ASHRO ONWARD & UPWARD ARTISTS’ SHOWCASE LEANS IN TO THEIR COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY
The Ashro Onward & Upward Artists Showcase exemplifies the respect and commitment that the fashion retailer has for Black art and its cultural influence. First held in 2021, The Onward & Upward Artist Showcase, was a response to the emotional upheaval we were all experiencing beginning in 2020.
They offer that the contest is a powerful way to celebrate Black heritage and culture…and to reach out to artists, aspiring or established, who have something important to say.
This week we’re stepping you through some things you should know about Pigment International’spartnership with Ashro, former winners of the Onward & Upward contest, the work of its Community Council, and how we learned that one of the Pigment artists was a former Ashro Model.
Oh, and there is still time to enter this year’s contest and see your story shared across the Ashro network. Deadline is September 15th.
Check Out these Ashro Blogs
Check out the Ashro Blog for interviews with Pigment International Founder Patricia Andrews-Keenan and former Ashro ‘cover model’ and now one of the judges for this year’s Art Contest Dana Todd Pope.
Meet 2022 Winner Joseph Randall
The theme of Ashro’s 2022 Onward & Upward Artist Showcase was Imagine the Future: Black is Beautiful. The winning entry was titled “The Magnificent 7″, an acrylic on canvas work by Chicago based artist Joseph Randall. In the piece you see past tennis legends Althea Gibson, Leslie Allen and Zina Garrison, who Randall says inspired the piece. It is a celebration of current day icons Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Sloan Stephens, Madison Keys, Naomi Osaka, Taylor Townsend and Coco Gauf.
Randall also snagged the Excellence Award in 2021 with his piece “Voices to the Voicelesss,” a salute to the Black Lives Matter Movement. Learn more about all the past entrants including those in the ‘Young Adult’ category.
You still have time to enter.
Learn More About the Ashro Community Council
Ashro is committed to investing in the wellbeing of The Black Community — locally and nationally — through partnerships, donations and volunteer efforts. In order to powerfully execute this commitment, Ashro created the Ashro Community Council: the ACC. This council is made up of employees who are dedicated to the Ashro customer and to The Black Community. Using a holistic, customer-focused approach, the ACC selected four areas of philanthropic focus: Black Women’s Wellness, Black Youth & Education, Basic Needs and Hunger Relief and Black Advancement. Meet the Council.
Read this week’s newsletter here.
JENNIFER WARREN SHARES HER ARTISTIC JOURNEY AT THE COLTON SEED CREATIVE EXCHANGE
Jennifer Warren shared her path as an artist, and one of the inaugural contestants on MTV and the Smithsonian Channel’s The Exhibit on last week at the Cotton Seed Creative Exchange in Aurora. She was in conversation with Pigment International’s Vee Harrison. Jennifer showcased some of her work including a piece she created while on the show.
Yvonne Michelle is the proprietor Cotton Seed which offers an eclectic and artistic collection of items by vendors of color. Located in Aurora’s historic downtown, on the Fox River, it is a must visit destination that also hosts exhibits, classes and special events. It’s also a spot where you can pick up Pigment magazines.
