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Never

stop

Creating

Art

Life evolves and expands through creation






Welcome to 

Gugsa Black Arts Collective

"Gugsa” is an Ethiopian name meaning “warrior spirit”.


Gugsa possesses a natural gift of being an independent, innovative and fair leader dedicated to  exploring ambitious new methods to solve problems.



On-going Pandemic Art Sale 

2020-2021

Catalog of Available Works

 (Email inquiries to gbacollective@gmail.com)

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Our Mission

The New York-based Gugsa Black Arts Collective seeks to build new in-roads into the broader arts worlds for early to mid-career Black artists from the Diaspora who have honed their skills and achieved success through their dedication to their craft and hard work. Gugsa Black Arts provides platforms designed to enable its members to share their works directly with broader audiences, including museums, collectors and galleries.  The Collective's intention is that artists develop direct relationships with patrons and collectors, encouraging collaboration and works by commission. The Collective's inaugural public event will be our participation in Art Hamptons 2019, which we hope to make an annual event.  Otherwise, the Collective will focus its efforts on assisting its artists with securing museum shows and other artist-driven requests for assistance, while the artists continue to develop their art through personal exploration and experimentation with their chosen media, gallery shows, artist residencies and art fairs.



Participating Artists

Richard Wilson, Jr.

Richard Wilson Jr. is an accomplished painter and pastel artist. He has artworks in numerous collections, public and private, including his official portrait of George Henry White, the last former slave to serve in Congress. Richard’s artistic strength is his capacity to select those moments that transcend the personal and can reach a broader audience. In all his paintings there is warmth and nostalgia. Richard has received numerous local, national and international awards.


Works by Richard Wilson Jr.

Kimmy Cantrell

Kimmy Cantrell is a renowned sculptor and visual artist.  Kimmy discovered his artistic vision in high school when he fell in love with clay. Rather than pursue art, he studied business at Georgia State University and spent fifteen years in distribution management. In 1999, he quit his job and dedicated himself to art. He sculpts in clay from vases to bowls with faces, and clay pieced collages. The self-taught evolution of his art continues today.



Works by Kimmy Cantrell

 

Clifton Henri

Clifton Henri is an award-winning photographer and visual artist based in Chicago, Illinois. Clifton is consistently creating new work and exhibits his work across the country. His art has been added to public and private collections across the country. Clifton affectionately describes his art as Film Stills of an ever-evolving narrative in the spirit of nostalgia where personal experiences, insights and cultural stances are reflected. His work is meant to empower and inspire.


Works by Clifton Henri

One to Watch:  Julien Trésor Kandolo (KANDO) 

Kando is an emerging painter and mixed media artist.  Kando was born in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He studied at the Académie des Beaux-Arts de Kinshasa. In 2009, following a few exhibitions at the Académie des Beaux-Arts de Kinshasa gallery, and at the Centre Culturel Belge Wallonie-Bruxelles à Kinshasa, Kando established himself in Montréal. He completed his studies in Art and Design at UQÀM. Today, he explores pictorial language through fragmented images, combining drawing, painting, and collage; and the notion of the uniqueness of individual identity in the face of collective identity.  More information and works by Kando can be found here.



© 2021 Gugsa Black Arts Collective

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