CALL TO ARTIST: ART+SOLE+LIFE: SOUTH FLORIDA EDITION

Sankofa's Child Inc and Sole Plus present:

ART+SOLE+LIFE: SOUTH FLORIDA EDITION

CALL TO ARTISTS:

Want to use a Converse All Star sneaker as your canvas? Here is your opportunity. Next Sunday, September 11, from 3:00-6:00 pm at Gallery 1310 (1310 SW 2^nd Ct, Ft Lauderdale, 33312), artists will be given a pair of brand new Converse All Star shoes to redesign on location.  They will then take away the unfinished shoes to complete, and return them the following Saturday, when the shoes will be displayed at Gallery 1310 and sold through a silent auction.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE:

Artists from the tri-county area (Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties)

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE:

Email sankofaschild@gmail.com, include your name, samples of your work, your bio, and your contact information (email, website and/or Facebook fan page)

For further information, contact Nzingah, sankofaschild@gmail.com

THERE IS A LIMITED AMOUNT OF SHOES AVAILABLE. RESERVE YOUR SPACE.

Artist Spotlight: Meca McKinney

For many social networking can be black hole that produces nothing but hours gone doing nothing. I will be the first to admit I have lost hours that could probably add it up to days. But I took a step back after my initial addictions (the games the games, oh and picture sight seeing) to really connect with people of same interest or people who I just found to be interesting. Recently I connected with Meca McKinney though we have not met it we have a new cyber friendship brewing. She is a artistan and so much more I wanted you guys to get to know her better so I asked her a few questions. CHECK HER OUT....

So who is Meca Mckinney if you had to describe her in two sentences?

Modern Leather Artisan, Design Consultant,  Author, Lifestyle Blogger,  lover of life, and mommy of a super crafty fashionista 7yr old princess.

How did you start Jypsea?

 

I owned a vintage boutique in 2001. It was only busy on the wknd so during the week, I started sewing, making suede reversible tie-dye tote bags. I was a f/t student at FIT at the time, just switched my major from apparel design to accessory design. My bags became my best seller and a store in San Francisco placed a wholesale order, recommended by one of my most loyal customers who was a music exec. I became really busy fulfilling wholesale orders, running the store and going to school f/t and decided to put Jypsea aside until after I graduated. But I graduated college 2 weeks before my child was born and my husband and I decided I would be a stay-at-home mom for a few years. Fast fwd to 3 yrs ago, I went back to Corp America as a technical footwear designer for a company in NYC and was downsized 6 mos later with the entire technical department. I decided it was my chance to earn a second degree and re-launch Jypsea.

What inspires you?

Natural elements—the seasons changing, ocean animals, botanical gardens  and people watching.

How has your education Associates in Accessory Design from FIT and Bachelors in Fine Arts from Thomas Edison State College impacted your work if at all?

I designed clothes my entire life. My mom was a seamstress who made all of my clothes and I was always very artistic. BUT without my education at FIT, I wouldn’t understand how to make high quality leather goods. I wouldn’t know about the tools and equipment I have come to rely on for handcrafting leather accessories.

My art degree taught me to see the world and my place in it as a creative person in a new light. Art isn’t something others do, ie: painters, sculptors. I, too, am an artist and leather is my medium.

What sparked you to write your book?

A ton of questions in my fb inbox and wherever I go as I’m introduced to people as a designer, Everyone is so curious about how to get started in this industry and some are very disillusioned. They believe that it’s all fun and play, not a difficult business. I wanted to write a book that both dispelled the myths and gave people the help I wish I had.

Where do you hope to see yourself in the next few years?

 

I’d like to teach art/design on a college level and/or author more how-to books. I love to teach help others fulfill their creative professional goals. As far as my own creative professional goals, I see Jypsea continuously growing, building clientele and possibly with a Jypsea boutique or 3. I’ve own a boutique in the past and currently co-own one in Suffolk, Virginia called Down To earth Boutique & Gallery on W. Washington St.

 

What do you want to leave us with?

Care about the impact your purchases make. Investigate the companies you spend your hard-earned cash on. Do these companies use child labor in foreign countries or have deplorable work conditions? Are they taking from the environment but putting nothing back and if so, what does that say about you if you are providing them with the financial backing to do so? Invest your money in unique, handcrafted, artisan made products that don’t hide behind a corporate wall  but instead puts you directly in contact with the designer. This simple act changes the world. 

 

 

You can see more from Meca at the following links:

 

Jypsea~ Eclectic Handcrafted Leathergoods
www.Jypsea.com

Lifestyles of the Authentic & Creative tm
www.LOTA-N-C.Blogspot.com

 

Facebook

www.facebook.com/JypseaLeathergoods

Week 3: Jypsea Clutch Giveaway

Distressed grey leather clutch with silver studded strap. Grasp this bag by sliding your four fingers under the studded strap to show off a fresh manicure! The leather is super soft and the pyramid studs give it a bit of attitude. Hand whipped suede details and recycled denim lining are very special touches. Features a zippered interior pocket. Big enough to carry as a day bag. 7" high, 11" wide, 3" deep

Its our 3rd week and we are on our third item. Its a Distressed Grey Leather Clutch by designer Jypsea. Later on this week we will be posting an interview with the designer Meca. Details on how to enter are below.

P.S. You have 7 possible entries. Make sure if you follow us you leave a comment so it can qualify as an entry.

"Pieces"

Artist Spotlight: Yes Lioness...

I have been following the work of Yes Lioness for years now, and recently had an opportunity to connect with her in person. She is an artist, entrepreneur, and definitely someone to follow. I want to share her with you. Check her out.



So, how did Yes Lioness come into fruition?

Yes Lioness Arts was created after I finished Art School as a way of showcasing my work to the general public. Initially it began with Art shows, street festivals, and impromptu sidewalk tables. In 2003 Yes Lioness,Com joined the web, and since than has reached people all over the world.

What's the background with the name of your line?

"Yes Lioness" is a greeting which refers to a beautiful, regal woman of color as a female lion. Although I am not a Leo, I like many women embody some of the attributes of a strong, fierce yet humble being.

My creative process begins with an idea, sometimes writing, other times researching images to help inspire or inform a realistic sketch. From there it may become a painting, a t-shirt, greeting card in any medium.










Can you speak more about your work as a fine artist and how it differs from your work with your line?

My work as a fine Artist is still very much a work in progress as I devote more time to the business

of earning a living as an entrepreneur than I do painting for the love of painting. Painting requires more introspection on my part as opposed to illustration which is more interpreting the outside world.

Although I started out as a fine artist, eventually illustration or "commercial" art became my focus due to the practical side of my nature and my strong desire to reach more people and inject art into their everyday lives.This led me to begin creating items like refrigerator magnets, bookmarks, journals & eventually t-shirts. 

Where do you hope to see Yes Lioness in the next 5 years?

My vision for Yes Lioness is to become a globally distributed brand that is recognized as being a leader in products that represent Women of Color in the most Beautiful & Inspiring light.


Tell me about your most memorable moment with Yes Lioness?

There are so many, but one of the most satisfying was when I did a book signing for my first published children's book and so many of the children said it was their favorite book and that they loved the fact that the characters looked like them. The parents also expressed their appreciation for the images that reflected their beauty.

What do you want to leave in terms of a legacy?

My goal is to create a vast body of work of enduring images of people of color that reminds us of our greatness, dignity, self-worth and beauty while depicting our magnificent Culture.

Check Yes Lioness at the following links:

• www.YesLioness.com
• http://yeslioness.wordpress.com/
• Facebook

Help me transform the lives of some children...

Hi, My name is Nzingah and I'm a teaching artist

Adinkra Stamping Workshop 

African American Research Library and Cultural Center

7/2011

My journey as an artist has been an expedition of moving beyond art for arts sake. There is a constant drive to use my creative energy to solve social problems, change lives, and heal spirits. These desires lead to the natural progression of me becoming a teaching artist. On a very simplified level a teaching artist is a farmer who plants seeds of creativity. In my case the seeds are planted in both teachers and students. Beyond planting the seeds of creativity there are many layers that I go through to strengthen the learning process for teachers and students such as: How can I assist both normal and disabled students to reach milestones? How can I inspire a teacher to move out of their comfort zone and be a rejuvenated educator? How can I un-wrap the artist within everyone I interact with? How can I renew faith in children who society has neglected? One thousand students and a couple hundred teachers later it has been affirmed overwhelmingly the arts, when taken out its comfort zone, can create effects bigger than itself, solve social problems, change lives, and heal spirits. This in turn inspires me as artist to paint, to write, to sing, to dance, to breathe.

Music Residency at Debbie School

2007

Exhibition at Historical Museum of South Florida of Art Residency

4/2010

Art Residency at DJJ

5/2010

Spoken Word CD

I released my new album last summer and a lot of folks nationally and internationally have been asking for it. So here we go if you click the buy button under the album cover you will get your personal copy mailed to you.

P.S. You can also purchase my first album by clicking the button below