Harlem, NY… The West Harlem Art Fund and Friends are presenting “On the Edge of Fusion” for Armory Arts Week again from March 2nd through March 6th. This four day, pop-up digi salon with live art installations, takes place in Harlem at MIST located at 46 West 116th Street, New York, N.Y.
Curator-driven, this digital platform will allow participants to enjoy watching digital art, and digitally-based films ONLINE from the comfort of their homes or LIVE at MIST where participants can talk and share their opinions with others.
“On the Edge of Fusion” will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and led by the Curator Savona. Curatorial partners also include the Socially Relevant Film Festival and Bloomingdale School of Music. This special Armory Arts Week program is recognized by the organization Light2015 for the International Year of Light.
About Socially Relevant Film Festival
SR Socially Relevant Film Festival (™) New York, a new non-profit film festival, will have its 2nd edition in March 2015 at 3 venues: The Tribeca Cinemas in Tribeca, The Maysles Cinema in Harlem and The School of Visual Arts SocDoc in Chelsea. Opening and closing night parties and award ceremony are hosted by The Fourth / Botequim restaurant. The festival showcases socially relevant films with human-interest stories as a response to the proliferation of violence and violent forms of storytelling. SR(™) believes in promoting positive social change through the powerful medium of cinema. The festival’s inaugural edition took place in March 2014 at the Quad Cinema over one week, showcasing 55 films from 18 countries and presenting multiple awards to winning filmmakers
About the Bloomingdale School of Music
Now in its 50th year, the Bloomingdale School of Music is a gem on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. While our banner waves over 108th Street, here on the school’s web page you can learn about some of the programs that have made our school a vibrant musical home for so many people over five decades. The school serves as a center for music performance by students, faculty, and visiting artists. Musical “sharing hours” provides an opportunity for students at all levels to perform for others. More formal concerts that are free and open to the public provide an opportunity for neighbors, friends, and anyone else interested in fine music to hear performances of the highest caliber.
Featured Artists
VAUGHN SPANN was born in Orlando Florida and is a BFA candidate at Rutgers University. He has used art to develop a visual language that addresses politics, and popular culture. His life experience has helped define his identity and influence his work. Spann’s work has been shown at The Newark Museum, Reginald Lewis Museum, Rupert Ravens Contemporary Gallery, Aferro Gallery, and the annual Newark Open Doors. Spann currently lives and work in Harlem.
ELLEN MAYNARD is a Brooklyn-based dance artist and filmmaker. Ellen performed in original works by Bebe Miller, Lily Skove, Ann Sofie Clemmensen, Esther Baker-Tarpaga, Ohad Fishof, and Noa Zuk, during her time as a BFA student of dance at The Ohio State University. Ellen was director of photography for Stephan Koplowitz’s dance film installation work in progress during Bates Dance Festival 2014. She is currently dancing for Dante Brown | Warehouse Dance, and Quentin Burley. Luminata is the premiere choreographic work for Ellen in New York.
LADY K-FEVER (b. Canada) is a New York based inter-disciplinary artist and curator working with painting, installation, photography, performance and public art projects. She began her career in Vancouver the early 1990’s when she was invited to create an installation with Riot Grrlz for Artropolis 93. In 2003, she became the first Canadian woman to paint at the legendary Graffiti Hall of Fame in East Harlem, New York and to be put down with NYC graffiti crews KD & TDS.
Her work has been exhibited in Bronx Lab Style Wars Bronx Museum,Graffiti Research lab MOMA, Figure8 El Museo del Barrio, Born again:Eight Artist Respond Longwood Art gallery, B-girl Be Intermedia Arts,This side of Paradise No Longer Empty and Figment 2012 New York and published in the New York Times, New York Post, Daily News and in the magazines: Studio (Harlem), Mass Appeal (Brooklyn), Backspin (Germany), and Trace (international) among others, and in the books Graffiti Women: Street Art from Five Continents, and Burning New York: Graffiti NYC, and We B Girlz (New York). In 2013, her graffiti/street art has been presented at The Graffiti Hall Of Fame 2013,New York, Rooftop Legends 2013, New York, and The New York WallsWynwood, Miami. From 2004 to 2006, she was the lead curator at The Aurora Gallery in Chelsea creating exhibitions History in the Making I, II & III. She has curated Made from love for the Bronx Museum’s project space in 2007 and most recently Outside the Box at the Andrew Freedman Home in the Bronx.
DIANNE SMITH is an abstract painter, sculptor, and installation artist. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in New York City’s Soho and Chelsea art districts as well as, numerous galleries and institutions throughout the United States. She is an educator in the field of Aesthetic Education at Lincoln Center Institute (LCI), which is part of New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Since the invitation to join the Institute over six years ago she has taught K-12 in public schools throughout the Tri-State area. Her work as a teaching artist also extends to under graduate and graduate courses in various colleges and universities such as: Lehman College, Brooklyn College, Columbia University Teachers College, City College, and St. John’s University. Dianne is a Bronx native of Belizean descent. She attended LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, the Otis Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Smith recently completed her MFA at Transart Institute in Berlin. She currently lives and works in Harlem, NY.
ILIANA EMILIA GARCIA was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 1970 to a civil engineer/ bridge designer/reader dad and a pianist/thinker/free spirit/writer mom; and an artist sister. A child of the 70’s (Charlie’s angels/Love Boat/Gilligan’s island/Roadrunner/Archie/Lulu/Mr. Magoo/Menudo/King Kong/1 Million dollar man (el hombre bionico)/Bionic woman(la mujer bionica/Wonder woman(la mujer maravilla). Involved in the arts since an early age under the teachings of Nidia Serra, our weekly visits to the Museum of Modern Art and my collections of posters, long plays, stamps, cans, books, wrappers, packages and anything that I found visually interesting. She attended Altos de Chavon/The School of Design (affiliated to Parsons The New School of Design) where I got my AAS in Graphic design in 1989. After being awarded the Ruth Vanderpool Scholarship, I moved to New York City to continue my studies at Parsons, where I graduated in 1991 with a BFA in Communication Design. Since then, I have been working in my art and design careers (side to side/back to back), together with my husband/artist Robert Dandarov and my daughter Catalina.
JOHN MICHAEL REEFER began his career as a fashion designer. Designing and making outfits for himself. Then for a few friends. Then friends of friends. Finally for a few celebrities. He next got a gig in the wardrobe department on Hannah and her Sisters directed by Woody Allen. Next move was up. As Costume Designer on Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It. He also served as Costume Designer on director David O. Russell’s is short subject “Bingo Inferno”. When working as a wardrobe supervisor on director Curtis Browne’s “The Game” John Michael got his chance to produce. An investor pulled the financing on the production two weeks in. As luck would have it John Michael was able to connect the production to the financing need to complete principal photography. He’s been producing ever since.
John Michael is currently producing “RPM (Revolutions Per Minute)”, written by Timour Gregory, Mzwandile Sibanda and directed by Gregory. Tells the story of an American Rapper in Paris. The cast includes J.Cole, French rapper Kery James, Mos Def, Jimmiy Jean Louis, Robert Glasper and Harry Lennix. Keep Pushing, is a prequel to “RPM (Revolutions Per Minute)”. “Keep Pushing”, explores the origins of our main character Billy da Kid. We find Billy at the end of his proverbial rope. Having knocked on all the doors he could find. He still has not convinced any one to sign him. About to graduate from high school with honors. Billy has enlisted. He thinks he’s going to see the world and start his Rap career when he gets back. Taye’s got other plans. Taye a beat reporter for a local Hip-Hop publication. Can see Billy’s talent and wants him to take one more shot…
Having worked with director Alrick Brown on his Sundance award winning “Kinyarwanda”. John Michael’s other credits include producing director James Francis Richards “The Bicycle” the official selection of numerous film festivals around the country. After wrapping on RPM John Michael will be off to Jerusalem to produce “Holy Air” for director Shady Srour. Holy Air is a light-hearted comedy about Adam. Adam is in a dead end job, his father is dying and his wife has just told him she wants a baby. Adam has to think fast. How can I make some real money? A chance encounter with Father Roberto and his flock of devoted pilgrims near his Father’s bottle factory gives him an Idea. That could be considered divine inspiration. Only Adam is not Catholic. Leveraging what he’s got. His father’s obsolete bottle making factory and a brilliant plan. Adam finds his way to his own path to success. John Michael has also turned his sites to Television. His show on Arise TV is still in development and should begin airing in the spring.
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