VIRTUAL ART ALL NIGHT ’21 PANEL DISCUSSIONS

After a second year in the virtual realm, Art All Night is very excited to share an amazing line up of informative, art-driven panel discussions including working artists, local luminaries and more discussing topics that we feel represents a wide variety of current and important conversations.

Check out the 2021 Panel Discussions below and be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page for the Speaker and Moderator Biographies which are in alphabetical order.

“How We Get Free: Artivism in the Past, Present, & Future” Juneteenth Panel Discussion
Description: In partnership with The African American Cultural Collaborative of Mercer County, this panelwill be discussing art as freedom and survival within the Black Arts Movement, as well as how art was contrived and developed in the actual lives of Trentonians. The panel will also seek to address the systemic removal of art within schools and programs while celebrating the recent resurgence of art in community spaces and events, such as Art All Night.

MODERATOR:

• Morgan Spivey

PRESENTERS:

• Jane Malloy for Tom Malloy

• Mayor Ras Baraka, City of Newark 

• Deyvon Brooks, Founder, Prevail Lifestyle

• Valona Denise, Artist

• Khalilah Sabree, Artist

We Are Trenton!: Trenton art and voices supported by I Am Trenton Community Foundation
Description: I Am Trenton (www.iamtrenton.org) has been funding grassroots projects led by Trenton changemakers since 2010. Learn about some of the arts projects I Am Trenton has supported around the city, and join four of the 2021 Equity and Social Justice grantees as they share the creative work they have underway. 

MODERATOR:

• Iana Dikidjieva – Vice President / Grants Chair, I Am Trenton

PRESENTERS:

• Jeff Stewart, Filmmaker

• Todd Evans, Poet/Spoken Word Artist

• C. Ryanne Domingues, Artistic Director

• Carol Burden, Executive Director, Trenton Music Makers

• Josue Lora, Creative Director, Lora Productions

The Influence of Street Photography
Description: Street photography has long been a revered genre of art and reasonably so. The impacts of street photography, not only tell the story of communities, but can also relay messages relating to the current social justice movements. Panelists will express how they hope to influence their viewers through the lens of the photographer’s personal experience.

MODERATOR:

• Brass Rabbit, Artist/Photographer/Curator

PRESENTERS:

• Edwin Torres, Photographer & Deputy Digital Director for the Office of the Governor of NJ

• Nagiyd “Naj” Ewell, Artist / Photographer

• Habiyb Shu’aib, Photographer

• Chrystopher Davis, Photographer

The Potential Project
Description: As part of a broader effort to foster equitable, healing-centered community development, Trenton Health Team (THT) and Trenton-based artist and activist Bentrice Jusu are collaborating on an effort to change the narrative around violence and trauma in the city through multimedia art, creative placemaking, and resident engagement. The project concept grew out of Ms. Jusu’s lived experiences with the cycle of violence in her own community and the lack of resources or collective space available to residents to process this cycle of trauma.

More information can be found at www.potentialproject.art

MODERATOR:

• Bentrice Jusu, Artist

PRESENTERS: 

• Terra Applegate

• Umar Alim, Rapper/Songwriter

• Hana Sabree, Storyteller & Writer

• Dorrant Gordon, Visual Director / Creative Director

• Jennet Jusu, Dancer / Writer / Blogger

Bridging the Gap
Description: The connection art has to other areas of industry is rarely noted in today’s world. Bridging the Gap explores the relation between the art and other career fields, really seeking to stress that individuals do not need to be locked into one career option and that art can and SHOULD be a necessary tool in every career path. 

MODERATOR:

• Carole Loeffler, Artist

PRESENTERS: 

• Shema Love, Artist & Lifestyle Content Creator

• Raphael Ogoe, Ghanaian/American Architect, Artist & Designer

• Diedre Bovver, Owner & Founder of Sourpuss Clothing

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Terra Applegate
Terra Applegate is a 23-year-old native of Trenton, NJ. Terra holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and African American Studies from Montclair State University, and is currently pursuing entrepreneurship.

Diedre Bovver (Follow on Instagram @sourpussclothing)
Owner, Sourpuss Clothing
Diedre Bovver is the owner of Sourpuss Clothing. “I’ve had my company for 20 years. I design products and apparel that’s subculture driven. I also run a retail website that sells my brand alongside other brands. My main focus is indie brands with an edge. My roots are in punk music and tattoos, so you’ll see a lot of that influence in my products and website. One thing that’s a standout for my brand is that I’ve collaborated with many artists and tattooers to create different products.

Carol Burden
Executive Director, Trenton Music Makers
Carol Burden is the Executive Director of the Trenton Music Makers (formerly known as Trenton Community Music School), which provides creative youth development opportunities including a five-day afterschool orchestra, preschool music, and a variety of pop-up and ongoing family engagement opportunities for urban children and families. Prior to this she served as Manager of Education Programs with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, where she built community relationships and maximized the impact of education programs for the benefit of partners and stakeholders. She had earlier worked alongside the Dean of Westminster Choir College, strengthening alumni communications, building advisory structures, conducting targeted recruiting for critical academic programs, and designing and implementing the college’s first performing-arts patron cultivation program. Following her initial 15-year career on the opera stage and in front of symphony orchestras, she has leveraged her talents for outreach and promotion in the social-sector fields of performing arts and education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Amherst College, a Master of Music from The Juilliard School, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University.

Chrystopher Davis
Photographer, Teaching Artist & Filmmaker (On Instagram at @dolo_foto)
Chrystofer Davis is a Newark, NJ native and 12-year fine art photographer, teaching artist, & filmmaker, whose work is influenced by street/portrait photography and contemporary culture. During the course of Chrystofer’s career he has worked, collaborated, and showcased with world-renowned companies and celebrities, in addition to hosting seminars and lectures. These feats include Michelle Obama, New York Magazine, Leica Camera, Bloomberg Businessweek, Puma, Urban Outfitters, MTV, Rutgers University, and B&H Photo, to name a few. Peerspace quoted him as one of “The 5 Best Fine Art Photographers in Newark”. His works are currently archived in prominent institutions such as The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The Newark Public Library, The Thomas J. Watson Library at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Bronx Museum and The Newark Museum. As a teaching artist, he is currently using his expertise to facilitate workshops to show the importance of keeping film and developing alive; as well as documenting the many faces and architecture of Newark, NJ.

Iana Dikidjieva
Vice President / Grants Chair, I Am Trenton
Iana has served on the I Am Trenton board since 2016. She came to Trenton by a circuitous route involving Bulgaria, Ethiopia, and North Jersey, and currently works at Trenton Health Team. Her past work includes leading the first vacant property survey of Trenton while at Isles (www.restoringtrenton.org), as well as neighborhood revitalization, creative placemaking, and business support initiatives in several Trenton neighborhoods. She holds a BA from the University of Chicago and a Masters in Urban Policy from the New School. She loves Trenton, and that IAT is able to work with so many visionary leaders committed to the city.

C. Ryanne Domingues
Artistic Director
Originally from Altoona, PA, Ryanne has served as Artistic Director of Passage Theatre since 2017. Her early theatre career included productions with the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble while she was an undergraduate at Bloomberg University, followed by a year-long directing and dramaturgy internship with Portland Stage Company. She then spent six years in Philadelphia working for a variety of local theatre’s, including The Wilma Theater, InterAct Theatre Company, and Plays & Players Theatre. During this time, she also co-founded and served as the Producing Artistic Director of Simpatico Theatre, where she directed a variety of shows whose themes reflected the company’s mission to encourage active dialogue that promotes positive social change in the community. She directed the world premiere of Assistants, a show that received various awards and accolades at the 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival and received an Off-Broadway run in June of 2019. Her other work has included positions with the South Coast Repertory, California Shakespeare Theater, and the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Ryanne holds an MFA in Directing from the University of California, Irvine. She is proud to be an adjunct faculty member of Rider University, and looks forward to directing productions both at Rider and at Passage next season.

Todd Evans
Poet / Spoken Word Artist
Todd C.C. Evans is a Poet/spoken word artist as well as being a longtime open mic host of several artistic events in the tri state area. Mr. Evans also puts on free artistic community events in Mercer and Burlington County and is the founder of The volunteer Community Theater Group The Don Evans Players named after his late father Trenton-bred playwright Don Evans. He is also the organizer of The Poetry Through Windows project in honor of one his mentors, the late great Dodge Poet Doc Long.

Nagiyd “Naj” Ewell 
Artist & Photographer (Follow on Instagram at @_najphotos)
Nagiyd Ewell, more commonly known by her nickname Naj, is a mixed race artist, photographer, and thinker of thoughts from New Jersey. She has lived across many different cities, states, and even a few countries which has fondly coined her the name “Nomad Naj” by friends. She started documenting different moments of her time spent in these places around 2015 and has been slowly building a collection of photos, words, and other art to share with the world. Naj has an interest in Photographing and sharing the mundane everyday life of her family and friends, as well as the sights that appear on her daily commute and surroundings. Being a Black Muslim woman has also factored in to some of her choice of subjects and how they are represented. Naj uses her photographs to tell stories, and to share her personal perspective of the world around her in hopes of creating a better representation and narrative of the places and people she has grown to love. 

Dorrant Gordon (Diego Gordon)
Visual Director / Creative Director
Diego Gordon is a visual director/creative director/innovator based out of Trenton, NJ, where he was born and raised. Known for his creative directing style, he has worked with many artists throughout the country. Diego wants to bring light to a city where days aren’t always sunny. He wants to uplift his community by doing it in a creative artsy way — a way that the world can relate to. He says: Losing family and friends is what made me switch my narrative — living life with a purpose and making the best out of it.

Bentrice Jusu
Artist
Living by the mantra “constraints inspire creativity,” Bentrice Jusu’s innovative artistic career derives from her roots and includes work in, around, and far beyond her hometown. Born and raised in Trenton, Bentrice is keenly aware not just of the challenges facing our communities but also of the transformative power and talent they hold. For over 10 years, she served as the founder and Executive Director of Both Hands Artlet, an organization that used contemporary art and unconventional educational practices to engage underserved teens in Trenton, guiding them to find their voices around the hard issues they face and using art to reclaim power over them. She is particularly known for spoken word poetry and performance that has made its way to the Brooklyn Museum and Tanzania Film Festival, alongside the works of Alice Walker and Ntozake Shange. She also works in photography, film, and large scale public installations, including the “Art of Becoming” mural at Clinton and Olden Avenues in Trenton and a photo installation at Razor Sharp Barber Shop. Similar to her teaching methods, her place-based installations combine multiple mediums and derive directly from the perspectives of community members, particularly youth, who drive the creation process, speak their truth and reclaim their space. The Potential Project was birthed from Bentrice’s personal experience with almost losing her life in the infamous Pulse Nightclub shooting, paired with losing a talented student to gun violence. What would have happened with her unfinished work had the evening in Orlando been fatal? What comes of her student’s never-to-be-finished poetry and film projects? How can we exist in the space of desire, pain, reconstruction, and repair, and foresee a promising future for a space we call home? These are a few questions that the “Potential Project” seeks to explore and illustrate.

Jennet Jusu
Dancer / Writer / Blogger
In a world that isn’t so ‘Black and White’, Jennet Jusu believes in keeping it cool as a creative, all the while living in color. She is a passionate dancer, writer and blogger with a niche for graphic design, and creative directing in the industries of fashion and liberal arts. Diligently by the day she opts to make her mark in the world giving her creative gifts to the universe. She aims to navigate the pulse of pop culture while developing her pronounced voice.

Carole Loeffler (Follow on Instagram @caroleloeffler)
Artist
Carole is a native of New Jersey and received her B.F.A. from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and her M.F.A. from University of South Florida in Tampa. Previously, she taught and directed the Foundations program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in the School of Art and Design. Currently, she is the Chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at Arcadia University in Glenside, PA and teaches Sculpture, Senior Seminar and coordinates the Foundations program. While residing in the Mid-west Carole had numerous solo and group exhibitions in New York, St. Louis, Chicago, Cleveland, North Carolina, Indiana and Florida.  Since relocating to the East Coast, she has had her work in regional exhibitions in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Philadelphia and throughout the United States. She spent over 10 years investigating the color red through a variety of abstract sculptural approaches and processes. Most recently, she has been utilizing found vintage textiles with text to examine what it means to be a woman in our culture. Carole lives in Philadelphia with her husband, two children and their dog Happy Smile.

Josue Lora (Follow on Instagram at @lora_productions)
Creative Director, Lora Productions
Recognized as one of Trenton’s emerging creative voices, Josue started his own multimedia company, Lora Productions, while still a teenager in 2014. He specializes in the production of documentary, graphic design, commercial film, music videos, photography and audio recording. He also records his own original music (Latin Alternative / spoken word) as part of Colmado Music Group and previously as half of the Latin hip hop duo Agudos Clef, for which he received recognition in numerous publications covering the Philadelphia-area alternative music scene.

Shema Love (Follow on Instagram @shema.love)
Artist & Lifestyle Content Creator
A multi-passionate artist and lifestyle content creator, Shema is the founder of Shema Love Creative, a Black owned creative studio based in Brooklyn, NY that specializes in culture centric visual art and content creation. Shema’s unique faceless art has the ability to convey eccentric stories and real emotions through mostly portrait art. Her paintings and digital artwork uniquely lacks any facial defining features because she wants people to see themselves and resonate personally with her art. A self proclaimed nomad, when she’s not designing, she’s traveling the world as a Registered Nurse(yes, during the height of the pandemic) and travel enthusiast. Shema’s design work and likeness has been featured by The Washington Post, Netflix, HBO, BET, Pyer Moss, PopSugar, Freeform on ABC, VH1, Alpha Industries, Footlocker, Jordan Brand Womens, and most recently Shema was the face and featured artist of the global campaign for Nike Air Max Day 2021.

Raphael Ogoe (Follow on Instagram @rafogoe)
Ghanaian / American Architect, Artist & Designer
I am Raphael Ogoe (rafogoe), a Ghanaian American architect, artist and a designer. I was born in Accra, the capital city of Ghana where I was influenced by traditional daily life that also nurtured my interest in art from an early age.  Despite constant pressures from teachers to pursue science and math, I stuck to my passion and continued my training in visual arts. I am very passionate about art and I believe art influences everything around us hence I believe my art and creative abilities can add to the betterment of the world for others and myself. As an architect, I have worked for some top tier architectural firms on projects around the globe including the United States, China, London, United Emirates, Senegal, Nigeria and Ghana.  As an artist, I have had 2 Solo exhibitions and participated in some group exhibitions. I have donated my artwork to numerous charitable campaigns and organizations to raise funds to effect the change we seek in various societies. I have won a few arts and drawing competitions and have been profiled in some publications. I currently live in New Jersey and work mostly in New York and Accra.

Brass Rabbit (Follow on Instagram at @brassrabbitart)
Fine artist / Documentary Photographer / Curator
Brass Rabbit is a US based, fine artist, documentary photographer and curator living and working in Trenton, New Jersey. Brass Rabbit got her start as a creator in documentary photography capturing the home lives of gang members and other individuals from illicit economies along the United States east coast. Her photo work focuses on American Made societal expectations and economic inequality. She has coordinated numerous exhibitions as a fine art curator as well as hosted lectures, discussions and art critiques in the tri-state area. She has extensive knowledge of digital art and photographic practices with a sharp focus on conceptual artistic expression and material use.

Habiyb Shu’aib
Photographer (On Instagram at @beloved1__)
Habiyb Ali Shu’Aib (Beloved1) is a born and bred Trenton photographer whose eye for capturing his city was cultivated from a young age. Starting with a disposable camera at the age of 9, and guided only by his own experiences, Habiyb has developed a lifelong passion for the streets that bleeds through every photo he produces. From the pure joy reflected in the eyes of a playing child, to the harsh realities of hard living etched into the faces of the homeless, his photos evoke the very emotions he feels while capturing timeless moments, bringing the viewer along for the ride. As passionate a photographer as they come, Beloved1 spends every waking moment perfecting his craft and preparing for his continued success in the field. His future aspirations hold hopes of bringing his work to more galleries.

Hana Sabree (Follow on Instagram @sabreescenes)
Storyteller / Writer
Hana Sabree is a storyteller / writer / singer / black radical artist / photographer / student. I enjoy my city for the way people support each other & the youth. There has always been someone looking out for me. My why stems from my journey with grief in the loss of my mother at a young age. My dream is to support youth within my city and at large, on their relationship with loss & love. Supporting each other on our journey of healing from loss and connecting with love, I believe, is pivotal for our survival here in America & at large. Mental health in the black community is very important to me — I looked for resources myself as a youth and was not able to find any in my community. My goal will be to understand, uplift and support the “urban city kid” within us as black individuals, locally and globally. My question is always: how are you making yourself happy today?

Jeff Stewart (Follow on Instagram at @mindfirexl)
Filmmaker
Jeff is a true child of the 80’s, raised just as much by television and movies as he was by his parents. Given his first camera when he was two years old, Jeff has not been seen without one since. His love of photography and what some may say as a gift of storytelling propelled him to attend New York University and Temple University to pursue degrees in filmmaking and creative writing. In his travels Jeff has been a comic book writer, award winning filmmaker / photographer, radio show host and instagram influencer. Some of Jeff’s collaborations include Amazon, BET, Ebony Magazine, Drafthouse Films, Pepsi, The Associated Press, Coca-Cola, Netflix and YouTube.

Edwin J. Torres (Follow on Instagram at @edwintorresphoto)
Photographer & Deputy Digital Director for the Office of the Governor of NJ
Edwin is an award-winning photographer preoccupied with uncovering stories about family life and disenfranchised communities that are often overlooked. He graduated from Colby College with a degree in American Studies, which sparked his intellectual curiosity about history, current events, and the representation of cultures in a variety of media. Born in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx and raised in a Puerto Rican family, Torres developed a love for his vibrant community and works to serve as one of the voices from within. Currently, Torres serves as the Deputy Digital Director for the Governor’s Office in New Jersey. Prior, he served as a staff photographer for the New York City Mayor’s Office. Prior to his work in government, Torres was a freelance photojournalist. In 2016, Torres was the lead photographer and contributed reporting in a Pulitzer Prize winning story with ProPublica and the New York Daily News. He is a member of the Bronx Photo League which is attached to The Bronx Documentary Center (BDC) and published the Jerome Avenue Worker’s Project. His work has been published in the New York Times, Vice, The Atlantic, The New York Daily News, The American Prospect, ProPublica, The GroundTruth Project, Leica Blog, and several other outlets.