Voices of the Diaspora: The Artisans Behind the Canvas

Dawit Adnew (1973- ) is an Ethiopian painter based in Addis Ababa. He is influenced heavily by his studies of African masks and iconography and his background as a textile designer. Being drawn to beauty and serenity, much of his portraits feature lush, vibrant scenes filled with fruits and flowers.  Adnew studied at the Alle School of Fine Arts and Design, Addis Ababa University. 

Deborah Willis (born February 5, 1948) is a renowned American photographer, curator, scholar and author whose work explores themes of identity, history, and the African American experience. Born in Philadelphia, Willis is best known for her compelling photographs and research on the representation of Black people in visual culture, particularly focusing on the contributions of Black women to art and history. Her photography often explores how African American identity has been shaped through historical memory, documenting cultural practices and everyday life. Her work has been deeply influential in reshaping how Black bodies and experiences are represented in both art and popular media. In addition to her photography, Willis has contributed to the scholarly study of African American visual culture, with several books and exhibitions dedicated to the preservation of Black history and the celebration of Black womanhood. As a curator, her work has helped elevate Black artists and foster a deeper understanding of the impact of race, gender, and history on artistic expression. Her dedication to amplifying marginalized voices has solidified her as a leading figure in contemporary art. She is also the mother of conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas.

Derek Fordjour (b. 1974) is an American interdisciplinary artist who works in video, sculpture, and painting. His work features social gatherings and other cultural rituals with figures such as athletes, performers, and crowds. The background of each work is a carefully constructed collage utilizing cardboard, newspaper, and other materials. The varied textures are as dynmanic as the figures that rest on the surface. Fordjour received a BA from Morehouse College and an Ed. M in Arts Education from Harvard University. He received an MFA from Hunter College in New York.  

Derrick Adams (1970- ) is an artist working across painting, sculpture, collage, performance, video, and public art. Much of his work centers on Black joy and leisure. His recognizable style comprises angular and flat bold colors. In 2022, he established Charm City Cultural Cultivation, a non-profit organization to support and encourage underserved communities in Baltimore through events conducted by three entities: The Last Resort Artist Retreat, a residency program that subscribes to the concept of leisure as therapy for the Black creative; The Black Baltimore Digital Database, a collaborative counter-institutional space for collecting, storing, and safekeeping the data of local archival initiatives; and Zora’s Den, an online and in-person community of Black women writers, including a writers’ circle, and a monthly reading series that strive to promote instruction, support, and social engagement.  Adams received his BFA at Pratt Institute and his MFA at Columbia University

Devan Shimoyama (1989- ) is a painter, photographer, and mixed-media artist born and raised in Philadelphia. His colorful, fantastical works explore Black and queer bodies from his perspective. His paintings incorporate materials such as jewels, black glitter, rhinestones, and sequins. These materials point to an inspiration in drag culture and Black culture more broadly. Shimoyama's work uncovers the power of what is underneath the glitter and rhinestones.  Shimoyama earned a BFA from Pennsylvania State University with in Drawing and Painting in 2011 and received his MFA in Painting/Printmaking from Yale University School of Art in 2014.⁠

Devin B. Johnson (1992- ) is an American multidisciplinary artist. He oscillates being representational and abstract work in a meeting of movement and memory. This alludes to the intangibility of Blackness. His work is layered and textured, a process that communicates his interest in reflecting on urban landscapes and temporal reality.  Johnson received his BA in Fine Arts from the California State University of Channel Islands in 2015 and his Master of Fine Arts at Pratt Institute in 2019.  

Devin N. Morris (1986- ) is an American artist who works across assemblage, collage, video, and installation. Morris's work is an exploration of memory situated in surreal landscapes. His work is an exploration of racial and sexual identity. His work is built from improvisation based on the changing surroundings that are reflection on family and space.  He is the founder of 3 Dot Zine. It is a platform to explore new ideas and show the work of Black and Brown people. 

Devorah Perez is an American sculptural and installation artist. She works across painting, sculpture, and installation. Her minimalist work explores abstraction, materiality, and perception. Perez creates works that serve as resistance, pushing beyond any singular limitation, with interactions between space, material, and light.  Perez received her bachelor’s degree from New World School of the Arts in 2016, and her Master of Fine Arts from Florida International University in 2020.

Dineo Seshee Bopape (1981- ) is a South African multidisciplinary artist. She uses natural materials such as bricks, soil, and timber alongside video, sound, and archival images. Her work explores socio-political notions of memory (personal/collective, the known/unknown), narration, and representation as connecting manifestations.  Bopape graduated from De Ateliers in Amsterdam in 2007 and received an MFA at Columbia University in 2010. 

Dominic Chambers (1993- ) is an American painter. Chambers' interest in color foregrounds his practice. He studies art historical methods such as color-field painting and gestural abstraction and literature such as Magical Realism and the writing of W.E.B. Du Bois. His work focuses on race and identity and the need for rest and leisure space.  Chambers received his BFA from Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in 2016, and his MFA from Yale University School of Art in 2019.