Shekere with Bey Print

Movement is my method. I danced from the time I was very young, majored in art in school and continued to perform throughout. Eventually, I became a dancer with an African-Caribbean dance company where I performed for over 20 years. As dancer, I found voice, passion, and my connection with culture and personal heritage. My visual art continues the exploration of cultural consciousness. Memories are visited, rhythms emerge and movement is constant! Whether in collage or the chine collé of printmaking, I choreograph until shapes and colors come together like dancers onstage. I begin my collages with an acrylic wash, then layer papers creating excitement and spontaneity. Once the inking process is complete on a monotype or photo-etching, paper is introduced. To a choreographer, it's as important that your dancers make individual statements as it is for them to be a voice within the ensemble. So is it with my work on paper and canvas - individual elements expressing their own uniqueness, while joining to create the whole. Though not performing often, I continue to involve myself in my community. I currently teach dance workshops at St. Joseph's College, where I also sit on the Arts Council and I once served as Artist-in-Residence at a Harlem hospice, where I helped support patients and families by creating art projects. I have served as artistic director and sat on the board of several arts organizations in Brooklyn, including SONYA (South of the Navy Yard Artists), Cultural Crossroads, Inc and presently, the Brooklyn Contemporary Chorus. I've won several honors for excellence in art as well as my community work. I maintain a home studio in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Motivated by dance, Caribbean heritage, Brooklyn roots, and the boundless creativity of my beloved mother, I hope to communicate the joys of my inspiration to the viewer. These sources of inspiration are treasures and they keep my feet, fingers and spirit dancing. I am a "choreographer on canvas." Featured Visual Artist - Brooklyn Academy of Music DanceAfrica 2010 and International African Street Festival - 2006 Artist-in-Residence - Creative Center, NYC - 2004 to 2005 Collections: Museu Brasileiro da Escultura - MuBE Sao Paolo, Brasil and Pinacoteca de Sao Paulo, Brasil; Dunne Development Corporation, Brooklyn, NY; New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation; Rugged Cross Apartments, Inc.