2021 Featured Artist Updates
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As part of our December issue each year,
we post updates from each of our Featured Artists who continue to do amazing work in their fields. Let's see what they've been up to! Click their photos to see the original feature. |
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January 2021 Featured Artist
BETTYE LAVETTE Blues Hall of Famer & Six-Time Grammy Nominee 
Photo Credit: Joseph A. Rosen
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Bettye was included in: Forbes 50 over 50 list. Forbes is celebrating 50 women who are making an impact on society and culture through healthcare, robotics, music, dance, and so much more.
She performed for the first time at Farm Aid. Readers can view video of Bettye singing Joy and Souvenirs at Farm Aid 2021 at Xfinity Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut. Bettye also performed at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of The Kennedy Center. Her Blackbirds Tour, originally scheduled in 2020, was postponed several times due to the pandemic. However, she is happy to announce that the tour is happening in February 2022. Find more tour information. |
February 2021 Featured Artist
AFI ESE Texas-Based Fine Artist 
© Afi Ese
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Afi is newly represented by Mahogany Gallery in Racine, WI and Orijennal Gallery in Cordova, TN.
Recently, she received the 2021 Rauschenberg Grant, Cycle 9 award from the New York Foundation for the Arts and the 2021 Juror's Choice Award (EXPO 2021). Upcoming Solo Shows include:
2022 Flights of Antiquity Mahogany Gallery, Racine, WI 2022 Flights of Antiquity Littman and White Gallery Portland, OR Other Exhibits: 2022 Black Creativity Juried Exhibition Museum of Science & Industry Chicago, IL |
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February 2021 Featured Artist
VELICIA GOURDIN Massachusetts-Based Illustrator & Graphic Designer 
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In November, Velicia was invited to chat with Haywood Fennell on "The Other Page," a BNN TV program. They discussed art and its impact on our communities and its influence on how we view ourselves and our world.
Velicia was also invited to participate in Boston Fashion Week in October. Her artwork was featured in an AR (augmented reality) exhibition around the City of Boston during the week of October 3rd. She continues to create her unique illustrative and graphic design work. She is also available for commission work. Find everything new with Velicia at her INSTAGRAM page. |
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Pamela won the Suzanne M. Bianchi Memorial Award at the National Association of Women Artists 132nd Annual Exhibition for her work "Like a River." (See slideshow below.)
© Pamela Waldroup
Upcoming & Current Exhibitions:
"Fragile" (Group Exhibition) LIMarts Members' Exhibition Cowles Gallery Long Island Museum Stony Brook, NY Now through Dec. 19, 2021 "Masters' Showcase" (Select Group Exhibit) Huntington Arts Council 213 Main Street Huntington, NY January 7 - 29, 2022 |
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April 2021 Featured Artist
BASHA RUTH NELSON New York-Based Installation Artist & Sculptor 
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On June 5th 2021, there was an official presentation to celebrate the induction of Basha's sculpture “Equilibrium” into the Hammond Museum Permanent Collection.
Her work was included in the "Forever Young" exhibit, sponsored by AARP and Islip Museum (July '21).
Basha was interviewed for the Arts Westchester’s, “Tell me More”* video project, which will showcase her sculpture ‘Beyond’ located at the Peekskill, NY waterfront. *This social media project features public artworks throughout Westchester County and allows the artist the opportunity to tell more about their work. |
May 2021 Featured Artist
NANCY STAUB LAUGHLIN New Jersey-Based Pastel & Mixed Media Artist 
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Nancy's "Sparkle" exhibition was reviewed at Carter Burden Gallery (New York, NY) in June '21.
"Laughlin's greatest gift is to embrace us in a fluid totality. We may experience unpredictable proximities, see mirage-like vistas, and be uncertain about whether we are enveloped by the sun or the moon, but we are always traveling in light." ~ Mary F. Holahan, Ph.D. (Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Delaware Art Museum) 
"Effervescence of the
Sparkling Wave" Pastel on Paper & Photographs 35 X 90 inches © Nancy Staub Laughlin Nancy has also been involved with a fundraising exhibition through Bridgette Mayer Gallery in Philadelphia.
Hurricane Ida caused major damage to Nancy's studio, but she persevered and is back to work! |
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July 2021 Featured Artist
SILVINA MIZRAHI Massachusetts-Based Sculptor & Painter 
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Silvina was invited to be the featured artist for Hispanic Heritage Month at MGH (Massachusetts General Hospital) through the heARTs Organization (Health Equity x Art)
"Under the Same Sun"
Mixed Media on Canvas 2' x 12' © Silvina Mizrahi |
Sept. 2021 Featured Artist
RUTH DAVIES California-Based Jazz & Blues Bassist 
Photo Credit: Bob Hakins
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Ruth will be playing with the following artists in the New Year:
Pamela Rose Rancho La Puerta Tecate B.C., Mexico January 1 - 8, 2022 Marty Williams Kuumbwa Santa Cruz, CA January 22, 2022 Pamela Rose "Blues is a Woman" Port Angeles, WA February 26, 2022 Find more upcoming dates HERE. |
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October 2021 Featured Artist
CHARITY HENDERSON New York-Based Figurative Artist 
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Charity continues to work on her unique portraits.
"I love the way that a person’s story and experiences can be read in her face — especially the eyes. After years of painting, I’ve found that these qualities are sometimes best explored by deviating a bit from straight-up representation." ~ Charity Henderson She will be exhibiting at the Salmagundi Club in New York City in early 2022. Dates for the shows are TBD. |
November 2021 Featured Artist
CAROLYN MAE LASSITER New Mexico-Based Fine Artist 
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Carolyn plans to organize and categorize her extensive collection of drawings, paintings and sculptures. She continues to work every day at home in her studio where she finds sanctuary.
Goddesses Above
Mixed Media: 36 x 48 inches © Carolyn Mae Lassiter |
JUNE 2021: CELEBRATING THE MEN IN OUR LIVES
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BOB MORGAN
New York-Based Watercolor Painter 
In August, Bob had a very successful solo exhibition, titled "Out of Context," at Real Eyes Gallery in Adams, Massachusetts. Below is a partial clip from a stellar review of this show.
"The irony is to defy logic but somehow create an image that is plausible with a stretch of the imagination. Unlike most representational work, we get more than just what we see. There is something more, and we are challenged to unravel that and come to grips with the whimsy and sly intentionality of the artist." ~ Charles Giuliano (Publisher of Berkshire Fine Arts) 
Installation of "Out of Context" Exhibition
Art to Go
Varnished Watercolor on Paper on Board with Brass & Oak ~ 60 x 52 inches © Bob Morgan |
RANSOME
New York-Based Mixed Media Artist 
Ransome is thrilled to announce that his painting "Lemonade" has been selected to join the permanent collection of the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art in New Paltz, New York.
Solo Exhibition:
“Genesis” Potter Gallery Simsbury, CT Now through January 14, 2022. The exhibition will feature "Tar Baby," a mixed media work (acrylic and collage) on a 48” x 48” canvas. "This is the most personal work I’ve done to date," Ransome shares. 
Ransome with his Millennium Series at the
Lesley University MFA Thesis Exhibition at MASS MoCA (July 2, 2021) |
