric themes, Ancient Egyptology and dance. Poncho’s unique  style combines past and present art stylizations to create a sense of realism, mysticism,  and beauty, which gives his art universal appeal.   

“The African American art realm has been pressing onward because of the positive  images that have become a narrative of our perseverance. My works attempt to capture  SOUL while purposely depicting positive representations of African American culture.  Art and imagery are the strongest forms to challenge the perceptions of African  Americans in our society.” -Larry Poncho Brown  

 The Art of Karen Y. Buster  Baltimore, Maryland native Karen Y. Buster was reared in a   private artist colony - her childhood home. How else do you   describe an atmosphere with a designer-mother, a dancer  sister, another sister, a wordsmith-poet and an artist brother?   The only one in her immediate family to be a career artist,.  

Karen is blessed to have grown up in a household that   encouraged creativity and recognized the source of her art,   which is a gift from a higher power. Her mother told her as a   child she was gifted and different. More importantly, Karen   believed it too.  

Original Karen Y. Buster's are in the private celebrity   collections of Queen Latifah, Denzel Washington, Cheryl   Lee Ralph, Toni Braxton, Jada Pickett Smith, and Charles   Dutton among a host of others. Her prints also call the walls   of the Beverly Hills and Philadelphia Chambers of   Commerce, respectively, home.   

Among her awards, Karen is the recipient of Baltimore’s own   “Unsung” Art Exhibition 2014 Female Artist of the Year,   The National Coalition of the 100 Black Women's Arts and   Culture Award, 2007 and the 2002 recipient of the Black   Heritage Visual Arts Association's "Favorite Emerging   Artist" Karen is also a proud member of Delta Sigma  Theta Sorority, Incorporated since 1978.  Karen’s journey to the world of fine arts came via her t-shirt   design business, Bustertizin. She doesn’t take her transition from t-shirts to 35 plus-years  creating fine art originals and prints for granted. Karen hears testimonials from her collectors  about how her art speaks to them and brings solace to their personal situations such as  overcoming illness, recovery from drug abuse, and finding peace after the death of a loved one. 

Her eyes have been trained since age five to distinguish between positive and negative space  thanks to her attraction to photography negatives and dreaming in black and white. These key  components hold significance in Buster's art and are the inspiration for her signature black and  white X-acto® Knife cut-outs. The introduction of color in her signature cut-outs came via a  dream based on a New Orleans jazz club scene. Karen’s grandmother always said “when you  dream, its God that’s talking to you”. 

Speaking of New Orleans, the movement in Karen's work  can be traced to her decade-long residency (1977-1987) in that jazz city where she studied and  graduated from Dillard University. Karen believes the music and sexy, seductive nature of New  Orleans seeps into and inspires her art.  Baltimore is where Karen was born, raised, creates and calls home.  

 David W. M. Cassidy grew up in Compton and Los Angeles, California. Graduated from George Washington (Preparatory) High School in 1973.  He received a B. A. in Urban and Rural Studies, University of California, San Diego, Third College, 1979.  He served in the United States Navy as a Hospitalman, Field Medical Tech, X-Ray Tech, and Emergency Medical Tech. A graduate of the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC), C.H. Mason Seminary, 1990, graduated with honors and received the Master of Divinity (mdiv).  Elder Dave was licensed in 1982, and ordained in 1990 by Bishop George Dallas McKinney Jr., Southern California 2nd Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, of the Church of God in Christ. 

David Cassidy is a published writer and published artist (magazines and book covers, project designs, logos) and designed artwork for United Methodist Publishing and a Bio-portfolio “The Art of My Life” (https://www.blurb.com/b/1993994-the-art-of-my-life).  He has also exhibited locally at the Prince George County African American Museum and Cultural Center and the Gateway Media Arts Lab, Howard County Arts Council exhibit (Race, Religion and Revolt); Student Teacher Art Exhibit at DeMatha Catholic High School; The Art of Interpretation under the umbrella of Howard University Club of Washington, DC, at the Pepco Edison Place Gallery and other local exhibits.  

His medium of choice is oil on canvas and of lately, acrylics (a new venture). He is known for a cubist abstractionist style, the boldness of expression and attention to details of color and composition in his paintings.  His work can be found on Facebook, Blackarttoday.com).

David is married to the Rev. Dr. Lillian C. Smith, and they have two sons together, David Charles Jasper and Hayward Felton Earl Smith-Cassidy.

My art is the result of my life experiences. I do the art; the art does not do me. What I am thinking about at any given time, may find its way into my poetry, paintings, drawings, sculptures, or photography. I like lots of colors with lots of vibrant, overlapping, and intersecting images.  I want you to stop and stare to discover what is hidden in the artwork.  I want to make your eyes work at searching out the story.   

Laurence E. Chandler - Abstract Expressionist  ARTIST BIOGRAPHY  A native of Baltimore, Md., I am an alumnus of the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where I earned a BFA in graphic design. I also have a master’s in Education from Coppin State University, Baltimore. 

For four years, I served in the U.S. Air Force  during the Vietnam War. 

My creative talent and passion for art has afforded me opportunities in both the private and public sectors, and in business as a commercial art  gallery owner. I am a full-time, self-employed fine artist and work from my home-studio in Lanham, Md (Prince George’s County).  My works are in private and public collections nationwide. I have been privileged to 

exhibit my work at galleries in the Washington, DC-metro area, Memphis, TN, and Oakland, CA. I created seven five-by-four-foot commissioned works (three “Encryptions” series and four “Sgraffito” series panels) that hang in the grand lobby of The Hotel at the  University of Maryland, College Park, Md. The American Art Lover’s Magazine featured my work in its Guide to Collecting Fine Art in Washington, D.C., and Mid-Atlantic States (2011). Several of my originals were featured on a recent BET HER short film directed by celebrity Kim Fields.  

ARTIST STATEMENT  “As an artist, I am inspired by the complete freedom of the abstract form. I create contemporary mixed-media and acrylic paintings, working in an expressive, abstract man- ner. I start with no preconceived idea of what the end result will be. This is a spontaneous process (a personal journey of discovery) that I enjoy, and until I make that first  mark on the canvas or paper, I don’t always know what colors or shapes I’ll use, which adds an authentic, honest and organic layer to my work. 

Using traditional bristle brushes and less conventional tools -- from spray bottles and combs to kitchen utensils -- my signature style emphasizes improvisational techniques and jazz-like expressionistic use of color, line, form texture, numbers or words and space to represent things that are not visual such as an emotion, sound, place, event or spiritual experience.

 I am always exploring new avenues of expression and work with a variety of media --  fabric, wire, acrylics, paper or found objects -- which further enhances my expressionism.  

A somewhat less prominent, but no less fascinating component of my paintings is the  contrasting sides of the canvases. I paint patterns on sides of the canvas, designs approximately one to three inches thick, giving a full 180-degree experience with each  painting.”

Keiona Clark is an artist entrepreneur and a curator based in Washington, DC metro area. Clark serves as Gallery Manager for 39th Street Gallery located in Brentwood, Maryland. She is also Curator for the Gateway Community Development Corporation which is the catalyst for arts-centered economic revitalization of the US Route 1 corridor and the surrounding Prince George's County communities within the Gateway Arts District, including Mount Rainier, Brentwood and North Brentwood, Maryland. 

Clark is Founder and CEO of the DMV League of Artists; her passion is to align with similar minds and network to build a force in the creative community through fostering relationships and creating fellowship by engage the public through curation, works shops, public art and events; providing opportunity and access to enjoy original work; while also bringing awareness and culture to public facilities and the community; enhancing the network of Artist and collectors. Keiona has not only proven herself to be a force in the “Art” of business; she is also an Artist/ Creative inspired by her love for all things art, creativity, community and the art culture. 

Keiona is a (stage 3B) breast cancer survivor who was inspired to create shortly after her chemo infusions. Surviving cancer helped her decide that her life would be centered on her passion. As a young child, Clark had a natural talent and took to art as soon as she was able to hold a crayon. With no formal training, her inspiration is experience, emotional expression and inner energy, and sometimes contemplation. Non-traditional application of paints and technique make her art original, inspirational, and unique.  

ARTIST STATEMENT “If it was perfect, it would not be considered art. I look at my experience with breast cancer as God's way of making me appreciate the blessings that I have. So I can only feel sorry for those who will never have the same opportunity. My survival is my inspiration.”

Calvin Coleman was born in Hampton, Virginia, Calvin Coleman spent his adolescent years in Swarthmore, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania suburb. After graduating from Lincoln University where he earned his B.S. degree in Early Childhood Education.

Coleman taught at the elementary level for fourteen years. While teaching, Calvin was also preparing himself to become comfortable enough to pursue art full time. In 2004, Coleman made the transition that changed his life

forever. Following his passion, Calvin’s paintings have shown in a number of galleries throughout the United

States, France and Italy.

Coleman is a published author of his first book, COLEMAN HIS ART STORY. It is the first of the few that he has put together to be published. As a self-taught artist that incorporates Abstract Expressionism and Fauvism, Coleman builds upon the canvas with an assemblage of heavy body acrylic paint, a variety of textiles and other mediums to embellish his uninhibited style

of painting. 

In recognizing a great interest in brilliant colors and texture, he has admired the techniques of Richard

Mayhew, who has been an influence in Coleman’s development, and more recently, the style in which Chaim Soutine (French Abstract Expressionist), created his works. Mayhew’s fluidity with colors and Soutine’s dense textural characteristics can account for the structure of Coleman’s paintings, which are built with such strength in a melody of blended hues, the usage of manipulated canvas strips and textiles. 

The inspirations behind the

contemporary style that Coleman conveys to his audience, has much to do with his spirituality, love for nature’s beauty, lyrics of songs from a vast genre of music, and his journey through life. In Art Matters, January 2007, art critic Wuanda Walls stated, Calvin’s work is “endowed with an aura of originality and poetic whimsy.”

Works by Calvin Coleman are included in numerous public, private collections and publications as well. Among these are the Embassy of Rome, Italy, and the permanent collection of the City of Atlanta Housing and Urban Development; Lincoln University (PA); Drexel University; The GE Healthcare Corporate Office and many others.

Coleman has been commissioned by: State of Maryland Lincoln University and Verizon Wireless and Global Hue.

Calvin A. Coleman II presently resides in Baltimore, Maryland where he continues his quest to become the absolute best artist he can be while expanding his creativity to evoke emotions from those that view his gifted works.

 Thomas E. Dade was born in the Nation’s Capital, Washington, DC in 1970, a few blocks away  from the home of Slave Abolitionist, Frederick Douglass.  

Dade’s grandmother, Mildred Ford Alexander, is noted as the catalyst that jump started his  passion to create art. She purchased Thomas his first set of oil paints at the tender age of 4. Another gift  that enabled Thomas to escape and explore his creativity, was a set of encyclopedias, also gifted  by Grandmother Mildred.  

In 1987, Dade was accepted into one of  D.C’s prominent School of the Arts, Duke Ellington.  While attending Duke Ellington he mentored under renowned sculptor, John L. Dreyfuss. One day while  assisting John with a sculpture, Thomas began noticing his strong stylistic approach to abstract art.  

Thomas began to develop his own style, which furthered Dreyfuss into introducing Thomas to various  successful artist within the Washington Art Community, such as William Christenberry. However, it was  not until the summer of ’90 when John set up a day for Thomas to meet International Abstract Artist,  Sam Gilliam. As a result of this, Thomas was inspired to embrace abstract art fully. Thomas continued  an internship with Dreyfuss whilst still attending Duke Ellington. It wasn’t until the summer after Dade’s  foundation year at KCAI that he met and pursued an internship with Sam Gilliam.  

After attending Duke Ellington, Dade decided to further his education in Art by attending Kansas  City Art Institute. Upon completion of 1st year Dade was awarded “Most Outstanding First Year Visual  Artist.” In addition, Dade also accepted a summer apprenticeship with Washington Sculptors Group.  

In 2021 Thomas had a solo exhibit titles "Strange Fruit" at Moody Jones Gallery in Glenside, PA. In 2019, Thomas had his first solo show, “Ancient, Future, NOW” in Hagerstown  fine art gallery space, Engine Room. Prior to his solo show he was also interviewed to do an  artist segment on Washington news channel, NBC 5, for Black History Month.

 Luis Peralta Del Valle  is  an award winning artist, born in Nicaragua in 1980  and migrated to the U.S. in 1986. At the age of 13 he started painting  graffiti murals in the District, Maryland and Virginia. A few years later at  Bell Multicultural High School he began his formal artistic education,  continuing his studies at the Corcoran College of Art and Design.  

In 2013 Luis was selected as the winner of the East of the River  Distinguished Artist Award. That year he was also a finalist for the District  of Columbia 28th Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards. These accomplishments  preceded the presentation of the National Museum of Catholic Art and  Library National Artist Award by Prince Lorenzo Maria De Medici in 2014,  and his selection as the artist commissioned for the 2015 Beijing / District  of Columbia Sister Cities Project. The latter project resulted in a panda  statue painted by Del Valle that was given to the Mayor of Beijing as a  state gift from Mayor Muriel Bowser. Del Valle is also the recipient of the  2015 National Museum of Catholic Art and Library Portrait Award. In 2017  Luis was honored with the NCIS Director’s Coin by NCIS director, Andrew  L. Traver. In 2019 Luis was awarded 2nd place in the Chroma International  Juried art exhibition by Art Impact international.  

Luis received his first commission from the fitness franchise Body by Jake  after his 16th birthday. Since then he has been commissioned by other  businesses, foundations, public institutions, museums and private  collectors to create murals, portraits, sculptures, and paintings of various  themes. Luis has exhibited his works at various museums and institutions  including; NCIS headquarters, V.A., Vatican City, The Embassy of Italy, The  Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, The Historical Society of  Washington DC, The Vatican Embassy in DC and the Frederick Douglass  Isaac Myers Museum in Baltimore, MD. 

Luis Del Valle Artist Statement  

Luis Del Valle explores various subjects in his works. He paints family,  friends, and everyday people as well as historic events and icons, such as  Frederick Douglas, Misty Copeland and Martin Luther King Jr. The  murals, portraits, and landscapes Del Valle creates tell stories in vibrant  colors and realistic figures. They draw the viewer into the long traditions  of art and yet speak to the viewers’ modern sensibility.  

Among the works presented are everyday street signs, transfigured from  one symbolic vocabulary to a new one rooted in love, hope, and art.  Visions of strength, determination, prosperity, and beauty, are created  using refined elements of traditional portraiture and the embedding of  positive messages.  

Luis continues to grow his unique personal artistic sensibility remaining  an active leader in the metropolitan arts world. His commitment to the  arts community is well known in the District of Columbia and abroad.  

He believes that artistic development is a critical element in community  development; the arts facilitate improvement in quality of life by  providing tools to modify behaviors through the channeling of self expression into productive work.  

 Jay Durrah is a self-taught artist from Western PA who has been sketching since the age of nine. His grandfather noticed his skills and asked him to draw the sketch in the TV Guide. It was an ad in the journal for an art institution that stated, “ If you can draw this, you too can be an artist”  This gifted artist had some formal training at the Corcoran School of Art and the Montpelier Arts Center. 

Jay has a B.A. from Howard University in Political Science, Class of 83.Jay is drawn to creating portraits. He starts most portraits with the eyes for he believes they capture the essence of a person’s being.

Jay’s burgeoning style strategically places patches of vibrant oil colors on canvas to form beautiful faces. The use of multiple colors represents the multiracial aspect of humans. No one is of a pure race; people have much more in common than the differences society tries to emphasize. Through his art, Jay would like people to focus on the commonality of humanity.

Besides being the feature artist at the The Harlem Coffee Co. during Black History Month, Jay’s work will was displayed at the Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center the first half of 2018, and in a group show, Art of Soul, at Walton Gallery in Petersburg VA. 

His works belong to either private or public collections, both in the US and abroad. Beyond his commitment to art, Jay also stays active in the community, working with several programs geared to helping youth both locally and nationally.

Scott Fulton, an Orange County artist who grew up in Santa Barbara and has spent my life immersed in my passion for photography and the elements of nature. A graduate of Art Center College of Design, graduated with a degree in Cinematography/Photography, and a minor in Illustration. I fell in love with color and the use of light to tell a story because I found the simple things in life are often overlooked and unappreciated.  

My artistic journey began many years ago at age 9 when my mother gave me an instant camera and told me to go outside and photograph anything I found interesting. "Bring the camera back after you finish taking all the pictures and I will take it to get developed," my mother said. I had a small pond out behind my house that became my haven and backdrop for my first photography venture.  I found myself shooting anything that would stand still for me, everything from the stray neighborhood dog to butterflies and frogs. I quickly finished the roll of film and couldn't wait to get the pictures back to see what masterpiece I had photographed. I ran home with excitement and gave my mom the film, and as promised, she had it developed and brought home that all too familiar white and orange Kodak envelope. I opened it, and to my surprise, I had 24 beautiful shots of my index finger partially covering the lens. I was so disappointed at that moment, but I was determined. I asked for another instant camera and haven't stopped shooting since. A lesson well learned!  

After graduating from Art Center, I found myself working for the film industry as a camera operator shooting commercials and loving every minute of it. My artistic passion grew over the years, and I found myself getting back into "Stills" where I fell in love with the art of Food Photography! I immersed myself and learned everything I could about all the tricks of that trade, and began photographing food for publications, menus, and restaurants.  

Fast forward to the next phase of my life when I started a family. The artistic world sometimes can be unforgiving and tough for an artist. I knew starting a family meant responsibility, bills, and insurance. What happened next was a complete 180. I offered my photography and camera experience to a local fire department to shoot their training videos. They took me up on my offer and gave me a job working for the city working for both the police and fire departments. Before I knew it, I was riding around on fire engines and in police cars all the while filming and interviewing for their monthly training videos. What a blast I thought; I loved it so much that I applied for a job as a Firefighter and got hired. I have worked as a firefighter for the past 25 years while never giving up my artistic endeavors. 

Having just retired, provided more time to create my artwork.  Prior to retiring three years ago, I visited the Dominican Republic where I saw a beautiful exhibit of exotic butterflies and became fascinated by their beauty. Different colors. sizes and shapes of butterflies filled the air of the exhibit as they gently floated amongst themselves. As I sat and watched in amazement, I saw a group of giant, blue butterflies grouped together perched on the base of a tree forming a kind of a shape. In my mind's eye the shape formed into what I could only describe as a long, flowing, fluorescent blue dress. I couldn't get that image out of my mind, so I came home and brainstormed about how to creatively reproduce and display it as a work of art.  From that day on, I have been designing beautiful, butterfly artwork. I make each display from start to finish and sign and date each display. My exotic butterfly artworks are of the finest quality in the world.

Erasto Curtis Matthews, born in Reading, Pennsylvania and raised in East Orange, New Jersey, Erasto Curtis Matthews moved to the Washington DC area over 30 years ago as a student at Howard University. He began exploring his artistic talents as a teenager by drawing portraits of friends, family and his favorite musicians. Self-taught, he began painting later in life and his unique abstraction-based style is heavily influenced by elements of African culture and African American life. His work is grounded in vibrant color combinations and unique otherworldly settings. Erasto has shown his work at the Barn Gallery at Wellspring Manor in an ongoing exhibit that started in 2018, The DC Black Theatre and Arts Festival , The Wellspring Manor Fall Fine Arts Festival, The Lake Arbor Jazz Festival, Wolfgang Puck's Sunset Room, National Harbor, Gateway Arts Center's 39th Street Gallery, Brentwood Maryland, Artomatic DC, DC Art All Night, Athenaeum Gallery's "Speak Your Truth - Black Lives Matter" Exhibition, Wheaton Arts Parade Gallery's "Celebration" Exhibition and Erasto currently has work at Serengeti Gallery, Capital Heights Maryland. 

Artist Statement I am inspired by the Sun and what it does to things. I love the beauty of nature and the beauty of people. I am interested in the world community and all the inspiration that it has to offer. With each piece of Art I create, my goal is to open a window to the imagination. In my abstract pieces, I want people to see something new each day. I believe my art is the doorway to a conversation between the spirit and the elemental self.

Donald McCray the artist was born in Baltimore Maryland, and raised in Washington, D.C. has spent many years exploring museums throughout the city, country and abroad.  He is a  Printmaker, Photographer, Mix Media, Curator, and Designer.  He has had the honor of meeting with some of the greatest African American artist of the pass century, i.e., painting tips from Huey Lee Smith, sculptural advice from Richard Hunt, and Lillian Thomas Burwell. The artist has had the privilege to have been in art exhibitions with Jacob Lawrence, Sam Gilliam, Lois M. Jones, Elizabeth Catlett, James L. Wells, and extremely pleased to help his late friend, and mentor Dr. David C. Driskell as a studio assistant. The artist was given stellar recommendations by Dr. Driskell on his artistic abilities, and accomplishments.

He has been in several exhibitions through the years and have work in public collections around the country. The artist is extremely pleased to have his creations in the private collections of Dr. Cornell West, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Dick Gregory, Julius Irving, Michael Jordan, Ahmad Jamal, Congressman John B. Rangel, and the Honorable Minister Louise J. Farrakhan. 

The artist is an alumnus of East Texas State University, Bowie State University, Montgomery College, and a post graduate student at the George Washington University. The challenge, as with any recreated moment is to not caricature the moment, instead capture in its present state, and as a working artist continually operating in an exploratory mode when creating new images, and genuinely enjoying every moment of the creative journey. The artwork speaks not only for himself, but also for society. Art is my Passion.