From top left to top right: Linda Street & Souleo
From bottom left to bottom right: Ignacio Quiles, D. Cross the Artist (Derick Cross), Monica L. Miller & Dianne Smith
Artists
ABOUT
Join us for a virtual mini-symposium on Black dandyism, generally defined as a style of dress that combines African Diasporan elements with European influences. Together, we will explore dandyism themes within and inspired by the short film Tapestry of a Jerry Blossom, created by legendary Newark, NJ artist, Jerry Gant.
During this rapid-fire virtual event, we’ll screen Gant’s short film and explore his legacy in style and art with his estate’s art representative, Linda Street; investigate the historical roots of Black dandyism with scholar Monica L. Miller; learn how to dress like a dandy with a style tutorial led by dandy, Ignacio Quiles; showcase a beatbox dandy-themed performance by vocal beat expressionist, D.Cross the Artist, and engage in an audience Q&A.
Finally, you’ll be invited to turn your cameras on (optional) for a Zoom group portrait showcasing your best dandy look. Immediately after the event ends, interdisciplinary artist Dianne Smith will conduct a few individual Zoom portraits (selected at her discretion). Participants will receive a digital copy of their group and individual Zoom dandy portrait via email within one week following the program.
RSVP required. Zoom details will be sent via email confirmation.
This event is guest curated and moderated by Souleo.
Closed captioning will be provided.
ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS
D.Cross the Artist (Derick Cross) is a NY born and Brooklyn-based multidimensional artist and arts educator. He creates imagery and vocal art that transcends boundaries of genres and labels. This “vocal beat expressionist” uses “vocal acrobatics “ to create sonic collages of words, poetry and beatboxing. He has performed nationally and internationally in venues including Madison Square Garden, NJPAC and Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. D.Cross was selected as a cultural Hip-Hop Ambassador for The US State Department’s Next Level program and has appeared on MTV, Nickelodeon and BET. He is the Arts Director for African Voices Communications and is also a SVA (School of Visual Arts) graduate (Bachelors of Fine Arts).
Monica L. Miller is Ann Whitney Olin Professor of Africana Studies and English at Barnard College, Columbia University. A specialist in contemporary African American and Afro-diasporic literature and cultural studies, she is the author of the award-winning book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. A grantee from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, she is a frequent commentator in the media and arts worlds and teaches and writes about black literature, art, and performance, fashion cultures, and contemporary Black European culture and politics.
Ignacio Quiles is a dandy, men’s stylist, and a lover of menswear. He is best known for his haberdashery skills and enjoys pairing vintage with modern pieces. His mother’s sewing machine served him well as he taught himself how to alter thrift store finds. Since then he has designed for several menswear companies including his own. In addition he is a model which has allowed him to showcase some of his favorite pieces. During his career he has been featured in numerous outlets including Vogue, Men in This Town magazine, in the book I Am Dandy: The Return Of The Elegant Gentleman and in photographer Rose Callahan’s exhibition Artist/Rebel/Dandy: Men Of Fashion at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. For more information visit him on Instagram: @sartorialpairings.
Dianne Smith’s career as an interdisciplinary artist and cultural worker spans over two decades. Her collectors include National Museum of Women in the Arts, Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art, The Brodsky Organization, Danny Simmons, the late Cicely Tyson, Arthur Mitchell, and Maya Angelou, George Faison, Tasha Smith, and Terry McMillian. Most recently, she has been commissioned by the Park Avenue Armory for its 100 Years | 100 Women project to commemorate the 19th amendment (granting women the right to vote) 100 years after its ratification. In addition, Smith’s papers–capturing her nearly 30-year career–are now permanently archived at Barnard College. For more information: diannesmithart.com or IG: @diannesmithart.
Linda Street has built her brand on bringing art to the people, combining skills from her decades-long career in corporate management with an artist’s imagination and love of cultural storytelling. Through her brainchild, Pink Dragon Artist Syndicate, Street orchestrates mergers between art and community, artist and audience, and the public and private stakeholders so vital to ensuring that art has reach and permanence. A catalyst with a long history of sparking self-expression among individual artists and communities, Street’s work successfully bridges socioeconomic gaps and the divides of age and ethnicity. A former executive at a Fortune 100 company, Street is experienced at navigating the sometimes bureaucratic process of seeing a public art endeavor to fruition. But as an artist and designer herself, she never loses sight of the inspiration behind a project and how it can bring joy to others. For more information: pinkdragonartistsyndicate.com or @pinkdragonmgt.
Souleo curates entertaining and informative events, exhibitions, and cultural programs. Souleo has collaborated with noteworthy institutions and brands, including the New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the Museum of Arts and Design, Columbia University, Barnard College, Newark Museum of Art, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, and AARP. Souleo’s work has been widely covered in outlets including the Associated Press, NY Times, The New Yorker, NBC, and more. For more information: SouleoUniverse.com or IG: @souleouniverse.
