Art Down to Earth: Carla Jupiter

Carla Denise is an artist that keeps her art down to earth.  She describes it as soulful and funky...

expressionism with an urban edge to which people can not only relate, but also access. 

She started taking her art serious in 2000.  After moving into a new home, the bare walls overwhelmed her; thus, creating her first painting--a three piece abstract. It quickly became a conversation piece to everyone who visited.  She has been painting every since!

Expressing the beauty in life through paintings, her art is influenced by fashion and patterns.  She works with acrylics, blending color, shape, and form; celebrating the love of life; dreaming; long summer days; friendship;  roots; learning; and positive growth. "Each piece of art carries with it, a moment, thought, or emotion, through it’s vibrant liveliness and movement, concentrating in the area of all things positive..  Everything is and will always be painted in a positive light," says Jupiter.

May her next piece of art be for you!  Carla Jupiter is a 2011 Making HerStory participant.

Rising Pheonix: Jade Andwele

Jade Andwele is a visual artist, writer, crafter, poet, and performer who focuses on healing and community building through multi-dimensional art and creativity.  As an alum of the University of Virginia (Women’s Studies & African American Studies) and Howard University Graduate School (Sociology), Jade fuses her scholarly background with the arts to advocate for women, the Black community, and youth with a focus on social justice, and sexual and mental health. She is an active playwright and performance artist as a founding member of the award winning theater company The Saartjie Project in Washington DC.  

Jade recently founded the Community He(ART) Project, an arts organization, through which she facilitates creativity workshops and community programs in Virginia. Jade is also a rising graduate student at the Eastern Virginia Medical School where she is completing requirements to become a licensed Art Therapist. When she is not creating and performing, Jade can be found playing at the beach with her pit bull, Nyia. Jade is a 2011 Making HerStory participant.  Learn my about Jade by visiting www.jadeandwele.com.

Coloring Outside the Lines: Shawn Yancy is Making HerStory

"I don't believe in coloring between the lines,"

Many years ago, when we first met Shawn Yancy, it was by chance that we gained a first glance at some of her early art.  We were in shear awe that our favorite local news personality was one of us: an artist.  The scale of her work was unbelievable in size and complexity and we were instant fans.  Making HerStory is elated to boast that it was our platform on which Shawn made her artistic debut. 

An award winning journalist, Shawn Yancy anchors FOX 5 News at 5 and 10pm. When she's not telling people's stories on the news, she's telling her own stories through her art. Her most recent mixed media collection was shown through the Art Registry for Dress for Success DC. “It was an exploration of techniques and mediums. It evolved into a collaboration of moods and emotions,” says Yancy.

Shawn has been drawing, painting and creating as long as she can remember. She lives in Maryland with her husband and three sons.  This marks her 3rd season supporting Making HerStory.  She is currently planning a new exhibition slated to open in June 2011 at the well known Washington Design Center.  On Sunday March 20, she will join the H6 team by moderating a panel discussion following the screening of "Who Does She Think She Is," at the Center for Green Urbanism; 2pm; Free.

        

"Mouth Music:" Stephanie Renee

March 1st marked the beginning of Women's History Month.  The HerStory girls wore their Alice Paul "Jailed for Freedom" pins to get in the spirit.  It also marked the opening of "Making HerStory 6: the era of our dreams."  On Friday night, tucked away quietly in relax mode at the opening reception in the Tubman-Mahan Gallery, was vocalist Stephanie Renee.  The tweets began to flow, Stephanie Renee was in the building...and rightfully so; because, she is making herstory.  


Stephanie Renee makes no apologies for her lifelong immersion in the arts and embraced her destiny early--as most of her family remembers (though convincing them that this is how she would earn her living would be a bit more difficult). An accomplished singer/songwriter, journalist, broadcast producer, actor, arranger/composer, educator, filmmaker, and poet, Stephanie is always looking for the next creative mountain to climb. Her latest a cappella EP, "MOUTH MUSIC," is her third solo recorded effort and joins a long list of appearances on other successful releases with such artists as Steal Vybe, Marlon D, Opolopo, Patti LaBelle, and Jill Scott. Her next project is a series of short films tracking her family’s impressive century-old legacy in entertainment, titled THE EMBASSY.  Stephanie joins the line up of events for the sixth annual Making HerStory celebration with an EP launch party in celebration of the release of "Mouth Music," on Thursday March 10, 2011 at the Center for Green Urbanism, 3938 Benning Road, NE at 6:30pm.

Light a Fuse: Mary Nichols aka DJ FUSION!

Mary Nichols, also known as, DJ Fusion, is a Radio, Mixtape, and Club DJ,  whose main musical focus is the Urban Music Genre (Hip-Hop, Reggae, Funk, Jazz, Soul/R&B, House, Disco, Electronica, Rock, Disco, World Music, etc.), on the independent and mainstream level.

Nichols founded the syndicated FuseBox Radio Broadcast in 1998 to be a media outlet that consistently exposes the absolute BEST of Hip-Hop and Soul Music  from all over the world along with bringing quality interviews, news, and commentary. Along with fellow co-host,DJ, Producer, and Partner Jon Judah, who joined FuseBox in 2004, the FuseBox Radio Broadcast works daily to fulfill its mission and bring great sounds, vibes, and content to the masses.

From its original roots at Rutgers University Radio, the syndicated FuseBox Radio Broadcast is a 3 hour mixshow that has spread to over 25+ international FM & Internet Radio stations and website outlets <http://www.blackradioisback.com/p/fusebox-radio-broadcast.html>  as of February 2011.

The business FuseBox Media LLC was founded by DJ Fusion & Jon Judah in the mid-2000s to expand on their radio show ventures as well as work with other media extensions (including the official syndicated FuseBox Radio Blog, BlackRadioIsBack.com <http://www.blackradioisback.com/>  - an updated re-visioning of their original Exit9HipHop.com site), music production, mixtape hosting and more. Mary Nichols is also a freelance writer, speaker, and panelist.  She is a 2011 Making HerStory participant.