HARLEM’S CALABAR GALLERY ANNOUNCES NEWEST ARTIST FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE RESIDENCY
Harlem based Calabar Gallery has selected Afro-Latina artist Vanezza Cruz for the second iteration of its signature Art Residency Program. Cruz will spend six months at CoLAB Arts in New Brunswick, NJ and a month at Cannes Brulees Rum Factory in Grenada where she will work with art advisors with a specific focus on social justice.
Cruz follows Ghislaine Sabiti, who was the program’s inaugural resident. Candidates are selected on how social justice is woven into their practice, in addition to the quality of their work and potential for growth. “My visual artwork is deeply intertwined with my passion for social justice, says Cruz a mixed media artist. I seek to amplify the voices and experiences of marginalized peoples, particularly those of dark skinned Black and brown women; while, aiming to contribute to a broader dialogue around social justice and equity. Cruz currently works as an art’s education administrator.
The Residency is a competitive program designed by curator Atim Annette Oton of Calabar Gallery to provide artists space and consulting time with art experts, curators and critics while they produce new work. It focuses on the creation of art work on a specific topic, with a distinct pedagogy focused on exploring ideas about Caribbean, especially Grenadian, lives and community as it relates to politics of land, food, agriculture and wellness.
Read this week’s newsletter that includes an overview of The Exhibit, Episode 4 here.
