The All Black Xperience 2024 Presented By: Johnny L. Jones, Myron “M-Town” Smith & Tim Ricketts

Can you think of a moment in time where you felt the words of James Brown, “Say It Loud-I’m Black & I’m Proud” was your city’s anthem? Let’s take it back to February 2018. The infamous Ryan Coogler film, Black Panther was released and had anybody from eight years old to eighty years old rushing to theatres in their best-dressed outfits; whether it was a dashiki or all-white fit from head to toe. The city of Milwaukee felt different for the Black Community. It was as if every one of all races had come to an epiphany-there is success and elegance when it comes to black people.  I often wonder if it was the story of the film; Prince T’Challa taking on the crown of his country following his father’s passing to save the innocence and future of his people or the costume design that had all of Milwaukee in a chokehold. Prince T’Challa’s wardrobe mainly consisted of the color black. Why? Black is the color of power, sophistication, wealth, and elegance. 

However, as soon as the film left theatres, everyone put the urgency and need for black pride and unity in a box to left as well. (Shout out Queen Bey). Well all that changed Friday, November 29th, 2024 as almost the entire MKE was in attendance for The All Black Xperience hosted at the Baird Center which was presented by Johnny L. Jones, Myron “M-Town Smith, and Tim Ricketts in downtown Milwaukee. These three men who could be described as Milwaukee’s own BellBivDevoe have taken on the responsibility and challenge of normalizing the celebration and elevation of Black Excellence. Each of these three men are known in the city for being an ambitious entrepreneur, developer, and the life of the party. They all have over a decade of experience dedicating their lives to making Milwaukee more familiar with wealth, power, and luxury in the black community.

The All Black Xperience illustrated a night whose theme was black luxury and elegance. Think of NewNew’s (played by Lauren London) parents in the coming of age film, ATL. Successful, prestigious, fly, smooth and creative black people filled up the guest list quicker than your family members rushing to the line to get their Thanksgiving plates. The purpose of this event was for a night of entertainment, networking, and celebration to be experienced by those in Milwaukee who are not only making moves for their own success but also hyper focused on what the future and sustenance of black excellence will look like after this year comes to a close. 

Not only did musical guests Rick Ross and Tweet keep everyone’s attention from the beginning to the very end of the night; but the red carpet was a head-turner as well.  Everyone followed the number one rule which was to wear ONLY BLACK! The dress code was made clear and nobody was disappointed. The men were dressed in their black suits and ties giving a real depiction of when Justin Timberlake & Jay-Z hopped on a track together; as the ladies shut down the carpet in their all black dresses. Let me just stop and answer the question I know you are all thinking;

“Des, what was on the menu?”. The food and drinks were centered around the culture of our city as a whole. A variety of sausages including bratwursts, frozen custard, cheese curds and alcoholic beer beverages made up the menu for this memorable night. Sounds like an MKE night at SummerFest. The All Black Xperience did more than check all the boxes when it came to the perfect date night such as music that makes you want to move, a reason to pull out that outfit in your closet, while also eating and drinking some things that make you feel good. This experience got the city to show up, show out, but most importantly present the opportunity to figure out what’s the next route when it comes to the celebration of black elegance & excellence being normalized in Milwaukee.

There were only a few calls made by the dynamic three (Jones, Smith, and Ricketts) as they selected who the hosts for the night would be. One of those calls went to author, motivational speaker, and life influencer, Steph Crosley. The hosts needed to embody what the event symbolized: a hustler’s mentality, active community member, classy, and who also knows how to turn up and feed that energy to the guests. Crosley shared how the highlight of her night was not just the feeling on stage with Jammin 98.3’s Earl Stokes and DJ Cheerio but also honoring and awarding movie director, producer and writer; Ramon Swift Sloan towards the end of the evening. I asked the life influencer what is the correlation between celebration, motivation and inspiration because those are the three things that surrounded her that night. Crosley stated, “I believe you’re inspired - there’s a spark and then there’s a force that propels you internally to ‘do something’ and then there’s an outward display of your accomplishment - the celebration - in that order.” The perfect equation that should be used more often than it is by people who look like us. Steph’s night mirrored hundreds of others that attended the event; a night of music, food, fashion, and networking specifically catered to high-class black people in the city; but that wasn’t all that she remembered from that night.

“One of the messages to take away from the All Black Xperience is that together we can - it takes all moving parts to make an event successful from the organizers - to the city trusting the vision and coming out to support - to the DJs and host doing our part and everything in between. Together we can and I believe it will continue to do well and grow.”-Steph Crosley

It’s up to us to keep events like this in an consistent rotation and celebrate one another. So what will motivate you to do your part? Is it musical guests being in attendance? An opportunity to dress up? Or is it having the chance to talk to some of the most influential and intelligent black people in the city?

On behalf of the /CW fam I would like to applaud Johnny L. Jones, Myron “M-Town” Smith, Tim Ricketts, Steph Crosley and all the other hosts who came together to make this night possible. As Crosley would say, there is power in numbers; might even have some of us starting to walk like Ghost off the Starz show Power. The celebration and elevation of black entrepreneurs, media, success, and unity needs to become normalized and consistent. So I challenge each of you. Comment down below what you think it’ll take for this to happen. Go follow the creators of this event. Their instagrams are @stillstephc, @jlj164, @therealmtown, @therickettsshow and catch the live recaps and photos from an unforgettable night.

Desriana Gilbert | Entertainment & Social Journalist for /CW

Clyde's | SnapShot Press Release

“Do I look hungry?”

The question was rhetorical but I took the bait, blurting out from the darkness of the theater. .

“Yes! You do!”

Hunger exists where there is a void, or need for something more. It is the lack of satiation that we feel [& fill], that urges us to find a means of sustenance. Without it, we are empty, weak, and coercively vulnerable.

Excuse my pepper-jack cheese of linguistics, but Clyde is a hungry B*tch.

Sunday’s [November, 9th, 2024] Milwaukee Chamber Theater’s performance of Clyde’s, showcased the unhinged reality of the people who serve our society. This form of service comes with being a scapegoat for the power structures we call capitalism that demands the use of bread, lettuce, or cheese [those are all words for money, depending on who you are asking] as the means to survive. 

From behind the kitchen door of a truck stop sandwich shop, this staff of “rehabilitated” individuals, shows us through the erudition of Lynn Nottage, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwriter, how hard it can be to do better when surrounded by misery, after being locked away from the world.

Clyde’s is a purgatory-like place, equipped with stainless steel food prep islands, a smokey flap-top grill, and a loud commercial-grade refrigerator [It was real! I could hear the motor kick on and off like we were really in the kitchen. Nice Touch!]. But here there will be no Michelin stars. Instead, it is where Montrellous (Bryant Bentley) carefully crafts aspirations of hopes, one slice of bread at a time. It is where Letitia (N’Jameh Camara) grapples with her value between every piece of cheese and where Jason (Nate Press), repents through sprigs of parsley. It is where Rafael (Justin Huen) grieves over the grease. It is where dreams go to be broken, and souls go when they are desperate to survive. 

This kitchen is a symbolic prison and Clyde [Lachrisa Grandberry] is the overseer, warden, and the Devil herself wrapped in spandex and pleather! Her abuse [mental, emotional, and the bruised back of Rafael proves it to be physical] is a reflection of her self-loathing. As an ex-con, she believes that hiring what she frames as a societal outcast gives her the prerogative to treat her employees like they are less than human [which sadly they are used to]. But it is the way Grandberry postures her raunchy, classless, erotica torture that makes her character so cringe-worthy. To make the crowd love you is beautiful, but to make them despise you is a wicked deed that pulls from the worst parts of humanity, forcing us to wipe crumbs of blissful delusion off our faces. Lachrisa girl, YOU DID THAT!

I found myself rooting for the world's underdog as they spilled their hearts out sharing the stories of how they became incarcerated. Montrellous story offsets the scales of justice, as Bentley’s delivery demands you listen with your chest, and question how much you are willing to sacrifice for the greater good of others. Letitia, tormented my maternal instinct [first when she chopped that lettuce into oblivion], N’Jameh playing up her ability to evoke empathy with her climatic cadence [Stop trying to make me cry now. You already had me with ILLIAD, LOL]. Rafael’s desperate need to prove his love to others is a fatal flaw, and Huen seems to be a master of humility and sensitivity. But Jason. . should we forgive him? The Black woman in me tingled with the, “now you know how it feels” mantra, that is only triggered when “justice” falls on the door of the socially privileged. But Press, made me believe that the internal torture he felt was real. 

Kudos to Director, Dimonte Henning, who did not skirt away from the “nasty” [metephorically and literally]. From the scandalous gestures of Clyde [I mean Rated R and Rated Hillarious] to the transitions of BTS kitchen life between scenes, it was a glimpse into the world we don’t often get to see. 

It also made me crave a sandwich, something serious!

Clyde’s is for those who dare to eat havarti on a butter brioche, with heirloom tomatoes, a slather of cajun-style hot sauce, and a cucumber chutney [See I can make an epic sandwich recipe too. LOL], and dare to call it a “sammich”. In other words, it is the hole in the wall of art we should steep ourselves in because you never know what might send you to Hell, purgatory, and back again. 

Let’s stop judging, and well. . .Do better.

Lexi S. Brunson  | Editor-in-Chief /CW

Today WE vote | #SupportTheLocal

Are you about your “business”? | /CW Community Resource for you from Chayil Inc.

Hey /CW Community Fam,

This year /CW has learned a bunch about our business [the good, the bad, the ugly!]. This learning has allowed us to reflect on what we value as a business, and COMMUNITY is at the top of our list. With that being said, as community members we think it is vital to share resources and opportunities that may be useful to you and all the great things you aspire to do. 

Our people over at Chayil Inc. are offering free business support workshops for Black & Brown business owners/entrepreneurs called the, The BluePrint Business & Succession Planning. 

This training program was created to cover a range of business information including understanding Banks versus Credit Unions, becoming bankable, getting access to capital, bookkeeping, accounting principles, sales, marketing, and many other “How to do's and don'ts”. Where there are business consulting entities that may host comparable business training programs, BluePrint Business & Succession Planning is unique because it was designed to provide solutions to issues that directly impact minority business owners in the BIPOC community. 

This Saturday, November 9th, they are having an event to celebrate past workshop participants and give out information on the upcoming programming.

Register for BluePrint Business & Succession Planning, A Celebration of Legacy:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blueprint-business-succession-planning-a-celebration-of-business-legacy-registration-1039366893357

I urge you to tape in and use this resource while it is free. 

On November 8th, 2024, a day before the event, registration for the next round of BluePrint Business and Succession Planning will go live and be accessible via https://www.chayilinc.org/ and https://finance-cafe-money-smart-small-business.teachable.com/. 

Love & All Things Urban, 
/CW

You're Invited to the opening Exhibition of CULTURE: BETWEEN SPACE & PLACE By Lexi S. Brunson

You're invited to experience a spatial art installation created by CopyWrite Magazine's Editor-in-Chief, Lexi S. Brunson. Also, get your copy of Issue 21 Back to Black at the exhibit [where the installation is featured].

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Through my professional practices as a writer, researcher, media maker, interior designer, and creative, I have noted that between Space & Place, we find Culture [Big C]. Since Culture is nuanced, it creates an opportunity to reimagine what space is through the multiplicity of mediums, contextualized via identity, locality, and temporality.

I have taken this concept, through a casual practice of interpersonal interviews, observation, and pursuing/inhabiting spaces where cultural dialogue [spoken & unspoken] occurs. By creating a series of “vignettes” that exist [& will exist] in multiple mediums, I share cultural narratives that reflect the internal perspective of the BIPOC community. Not as a monolithic lens but as a note of existence we often assign with diminutive importance. The nostalgia-induced conversations that transpired during installation with staff, visitors, and other people popping by, validated that these places [even when repurposed as art] are truly threads of understanding in a web of misinterpretation WE do not subscribe to.

Family Groove | A Film by Ria

“In West Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground is where I spend most of my days”

“It’s a rare condition in this day and age, to read any good news on the newspaper page”

“Martin, I’m the man” 

These are the jingles that must run through your head every once in a blue moon. I’ve heard they give the feelings of nostalgia, comfort and relatability. This is why many corporations, people and communities try their hardest to replicate that sultry and fun 90’s type vibe even though it is extremely difficult. This week I stumbled across a short film that stepped up to the plate when it came to bringing the 90s world and energy to present day!

“Family Groove:” created by the 414’s very own Ria had everyone and their mama in a frenzy when it dropped on IG. As I watched the film, the color scheme is what stuck out off rip. It was a canvas of shades from hershey brown, ruby red, to butterscotch yellow. They made you feel welcomed and as the viewers were right along with the cast inside the film! It caught me off guard that there were no convos but you could still feel when to laugh, jam out to the film, and catch on to what was happening. The infamous dance scene from House Party with one of culture’s famous duos Kid ‘N Play is the closest image I can paint for you all as to what energy will be witnessed from “Family Groove”.

Not only was the short film lighthearted and fun but it also came off real. The set looked the the average crib and not some jazzy Airbnb that Ria could’ve easily chose. A variety of different interpretations can be made but I’m glad it showed our people in a light that hasn’t been flicked on in a while. Every brown and black person’s family life is not always dysfunctional or struggle rather it can be just as witty and fun as the next person’s! From the fashion; styled by ours truly Carlos Vergara Jr, to the choreography and chemistry of the cast; this is a must-see!

Go watch “Family Groove” on Ria’s IG and let us what you think. Here you will see young creatives from Milwaukee enjoying family-friendly fun with one another.

Desriana Gilbert | Entertainment & Social Journalist for /CW

AN ILLIAD - SnapShot Press Release

photos by Michael Brosilow

Humanity has a way of showing us its values. 

Our fate lies somewhere between the unknown and the unhinged [what a spectrum]. However, it is usually through reflection, anecdotal and historical, from a distant past to a very near present that we see the repetition of lore and find ourselves questioning the meaning of it all.

Sunday’s [September 22nd, 2024]  Milwaukee Chamber Theater’s performance of AN ILIAD, was an emotional display of genius, wrapped in the tradition of Grecian tragedy, smothered in the plight of modernism oblivion to the human condition, and how “WE” got here. Lisa Peterson & Denis O’hare’s interpretation of Homer’s The Iliad translated by Robert Fagles, bares us from the smoke and mirrors of social exchange, grounding us in the power of mono-interpretation storytelling. However, it is N'Jameh Camara (The Poet) and Kellen “Klassik” Abston (The Muse/ Composer) that brought the shores of Troy and the backdrop of the Aegean Sea into reach within the circular “void” of the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center.

IT’S GIVING DRAMAAAAAAA!

As N'Jameh drowned herself in a bottle of “spirits” she walks us through the tale of Hector and Achilles, the Trojan War, and the fate of their battle. Her monologue was striking. When & where are we? In the “now” of disruptive political turmoil, or in the “then” of disruptive political turmoil? In the “now” of men policing the body of women or in the “then” of men policing the body of women? In the “now” of socially induced hysteria or. . . It did not matter, N'Jameh as the poet reminded us that these fates could be our own and that we must not shrug lightly at the flaws of man, because we are MAN. 

With just a suitcase, a bench, and a few layers of clothing N'Jameh flings her head back and stairs into the eyes of the audience [the people] then rushes to gesture the interactions of warriors, lovers, enemies, friends, and family. She makes us grieve the death of Patroclus, the same way we grieve, the limp bodies of boys found slayed on street corners in rival “hoods”. She makes us speculate Helen [Helen of Troy or Helen of Sparta depending on who you ask] agency in her selection of suitors. Was Helen into Paris or nah? Does Helen even want Menelaus to defend her or does she just like to see men get all hot and bothered over her? [Is killing the highest or lowest form of flattery that can be offered]. 

All I know is that when N'Jameh reflects on what war this landscape of carnage reminds her of, she list every war that humanity has documented, and my eyes flooded with stinging tears as if the waves had crashed upon me and I was destined to drown.

The mantra of monikers. . .

Peloponnesian War

Crusades

Powhatan War

Mexican-American War

World War I

Arab-Israeli wars

Vietnam War

Israel–Hamas war

. . . It went on and on for what seemed like forever. How could we not see it? How could we not understand that we have failed to protect our species from butchery? How could we not plead for forgiveness when we have all let our egos slaughter our potential for collective peace? N'Jameh wailed in a dialect of pain and her voice carried through the room into some distant pit of sorrow. I have been to many performances, but I have never felt so soul-crushed in viewing the truth. 

I am guilty. We all are guilty.  

This ability to drag our senses into the thick of it was not an isolated win. Klassik’s arrival into the theater as The Muse allowed for an auditory awakening or a soundtrack to a collective soul cry. His layered vibrations made us hear waves on the battle beach, the clash of metal weapons against armor, and the vastness of hundreds of thousands of ships arriving. His musical composition was boisterous and delicate all at the same time. We needed his contribution, we needed the liquid “spirits” to release this auditory vision for The Poet to relive, what we all must rectify. 

AN ILIAD is an experience that humanity needs. It is a scream for repentance in public intimacy. As we find ourselves pinned into battles that may be sanctioned by the Gods [Yours, mine, theirs, ours, or no one's] and ask for conviction in our uncertainty [who deems our deeds good or evil?] We must remember that we are all villains in someone's story. 

[& the comedic relief was there. But only enough to make us say “Ohhhh boy we’re screwed.”

I invite you to approach your humanity and experience Milwaukee Chamber Theater’s AN ILIAD, for the sake of us all.

Lexi S. Brunson 

Editor-in-Chief /CW

"A Delicious Way To Make A Meaningful Difference" - Snap Shot Press Release

ALl photos by copywrite magazine

Food waste & food insecurity are legacy themes in Milwaukee’s urban landscape. For decades, community members have strived to find equitable ways to nourish our neighborhoods. From mom-and-pop bakeries to our regionally sourced dairy [Can we get a cheese curd?], the communal “Friday Fish Fries” [a Wisconsinite staple], and urban farming plots that bring us fresh produce from right up the street, food is a part of our story.

Tuesday’s [September 10th, 2024] at Alice's Garden Urban Farm [2136 N 21st St, Milwaukee, WI 53205], FEED MKE announced it’s Food Waste Reduction + Compost Mini Grants project, which allows $127,500 to be reallocated to Milwaukee-based community organizations in support of Food Recovery and Composting. 

pictured: Erick Shambarger,

Erick Shambarger, Director of Environmental Sustainability for the City of Milwaukee, who leads the Environmental Collaboration Office (ECO) kicked off the event by rooting us in reality. “In Wisconsin, 1.2 billion pounds of food goes to waste annually while 1 in 7 households experience food insecurity”, Shambarger shared in a reflection of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 2021 report. These numbers, in conjunction with Milwaukee’s socio-economic relationship with food deserts, should be alarming to all citizens, hence FEED MKE’s charge for change.  

The Food Excess, Equitable Distribution Coalition (FEED MKE), Food Waste Reduction + Compost Mini-Grants, were made possible by the USDA-Compost & Food Waste Reduction Grant. However, the concept came from the community member feedback on what our city truly needs.

pictured: Venice Williams

Venice Williams, Executive Director of Alice’s Garden, noted that “the city of Milwaukee is full of abundance. . .”, which we don’t hear enough. This abundance, present in the vast backdrop the urban garden created for this event, is also clear in the work local organizations and individuals do to keep our community fed [with or without the means]. “My family can tell you anytime I go to my garbage to throw away something I ask for forgiveness”, Williams testified as characteristic of noticed waste projects like these may prevent. 

FEED MKE is charged with several tasks including conducting outreach on how food waste impacts climate change, fostering relationship-building between gleaners and food pantries, food kitchens, restaurants, community-based organizations, etc., as noted on their official city of Milwaukee web portal [milwaukee.gov/FEEDMKEMiniGrants]. However, the introduction of the mini-grants and future Food Saver Challenge through the Mayor’s Office will allow community and private sector contributions to these initiatives. 

pictured: Andi Sciacca

Andi Sciacca, EOC’s Environmental Sustainability Program Coordinator, made it clear that the current funding is not meant to deter the department from doing its work but instead, “redistributes it to the people already doing the work” and “help people recover more food before it becomes waste”. 

Those looking to apply for the grant should be clear on their ability to think communally & collaboratively. Funding Opportunities include

• Food Recovery: Grants of $5,000-$30,000 for 4-8 organizations to support food recovery capacity-building through partnerships with local food-based businesses, food banks, and community-based organizations.

• Composting: Grants of $5,000-$20,000 for 3-5 organizations for on-site composting supplies or to institute subscription-based composting services at community locations.

Workshops or “information sessions” will be available at several sites around the city throughout October, where applications must be submitted by November 22nd, 2024, for a December Award announcement.

So as a creative media outlet that #SupportsTheLocal & firmly believes that sharing a meal with someone can humanize them, we hope to see you pull up a seat at the table to feed our community and sustain our planet.

Because it is. . .

“A delicious way to make a meaningful difference". - Andi Sciacca

Lexi S. Brunson | Editor-in-Chief /CW

/CW Chat w/ The All White Xperience | June 29th, 2024 [Rooftop Ballroom Baird Center]

Get out your white linen fits because the All White Xperience is about to go down! Your /CW fam sat with event curators Myron Smith, Johnny L. Jones and Tim Ricketts about the Saturday, June 29th, 2024 event that is bound to change the way Milwaukee see’s entertainment. From intergenerational programming with a step show & runway fashion to a highly anticipated live performance by Jagged Edge, this will be one of those events that has to make the MKE summer hit list.  It’s not just a party but an “Xperience” you won't want to miss.

/CW

ThriveOn King Ribbon Cutting Celebration | A local inspiration, a national model, and a dream come true

The ribbon cutting at thriveon king

“A local inspiration, a national model, and a dream come true.” - John R. Raymond, Sr., MD

At CopyWrite we respect a BOLD statement and we value an observed truth. So today when John R. Raymond, Sr., President and CEO of MCW, delivered remarks on his perspective of ThriveOn King collaboration, we could only agree that its fruition and active arrival has indeed been an inspiration, a layered blueprint, and a collective dream that has often been deferred. 

We were invited to attend the June 6th, 2024 ribbon cutting ceremony for the ThriveOn King Collaboration development [2153 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. Milwaukee, WI 53212] as a neighbor [/CW Creative Studios + Shop is literally right across the street if you did not already know], Art Review Committee members [because the creative work must speak to US & for US], and community stakeholders [our investment into this community is apart of the collective fabric that turns these SPACES into PLACES]. With those many facets of stewardship as a guiding force for our communal labor, we have been quite critical of the goals and aspirations for the new soul of the old Schuster’s & Gimbels building.

An equitable approach to development must be anchored in reality. What are the issues? Why do they persist? What are viable solutions and the resources needed to sustain them? These are the questions that are never easy to answer. However, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation (GMF), the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), and Royal Capital’s “joint vision for Milwaukee '' have created a physical manifestation of what that vision can become. 

“We all share a vision where neighbors are healthy. . .opportunities are equitable. . . a better Milwaukee”, said Ellen M. Gilligan, current President & CEO of Greater Milwaukee Foundation. The idea of a “Better Milwaukee”, can always be neutralized by the historical divide that most tend to harp on as a sign of stagnation in our cities’ complex infrastructure but in the case of the ThriveOn King development, “better” is collaborative truth. Where community is engaged, philanthropy can serve, and that service becomes mutually beneficial in building a place where we all thrive holistically. 

Ken Robertson, Executive VP, CEO & CFO of GMF, also shared his appreciation to his collaborators [including the community] and commitment to the project beyond the near completion of the commercial building component. “We could do better, we could live better . . . projects like this enable us to get there”. The momentum is an absolute must to propel a high-profile partnership into something that retains a positive legacy and lasting impact in the microcosm that is Milwaukee. 

The stipulation of communal progress treads upon counter acts to gentrification and welcomed entry into a community that already holds historical and cultural value. Alderwoman Milele Coggs, made it known in her speech that the site we all were currently inhabiting was not just a happenstance of real estate availability. She listed an FBI facility, the welfare building [even as her familial namesake], and NO studios as other inquired possibilities. “It could have been but we fought against it”, she said. And those possibilities change the trajectory of so much more. 

artist vedale hill /w pops [art installation]

As always when we approach these historical moments of ribbon cutting and “professional hobnobbery”, we report back to our readers as active advocates of the arts, culture, and to local elevation. We watched as Vedale Hill, one of the artists selected for ThriveOn's permanent collection [and an intimate supporter and partner of our work at /CW], created his art installation slated for the historic display windows on the north side of the building. We discussed the importance of having his work be seen as “a cultural relevance of “Play” for the African American Community in Milwaukee. . . These pieces are meant to depict a physical manifestation of hope for young Black kids while elevating this nuance of culture to high art. This notes that while the practice of play may be the dream there are other professional routes that may encapsulate that passion”, as stated in his concept description. 

artist whose art was selected to be a part of thriveon king: vedale hill, Isaic Pulliam, Brad Anthony Bernard, Reynaldo Hernandez

“This is more of a homecoming than an arrival for me. Having this art here at ThriveOn reaches back to why I became an artist in the first place. It's already there. I’m just encapsulating it and reframing it so that our realities are validated not as just historical asides but as impacting proponents of the here & now. How I view myself as an artist is more akin to a diamond cutter than an inventor.  I’m just making a value and beauty association that is already a part of the natural folds of the community I am a part of”, Vedale reminded us.

And these narratives run deep.

/cw on the job | Editor-in-chief Lexi S. Brunson

I am keeping a few subtleties close to my chest to preserve them for future conversations about the ThriveOn King, collaborative community development, and the art that will show who we are on walls that are professed to be a part of generational progress. As I sit in my studio & look out the window I can see the new era of progressive proliferation and I will be keeping a close [and neighborly] eye on how we THRIVE together.

Lexi S. Brunson | Editor-in-Chief /CW