Harlem Fine Arts Show Back For 17th Year: A 'Wonderful World Of Color'

MIDTOWN, NY — The Harlem Fine Arts Show is back for its 17th year of showcasing new work from influential and emerging Black artists, bringing three days of panels, workshops and performances from Feb. 21 to Feb. 23.

The art extravaganza first popped up 17 years ago in Harlem's armory, but now, the event is hosted about six miles away at The Glasshouse in Midtown.

But, the show's founder Dion Clarke said, that's kind of the point.

"Harlem has long been a symbol of African Americans and multi-cultural individuals — that goes back to the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s," Clarke told Patch. "But, Harlem was not just 125th Street and Lexington Avenue — Harlem was in Chicago, Harlem was in Atlanta, and we, at the Harlem Fine Arts Show, are a mixture of all of these individuals from around the country and the world."

This year, the show will host more than 100 Black artists and Black-owned galleries from across the world who focus their work on the narratives and experiences of the African diaspora.

Some of the featured artists include Barry Mason, David Dixon, Earlene Cox, Ernani Silva, John Clancy, Kyle 'Mello' Dixon, DNTWATCHTV, Denny Ow and Roberto Lugo, who work across mediums and provide what Clarke calls "cultural nutrition."

All featured artists and galleries are picked by a jury, Clarke said.

People "look at the artists and galleries and they say, 'This is a wonderful world of color,'" Clarke said. "It's something to behold."

The mission of the art show is to support artists, and its unofficial slogan is "buy Black art."

"I'm looking forward to all the fellowship that the artists give each other, and also the people that come through the doors," Clarke said. "And I'm also looking forward to selling as much art as we can so that the artists and the galleries can really have the economic power to be successful."

The show will take place at The Glasshouse, located at 660 12th Ave. from Feb. 21-23. See more information and buy tickets here.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.