Search Results for: Raven Harper

Two NIAD artists, Shawna clapping on the left and Esme with the microphone on the right, attend SFMOMA mini murals

Informe anual del Centro de Arte NIAD 2021/2022

Nuestra misiónNIAD promueve la expresión creativa, la independencia, la dignidad y la integración comunitaria para y con personas con discapacidades. “Tanto en NIAD como en virtual, me inspiran los demás todo el tiempo. Por su creatividad, y uso del color. Todos me ayudan a inspirarme para crear nuevos proyectos a lo largo de la semana. Los maestros son muy pacientes y ayudan apoyando estos sueños. Los estudiantes también me ayudan, cuando mi mente está en blanco, con nuevas ideas para crear“. Sam K – Artista de NIAD De Amanda Eicher, Directora Ejecutiva del Centro de Arte NIAD En sus 40 Read More …

NIAD Art Center Annual Report 2021/2022

Our MissionNIAD promotes creative expression, independence, dignity and community integration for and with people with disabilities. “Both at NIAD and online I’m inspired by others all the time. By their creativity, and use of color. They all help inspire me to create new projects throughout the week. The teachers are very patient and helpful in supporting these dreams. The students also assist me, when my mind is blank, with new ideas to create.” Samantha Kershnar, NIAD Artist From Amanda Eicher, NIAD Art Center’s Executive Director In its 40th year, NIAD is returning to life in-person, even as we have learned Read More …

NIAD artists on KALX radio

On Friday, July 29th, DJ Surface Tension invites KALX listeners to tune in to an ear-opening conversation with the “sounding artists” of NIAD Art Center as they discuss their most recent release Sounding Artists R Sweet and So R You.  Featured in this conversation are artists Luis Estrada, Christian Vassel, and Raven Harper. This studio compilation captures the rawness of NIAD’s community artists at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Recorded in early 2020 over the phone and in zoom, the outcome is equal parts poignant, hilarious, beautiful and boundary-pushing. Sounding Artists R Sweet and So R You is a sonic answer to the age old question: what is music? Find the Read More …

SF Art Book Fair 2022 logo

Fashion + Fiber at NIAD // “Me & My Gal” Book Launch at the SF Art Book Fair

The San Francisco Art Book Fair is an annual multi-day festival of artists’ publications. The event is FREE and OPEN to the public and features artists’ books, art catalogs, monographs, periodicals, zines, printed ephemera, and artists’ multiples. NIAD will be launching a special new publication at the fair, and SFABF visitors will have first dibs—stay tuned for details! Read More …

a cluster of hand-drawn words in a stylized serif font, slightly italicized. The words: coke, diet, chriss, kiss, paul, stanley, peter, malltts. Each word is a different color - green, red, blue, black or brown.

NIAD Online Exhibition // “DESIRE, DESIRE,” selected by Diego Leclery

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About the exhibition Being brought up in a culture oriented towards consumption, self-gratification, and self-fulfillment, one learns not only what to desire but how to desire, where to situate one’s desire in relation to the self, all desire’s dimensions. The goal of this hegemonic cultural project is to eventually make one lose the sense of self beyond that desire, and be left with nothing but desire. “What I want” and “who I am” become one, and the cultural program, determining what these desires are, can control our sense of ourselves. There are many ways of dealing with this predicament, from Read More …

NIAD Online Exhibition // “Luxe, calme, et volupté,” selected by Lou Mo

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About the exhibition Henri Matisse painted Luxe, calme, et volupté more than a hundred years ago. Today, the vibrantly coloured Fauvist painting keeps instilling a sense of warmth and repose. Luxury, peace and pleasure indeed. At the moment, many of us may not be feeling at ease. To state the obvious, there’s an unfinished pandemic and a war raging once again in Europe. These are difficult times and many futures seem possible. Times are trying. Change and anxiety cannot be avoided.  Very often, the extra toiling accumulates upon the female and/or racialized body. Labor and care, both physical and emotional, are often Read More …

NIAD Online Exhibition // “DreamForms” selected by Lauren Ari and Julio Del Rio

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About the exhibition This online NIAD exhibition is in conjunction with DreamForms, curated by Roberto Martinez, currently at the Richmond Art Center. It represents the ceramic visions of Julio del Rio and (myself) Lauren Ari.  I had the pleasure of being a painting instructor at NIAD where Julio Del Rio is a studio artist. I was inspired by the well of creativity, the open-heartedness and the community which is a sweet world unto itself.  It has been a joy to go back and choose these works to share with you!   “You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one Read More …

two side by side photographs of NIAD's 23rd Street Galleries with artworks waiting to be hung in the WIN WIN 10 Silent Auction sneak preview exhibition.

NIAD Gallery Exhibition // “WIN WIN 10 Silent Auction Sneak Preview” organized by NIAD’s Exhibitions Team

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About the exhibition More than fifty NIAD artists are featured in the WIN WIN 10 Silent Auction, currently open for bidding until the day of the live event. The Sneak Preview Exhibition is a salon-style installation that includes each and every piece of art included in the Silent Auction, hung closely together in a way that encourages conversations and highlights correspondences between each piece. The work in the exhibition represents the incredible breadth of art practices that NIAD artists maintain every day in the 23rd Street Studios. NIAD truly contains multitudes! NIAD’s Executive Director Amanda Eicher will be in the Read More …

installation view of the Art of the African Diaspora at Richmond Art Center

Off-Site Exhibition // NIAD Artists in “Art of the African Diaspora 2022” at Richmond Art Center

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January 20 – March 19, 2022 About the exhibition Art of the African Diaspora, in partnership with Richmond Art Center, supports artists of African descent in the Bay Area through representation, professional development, and building a creative community. In 2022 we are celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Bay Area Black Artists Exhibition at Richmond Art Center! Over 100 artists of African descent will showcase their work at Richmond Art Center, as well as in open studios and satellite exhibitions at different venues across the Bay Area. NIAD Artists in the Exhibition Halisi Noel-Johnson Thomas Harden Raven Harper Kiesha White Shawna Read More …

an arrangement of works by NIAD studio artists included in NIAD Holiday Gift Guide #5 - a red ceramic snake, a wrapped necklace, a watercolor of football helmets, a scarf, a weaving, a t shirt, a beaded necklace and a print

NIAD Holiday Gift Guide #5, collected by Dawline-Jane Oni-Eseleh

Posted onAuthorNIAD Art Center

About the collection Gift-giving can be so tricky! It can be hard to know if someone has an item already, if it will be useful, or if it’s something that maybe you like instead of the recipient.  When I choose a gift for someone, I try to focus on their interests or recent big events in their life  – did they just move into a new home? Are they always dressed to the nines? Do they love sending videos about cute animals?  I curated this shopping guide with those friends in mind, so whether you are buying a gift for your new Read More …

NIAD Holiday Gift Guide #3: “The Zindel Collection” collection by Bill

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About “The Zindel Collection” collection The items in this Holiday Gift Guide are perfect for your friend or family member who: 1. loves handsome dudes and fall colors. Mireya Betances, Two Dudes ceramic 13x7x2″ 2. admires intelligence, integrity, and dedication. Raven Harper, MLK T-shirt hand silk-screened, 100% cotton  3. dreams of living in a strawberry. Heather Hamann, Untitled  mixed media on paper 12×18″ 4. loves swamp creatures.  Saul Alegria, Untitled ceramic 13x10x2″ 5. loves alien swamp creatures.  Saul Alegria, Untitled acrylic on paper 30×22“ 6. likes laughing, and ponies on the freeway. Nathan Lam, Bad Traffic Sign  graphite on paper, Read More …

A two by three grid of six featured artworks in the "Color of Happiness" collection.

NIAD Holiday Gift Guide #2: “The Color of Happiness” collection by Rebecca Jantzen

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About “The Color of Happiness” collection “It was hard picking out [the collection] because there’s so many different styles and mediums. The happiness feeling is what they all have in common. People should buy art because it will make them feel happy!” About Rebecca Jantzen, the collector “I describe myself as visually impaired and learning disabled. I am a socially engaged artist who loves her art work. I love holidays and I like to make cards for special occasions. I like to draw things that brighten up my spirit and the day; images of peace, love and happiness. One of the reasons Read More …

Thirsty Thursday Logo - a blue drop of water with "Th2" superimposed at the bottom and "Thirsty Thursday" underneath

Online Event: Thirsty Thursday – July 8

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Join us online from 6-7 PM PT, Thursday July 8th! We’ll welcome Nan Collymore and Celia Lesh in conversation about organizing this month’s NIAD Windows Exhibition, Soft Material. Our guest speakers will share some insight on how this collaborative project came to be. You could have the opportunity to meet and talk with participating artists from NIAD, Creative Growth, and Elbow Room: Deatra Colbert, Shantae Robinson, Raven Harper, Gail Lewis, Sherrie Aradanis, Elmeater Morton, and Ricky Bearghost. About Thirsty Thursday Hosted by Julio Rodriguez, NIAD’s Gallery Manager, Thirsty Thursday is our new event series bringing together artists and curators with interested Read More …

More Archive: View Even More Of Our Previous Online Exhibitions//

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It’s Time For Joy // show #219selected by Julie Mallis Includes work by Mireya Betances, Dre’An Cox, Sylvia Fragoso, Janay Futch, Felicia Griffin, Karen May, Ann Meade, Martha Padron, Jason Powell-Smith, Shantae Robinson, Serena Scott. Charged Particles // show #220selected by Kate Conlon Included work from Christian Vassell, Danny Thach, Matthew Wilson, Joseph Rux, Carlos Fernandez, Jeremy Burleson. Monochrome Markings // show #221selected by Jennifer Gilbert Included work from Serena Scott, Jeremy Burleson, Julio Del Rio, Nathan Lam, Joseph Rux, Matthew Wilson, Shantae Robinson, Raven Harper, Rebecca Jantzen, Jonathan Valdivias, Donald Walker. The Weight Of The World // show #222selected Read More …

This Week’s Update From Our Executive Director//

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Juneteenth is here, and NIAD is celebrating.  As NIAD artist Dorrie Reid reminded us last week, this moment is not only to recognize an American history that includes great and ongoing harm, but on this day, the resilience and power of the Black heroes and historical figures whose legacies accompany us in this historic moment. We recognize those who have passed, memorialized in artworks like Raven Harper’s pantheon of portraits of civil rights leaders and performing artists such as Martin Luther King, Jr, Rosa Parks, Aretha Franklin, and so many others. And we recognize those whose passing has recently moved Read More …

Online Exhibition : Faces Places, Selected By Sammy Kapp//

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About the exhibition Paying homage to Agnes Varda’s final film, this grouping seeks to interact with the imagined and real figures and landscapes of NIAD’s impressive roster of artists. Creating dynamic and vibrant visions of the world, these artists are exploring what defines faces and places, two very basic genera. Take Erica Martinez’s Wallhanging, which quilts floral patterned fabrics to create an entirely new terrain. Or take Raven Harper’s Untitled, which morphs one of her signature visages onto a ceramic surface. Like Varda, these artists are engaging with persons, places, and things, getting to know them and inventing their own perceptions Read More …

Archive: View Many Of Our Previous Online Exhibitions //

Posted onAuthorNIAD Art Center

Back in 2014, we began asking artists, curators, literati, musicians, disability community members to sort through our online gallery and create a weekly exhibition. Our online gallery (believe it or not) was hosted on Tumblr. It was an arduous task, so we only ran the shows for part of the year, closing them down for the summer. Now, we use a better platform, and at last count we had nearly 8,000 art objects available online. In 2016, we began hosting a weekly online show throughout the entire year. And late in 2018, we began to archive the shows. Below is Read More …

two artists dressed in fashionable clothing pose for the camera

Roster of NIAD Studio Artists

We love NIAD Studio Artists. You will, too. Simply click on an artist’s name to learn more about their practice, browse their available artworks, and view their exhibition history and media coverage. Enjoy! Current NIAD Studio Artists Hacer Acma James Heartsill Dorian Reid Saul Alegria Shirley How Robin Rakoczy Karla Alfaro Rachel Huber Shantae Robinson Sebastian Alvarez Rebecca Jantzen Carlota Rodriguez Fabian Arias Christopher Jimenez-Lopez Xiomara Rosales Mireya Betances Samantha Kershnar Jesus Salas Vanessa Bravo Yuka Kobayashi Alice Sampson Jeremy Burleson Nathan Lam Shawn Sanders Deatra Colbert Jamie Leingang Katherine Shim Heather Copus Donzell Lewis Esmeralda Silva Dre’An Cox Faithe Leyandre Read More …

A collection of artworks featured in Samantha Kershner's "Mixed Media" Holiday Guide

NIAD Holiday Gift Guide #1: “Mixed Media” collection by Samantha Kershnar

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We are thrilled to kick off our NIAD Holiday Gift Guide series! Every week we’ll have a fresh collection of artwork from NIAD’s dazzlingly diverse inventory – paintings, afghan blankets, coloring books, planters, posters, necklaces, music, t-shirts, wallhangings, prints, greeting cards, zines, soft sculptures, ceramics, and more. And it’s all lovingly hand-picked by the art aficionados who know it best – NIAD studio artists and staff. Enjoy!   About the “Mixed Media” collection “Holidays bring family together. You remember people who aren’t with you. When you look at the gifts, they should make you think about the good times you Read More …

A drawing of an elongated mask, surrounded by colorful decorative elements like a pink heart, a purple fan, multi-colored cloud shapes and others.

Shawna Kinard

I am an African American painter, singer and ceramicist. I like two things the best; coloring and singing. I like to sing and create music. I feel free and excited when I sing. I see myself as more of a performer right now.  One of my main musical influences is Justin Bieber, who is one of my favorite performers. I like how he goes out into the crowd and interacts with his audience. I also like musical movies. From To Justin to Kelly and High School Musical are my favorites. I like to draw and color the most. I like Read More …